FavoriteFlows – Innovative solutions for water and energy cycles in buildings for a climate fit city

Demonstration of detailed planning work and implementation of water cycles (building-integrated constructed wetland wastewater treatment) and energy cycles (wastewater heat exchanger) on a large residential apartment development for climate resilience, resource efficiency and high living standard.

ReSpace – Reclaiming Spaces

ReSpace is developing an AI-based model for identifying, categorizing, and activating sealed areas. Existing data sources (aerial and satellite images, mobile network data, land registry entries) are integrated and enhanced with dynamic analysis to derive evidence-based recommendations for action.

Beyond - Virtual Reality enabled energy services for smart energy systems

The Beyond project addressed two different energy services through the interaction of various technologies: state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), energy simulation and machine learning (ML). Energy service 1 immerses VR users in energy-efficient and sustainable building design through an educational VR game, while energy service 2 improves the maintenance of building systems, particularly heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, through the application of ML models for predictive maintenance.

Vilipa - Visible light based Person and Group Detection in existing buildings

Zur Reduktion des Energieverbrauchs von Gebäuden können Belegungserkennungssysteme einen großen Beitrag leisten. Dieses Projekt zeigt die Machbarkeit des Erkennens von Personen anhand der Reflexion von sichtbarem Licht, hervorgerufen durch die Person selbst, demonstriert, wobei die bestehende Beleuchtungsinfrastruktur zur Personenerkennung ohne Datenschutzbedenken eingesetzt werden kann. Der realisierte Ansatz ist sowohl kostengünstig als auch unaufwändig hinsichtlich der Installationskosten.

ExTra - ExergyTrafos for heating and air conditioning through district heating

As a contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions, the project aims at upgrading existing heating networks by adding new devices, so-called exergy trafos, to the heat-exchanging transfer stations. These are driven by district heat and provide heating and cooling, as well as a reduced return temperature, as a service.

BIOCOOL - Bio-inspired Surfaces for the Evaporation Cooling of Building Envelopes

The BIOCOOL project will explore the transfer of morphological principles from leaves of deciduous trees, with optimized thermal properties and efficiency of evaporation to the parametric design of form-optimized architectural ceramic surfaces for climate control of building envelopes. The study paves the way for an industrial research project.

CoolAIR - Predictive control of natural nighttime ventilation and daylight-optimized shading for passive building cooling

Natural nighttime ventilation and daylight-optimized shadowing are high potential approaches to efficiently and economical cool buildings. Nevertheless, the full potential cannot be acquired, since, if at all, such behavior is manually initiated by users. Goal of this project is the development of an automated, self-learning system that can assess the full cooling capabilities and establish an alternative to conventional air conditioning systems.

Passive-house-suited low power wood-furnace

Log-fired furnace with low energy performance, optimised to be used in passive house constructions. The desired energy output, ranging from 1 kW to a max-peak of 3 kW, is achieved by an "energy storing unit" (energy-storage material covered by an insulation layer) in combination with valves to control the energy release.

Development of a passivehouse - external door

Development of a passive-house-suited external-door-system producible in series production.

oh 456 - Plus Energy Office Building oh456

The "oh456 Plus Energy Office Building" with its adjoining small hydro-electric power plant shall serve as a prototype for testing innovative technologies and also provide the companies residing in the building integral home surroundings comprising common break and leisure facilities. A wide public will have access to the building which will be a location for the most diverse events, exhibitions and lectures on climate protection as well as being a joint promotional platform for sustainable construction.

S-House: Planning and Building for the future

The S-House is a two-storey straw-bale passive solar design. The building shell demonstrates the potential of straw-bale building and shows the whole spectrum of technical solutions for competitive components made of renewable resources.

Clay - Passiv Office-Building Tattendorf

The motivation for developing the project "Clay Passiv Office-Building Tattendorf" was the dissatisfaction with the situation of a great difference in the state of technology in three fields relevant to the research project: 1) sustainable production of energy , 2) sustainable energy conservation technologies and 3) use of sustainable building materials.

CPC-lightweight construction collector

On the basis of our relieable CPC-collector SOLARFOCUS S1 we develop the CPC-lightweight construction collector to get more material efficiency and maximum output of solar hightemperature energy.

Wall systems made of renewable resources

Testing and optimising post and beam straw bale constructions Testing the thermal insulation (specific heat conductance) and fire resistance of a construction (combustibility grading period), optimisation of building junction elements, development of a mobile testing lab for efficient and effective quality management

Facade Integrated Solar Collectors

Within the framework of this project system-, structural- as well as building physical basis theories should be elaborated, which will serve as a basis for constructional and aesthetically attractive solutions for the production of facade integrated solar collectors without thermal separation. The recyclability of the materials used and resource efficiency play a central role when it comes to the development of constructional solutions.

Development of a solid-wood-passivehouse-window

Based on experience with low-energy-windows, a solid wood window is being developed, which meets passivehouse-standards.

Sorption cooling and air dehumidification device

Solar-assisted air-conditioning in combination with comfortable controlled ventilation systems soon possible and affordably for building owners. With a new part DEC-systems should become acceptance.

Small wind turbines for households and companies

In a practical way the project showed that with optimised small wind turbines a useful potential of wind power can also be generated at different suitable locations with low wind conditions directly at households and companies.

Technology Platform Photovoltaic Austria

Between research institutions and the economic system the way has been paved to initiate joint R&D projects. Common research activities have been initiated and intensified to be able to position local companies in international niche markets for photovoltaics.

DW² - Thermal improvements on diaphragm walls

New materials and installation methods for diaphragm walls will be investigated in laboratory and field tests in order to improve the thermal properties of the construction elements. Additional numerical and ecological aspects are considered to ensure an energetic enhancement of underground constructions such as underground garages or thermal energy storages.