In the first funding period, we have established the overarching methodology of Co-Design between the development of computational design and engineering methods, cyber-physical fabrication and construction processes, and sustainable material and building systems. Our building demonstrators have shown how these advancements enable cutting resource consumption by more than 50%, reducing the global warming potential by up to 65%, increasing prefabrication productivity and construction automation well beyond 50%, including new forms of human-machine collaboration, and fostering a digital building culture.

In the second funding period, we will build on our achievements to deepen our research and address novel research areas, in order to scientifically contribute to (1) advancing bio-based building materials and enabling resource-efficient, regenerative and carbon-negative built environments, (2) empowering effective, performative and circular computational design and cyber-physical construction for both building anew and in the existing building stock, and (3) engendering affordable, liveable and resilient building cultures. To tackle the related research challenges, our Co-Design methodology empowers us to expand our research approach towards Co-Agency. This significant expansion enables us to go beyond deterministic approaches, integrate the ability for self-learning, achieve higher levels of autonomy and integration, and thus overcome the disjointed attempts at problem-solving still predominant across all areas of design and construction. We expect that IntCDC’s integrative and interdisciplinary research findings will continue to offer profound contributions to addressing the building sector’s severe problems, which incremental approaches simply cannot solve.

IntCDC has pushed the University of Stuttgart’s tradition and excellence in our field towards an internationally leading research centre. To further strengthen its anchoring in the university structure, the new faculty-like Stuttgart Center of Integrative Computational Design and Construction will be established.

Involved Institutions:

• Bauhaus Earth (BE)
• Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems