Research Projects

85% of the European building stock was built before 2001 and does not meet low-energy standards.In order to achieve the necessary climate targets by 2050, Europe must accelerate the renovation wave! For the building envelope, four different renovation concepts are being developed in the project using the example of demonstration buildings, which are tailored to the needs of different building types, climate zones, social classes and user preferences. They can be scaled up and adapted to new or existing buildings throughout Europe. | Duration: 10/2022 - 09/2026

The majority of the building stock in Germany is in need of energy-efficient refurbishment - the annual refurbishment rate is less than 1%. In order to achieve the climate policy targets in the construction sector, an energy renovation rate of well over 2% per year and a rapid switch to renewable energy sources in building operation are required. In addition, considerable increases in efficiency in production are necessary. The Fraunhofer lead project "Bau-DNS" aims to significantly increase productivity in the construction industry, particularly in building refurbishment, and at the same time create the conditions for cost reductions. Three parallel process strands are being pursued, which are highly interdependent and must therefore be optimized simultaneously: the consistent use of data, the design of sustainable processes and the systemic production of components. | Duration: 01/2023 - 12/2026

PV modules for building integration (BIPV) are developed and tested in pilot applications in the “Construct-PV” EU project. The project focuses on BIPV applications in the opaque area of the building envelope. The developments focus on high yield, appealing aesthetics, and low costs. Particular attention is paid to the amortization of the additional investment costs [€/m2] that are incurred due to the integration of the “solar power generation” function into the building envelope. One of the new developments of the project is the concept of the mosaic module, which enables new degrees of freedom for the overall design of the facade and can be produced using existing system technology. | Duration: February 2013 - January 2018

Customer-specifically produced PV modules for building integration (BIPV) are developed and tested in pilot applications of the “Construct-PV” EU project. The project focuses on BIPV applications in the opaque area of the building envelope. The development priorities are high yield, appealing aesthetics, and low costs. Here, not only the production costs of the modules, but also the planning, installation, and operation costs are considered. Particular attention is paid to the amortization of the additional investment costs [€/m2] that are incurred due to the integration of the “solar power generation” function into the building envelope. In the project, several patents were filed for new developments. In this article, newly BIPV slates and their promising electrical behavior under climatic and mechanical loads are presented. | Duration: February 2013 - January 2018

The EQWIN-P research project aims to improve the price-performance ratio of energy-efficient buildings by increasing the degree of automation in the processing of building envelope data. So far, building envelope data are processed within a software application, but usually the data are not compatible between different applications. They must therefore be transferred manually or in broken digital chains. This includes numerous proprietary formats, some of which are also only interpretable in certain knowledge contexts. In addition, many highly complex measurement data only acquire added value for planning purposes through algorithms, so that there is an urgent need to make relevant methods for evaluating building envelopes available to the broad market as uniformly as possible. | Duration: 01/2023 - 06/2026

The joint project “FIHLS” researched, developed and adapted building technology components for simple integration into the insulation level of the building envelope. The focus was on the refurbishment of residential buildings and on minimizing interventions in the building fabric. In conjunction with low-exergy systems for heat supply, this offers an extremely sensible technical refurbishment approach. This requires the development of minimally invasive refurbishment methods with the integration of heating and ventilation components in the façade, adapted heating surfaces and the integration of decentralized domestic ventilation systems. In this project, new types of distribution systems were investigated in combination with building envelope renovation, including insulation elements, mounting elements for windows, central and decentralized ventilation units and distribution systems in the façade. | Duration: 06/2016 - 04/2020

Einleitung | Duration: 01/2024 - 11/2026

The project "LowEx: Existing commercial buildings: Low-exergy heating and cooling supply concepts for existing commercial buildings" is part of the joint project LowEx - Heating and cooling with low exergy. This project provides a significant contribution to the integration of LowEx components into the domains of building technology (such as reversible heat pumps and cold water storage) and the building envelope (such as prefabricated façade elements). | Duration: 01/2023 - 12/2026

Meeting European climate targets demands a dramatic surge in renewable energy adoption. Although photovoltaic (PV) costs have decreased, integrated PV (IPV) remains a niche market due to persistent barriers. The EU-funded MASS-IPV project brings together key players to demonstrate how innovative tools and technologies can pave the way for the mass integration of cost-effective IPV systems in buildings and infrastructure. Through five distinct construction projects, the initiative showcases the potential of multifunctional and cost-effective IPV systems. | Duration: 11/2023 - 10/2027

The rooftop PV and BIPV systems recommended by the European Commission in the EU Solar Strategy are being used more and more frequently, which is why rules for their environmental impact assessment are considered necessary. However, the detailed life cycle analysis is currently not available and is therefore the subject of intensive research. For EPDs (type 3 eco-labels), neutrality and independent verification of in-depth environmental data are important criteria. Although PCRs for creating EPDs for PV modules and PV systems are already available, there is currently no such comprehensive PCR that leads to harmonized EPD results for PV modules as well as for PV rooftop and BIPV systems and at the same time enables standardized, both product- and use-specific assessments. | Duration: 06/2024 - 05/2026