About Us

The Institute of High-Rise and Industrial Construction follows the concept of architectural engineering, combining the three research areas of Integral Planning and Industrial Construction, Construction and Building Maintenance, and Integral Building Technology.

The combination of the three departments, with their respective planning and engineering expertise, offers a unique platform for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching.

We build a bridge between different disciplines - civil engineering, architecture and computer science - with the aim of developing integral concepts for a sustainably built environment and promoting innovations in the construction industry.

Research Areas (E210)

Integral Building Technology

3D-Modell eines mehrstöckigen Gebäudes - Gebäudetechnik farblich hervorgehoben

© Institut für Hoch- und Industriebau

Head

Gerald Schweiger

Univ.Prof. Mag. Dr.techn. PhD

Mission Statements

The research area of integral planning and industrial construction deals with interdisciplinary planning methods, supported by building information modelling and digital tools, with a primary focus on industrial and commercial buildings.

Three main topics are addressed in research and teaching:

  • computational design
  • digital platforms for the circular economy in construction
  • Integrated BIM Design Lab as research-led teaching

The numerous research projects in both basic and applied, cooperative research reflect the extensive and intensive activities of the research area. The most important results include BIM-supported material passports for buildings, BIMstocks: Digital platform for urban mining and BIMflexi: Algorithm for optimising hall supporting structures, among others. The research area is an active member of the Center for Geometry and Computational Design and the FWF special research area ‘Advanced Digital Design’ at the TU Vienna.

The task for the future in building construction is to reconcile a new approach that combines the technical lifespan of components, their replacement and supplementation with maximum variability of use and lifespan of the building. The question arises: how can the load-bearing structure and the functional levels of the building envelope be integrated into a high-rise construction under these conditions? What does this mean for the collaboration between planners and industry to develop solutions for a design for manufacturing, assembly and disassembly?

The new professorship for Integrated Building Technology conducts research at the interface between building, energy and information technology on intelligent buildings and energy systems of the future. The research focuses on the development of scalable computer-based methods for innovative energy services, such as automatic fault detection or predictive optimisation. Another focus is on the interface between people, technology and the environment, with a particular focus on well-being, comfort and performance. The new professorship builds a bridge between civil engineering, computer science and social sciences in order to strengthen interdisciplinary research and thus advance the decarbonisation of buildings and energy systems.