Rüdiger, what are currently the most important topics in innovative solid construction?
Rüdiger Busch: The industry is currently undergoing major changes and is dealing with many issues. In the field of sustainability, the framework conditions are tightening. Examples include CO2 certificates or the Energy Saving Ordinance. These legal requirements can lead to one or the other industry in the construction sector getting into serious difficulties. Another topic is technologization, i.e. digitization . But also new materials are becoming increasingly important because they increase efficiency in construction.
Are you and your team active with projects in the areas mentioned?
Rüdiger Busch: Yes, in the area of sustainability there are two projects on which we are working or have worked. The first project deals with the topic Circular economy for the construction industry . In this regard, it is important to know that mineral construction material waste amounts to 200 million tons per year throughout Germany. This is the largest waste fraction in Germany. That is why we are trying to optimize recovery and recycling rates with innovative approaches. These can be approaches in the area of logistics, but also new and above all sustainable ideas for returning this material to the recycling loop. In this context, we are also building on knowledge gained, among other things, from 2018 to 2019 from a project with the Cluster Energy Technology and Environmental Cluster Bavaria.
The second project deals with the Buildings as a building block of the energy future . This is about the topic of thermal building component activation. What is thermal building component activation? Every building has mass. And this building mass can be used to store heat or cold. The principle is comparable to underfloor heating, except that the temperature storage is not limited to the floor, but covers the entire building. In conjunction with new energies, for example, climate-neutral heating or cooling becomes possible in both new buildings and renovation projects. This cost-effective technology is not new, but is mainly used in office and functional buildings. Bayern Innovativ is involved in an EU project in this area in order to foster exchange with Austria. This is because the Austrians are admittedly already a step ahead of us in this area. That is, they can already show best practice examples, which we want to use for us to demonstrate feasibility.
Can you give us another example of technologization?
Rüdiger Busch: Technologization or digitalization is currently one of the biggest challenges and of outstanding importance for the construction industry. So it fits very well that since June 2020 I have also been head of the Topic Platform Digital Design and Construction to drive interesting topics that are being discussed at the Center Digitization.Bayern are located.
Currently, we have initiated the project "Masonry Robot". That is, we are dealing with the "colleague robot", which can set bricks and create walls. There has been a shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry for some years now, so it makes sense to focus more on automation. Or the topic of "Building Information Modeling" - in other words, the digital twin with which we plan, build and operate. This brings great advantages when I reproduce my entire building as a digital twin. Then I can track changes very quickly, for example. I don't have to redraw plans, but everyone has them available online, up to the second, at any time. The planner, builder or client can also automatically generate parts lists (e.g. for power lines, doors, etc.).
Or let's imagine a home buyer. A house or apartment purchase is mostly once in a lifetime and there it requires of course a good preparation. If you put on mixed reality goggles/ Google Glass goggles or use augmented reality to just walk through your house before building or buying, that's a real advantage. You immediately get an impression of what the climate will be like, whether you will feel comfortable in your kitchen, what feeling the house gives you overall. These are all important topics in digitization. That's why I think it's particularly good that more and more start-ups are taking an interest in the construction industry and providing a breath of fresh air here with innovative ideas.
When I think of digitization in construction, 3D printing immediately comes to mind. The idea of a house being printed is - to be honest - hard to imagine and sounds incredibly exciting at the same time. Are you also active in this area?
Rüdiger Busch: The 3D printing or additive manufacturing has a massive impact on future construction. The federal government has also recognized this and has launched the "Collaborative Research Center 277." With this, the federal government wants to strengthen the action agenda - among others also of the TU Munich. There, there is a dedicated cluster to advance the topic of "additive in the construction industry". The TU in Delft (Netherlands) and Dresden can already showcase practical examples on the subject of 3D-printed houses.
But of course the subject has not yet reached the mainstream. Nevertheless, many Bavarian companies and building associations are interested. And our common goal is perhaps not to print complete houses from a single cast, but at least to manufacture components or support structures additively. And we are already well on the way here to establishing innovations in Bavaria.
So that means that instead of putting stone on stone, a house is assembled from components?
Rüdiger Busch: Yes, that's right. This can be useful under certain conditions. One advantage is that series production can be carried out in a hall. This applies not only to 3D printing, but to prefabricated components in general. However, one question still remains: Automation naturally has an impact on the world of work. What will happen to skilled workers when processes are automated and machines take over more and more work? We are still a long way from that point, but you have to think through the consequences of digitization to the end.
The interview was conducted by Dr. Kord Pannkoke, Head of Business Development at Bayern Innovativ GmbH.
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