IZ II
Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Computer Science and Scientific Computing
Research Profile
How will the built environment in the future look like? What new materials or construction methods will be required? How will we interact with it? The spectrum of research questions in the joint faculty of architecture and civil engineering is very broad and includes developments in both construction and building technology, transportation, real estate, urban planning, architecture and its history. Studies on the design and technical construction of the built environment are located in the technical engineering sciences, while research on historical and social aspects also employs methods from the humanities and social sciences. The faculty operates in the area of interaction between practical and fundamental-oriented research. Both areas have been represented here in varying degrees for years. In the meantime, we have been working on research projects with an annual volume of around four million euros. The tendency is increasing. Our typical funding sources are federal and state ministries and their subordinate offices, the DFG (German Research Foundation), the European Union, foundations and other organizations, as well as private industry. However, our own research, in the context of national and international research networks, also has its place in our faculty.
This research provides a unique insight into our university's research profile lines.
Research today is increasingly interdisciplinary. Due to the broad-based research activities of the faculty, we are already researching many topics in a collaborative manner. These include, for example:
• Digitalization in construction: from "Building Information Modeling (BIM)" to "additive manufacturing" and "virtual and augmented reality"
• Numerical simulation in civil engineering: from finite element calculations of load-bearing structures to dynamic building and plant simulation to the simulation of fires and traffic flows
• Sustainable building: from recycling-oriented planning and building certification to the circular economy of building materials
• Infrastructure for mobility and transport: from highways to residential walkways to roads bridges and through tunnels, rail facilities and bus lanes to bike paths and sidewalks
• Architecture as cultural practice: from the study of historical references to the development of experimental and innovative forms, images and typologies
• Planning and participation processes: from the preparation of political decisions to participatory development processes
This research makes use of our national and international networks, our laboratories and facilities, and the institutes of the faculty:
Furthermore, we are actively involved in the following interdisciplinary centers of our university:
In the research field of simulation of traffic flows and fires, there is close cooperation with the Institute for Advanced Simulation with 7 of the Jülich Research Center.
In addition to joint PhD and externally funded projects on pedestrian and fire dynamics and the modeling of bicycle traffic, the cooperation is supported by two professorships based on the Jülich model.
Internationality
In many cases, we cooperate with European and non-European institutions and are represented in international committees. Examples of this are the construction-related programs of the International Energy Agency (IEA) or the harmonization of regulations and knowledge transfer in the PIARC World Road Association.
We cooperate with universities and research institutions worldwide. Recent examples are the DFG-funded fire related research in cooperation with the Polish partner NCN, the Humboldt fellows for soil science research, the cooperation with the universities of Waterloo, Stellenbosch, Rostov-on-Don or Burgos with regard to the use of GFRP reinforcement in reinforced concrete components.
A particularly visible sign of the international work is the Solar Decathlon Europe in the anniversary year of our university in 2022.
