MyCeiling is a project aiming to develop a modular lightweight construction system for ceiling structures made from compacted mycelium shells. This marks the first time that load-bearing components based on mycelium have been developed using the structural design and compaction techniques devised within the project.

The building sector is considered a major driver of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, with the operation of inefficient existing buildings being a significant contributor. The research project UMiSeSa addresses this issue by developing serial renovation concepts for reinforced concrete frame structures built between the 1960s and 1980s.

ReFrame is a modular structure that shows how reclaimed timber can be given a second life through digital design and robotic fabrication. It highlights the structural potential and distinct histories embedded in reclaimed timber, showing how it can turn reclaimed timber from a low-grade waste stream into a valuable resource for construction.

Developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in collaboration between the Professorship for Digital Design and Fabrication and the Professorship for Design of Structures, ReFrame explores new ways to integrate sustainability and circularity into digitally enabled construction practice.

In the interdisciplinary seminar “Cycle in Circles”, a pavilion for the Gartenschau Bad Urach 2027 is being designed in collaboration with the BuE and dos professorships and structural engineering students.

In the project “My City Lounge @Kronenplatz”, we will develop strategies to improve the comfort and the quality of stay as an interdisciplinary Design-Build collaboration between Design of Structures (dos), the Institut für Regionalwissenschaft (IfR), and the South German Climate Office at KIT. We will explore the design of temporary shading systems, introduce green urban furniture, and reconfigure the space to significantly enhance its usability and comfort.

Digital Skins offers an in-depth exploration of digital tools and computational strategies for the geometric processing and patterning of surfaces. The seminar will delve into the use of computational tools through scripts and definitions that will be developed during the course to manipulate mesh and NURBS objects by creating bespoke structural and ornamental patterns. 

The Building & Structure seminar examines the functional and effective modes of structural design in more detail. Therefore, the use and the limitations of materials like timber, steel, concrete, and clay will be analysed in detail.

The basic and general principles of the behaviour of building materials and the load carrying behaviour are taught to which buildings are exposed and which they must withstand. Basic knowledge of mathematics and physics is applied to the recording and description of load transfer in building structures.