History

1929

General assembly of the newly-founded Association for the Promotion of the Institute of Acoustic and Thermal Technology at the Materials Testing Institute of what used to be called the Stuttgart Polytechnic.

May 12, 1929: entry in the German Register of Associations.

Memorandum on the establishment of the institute by its future Director, Priv.-Doz. Dr.-Ing. H. Reiher (see picture), and the association's Chairman, Dr. h.c. R. Heilner, setting out the association's objectives, tasks, required test facilities, equipment and capital costs.

Construction of the new institute in Stuttgart-Weissenhof (now the site of trade fair grounds).

1931

Building demolished to make way for the Reich Garden Show (see picture).

1939

Planning of a new building in Stuttgart-Degerloch in collaboration with other university institutes.

1939 – 1945

Relocation of test facilities and equipment during World War II.

1947

Temporary buildings put to use in Ruit auf den Fildern (see picture).

Permission granted to operate the Institute of Technical Physics (ITP) of the Stuttgart Polytechnic in the former construction site offices in Stuttgart-Degerloch, in a former air-raid shelter in Sillenbuch and in the Graf Zeppelin research institute (FGZ) in Ruit.

1951

Topping-out ceremony for the newly built institute supported by donations from industry in the area of Degerloch, Oberer Wald area (later known as Königssträssle). Refusal to grant building permit for 25 test cabins in Degerloch.

Construction of an open-air test facility on the former airfield in Holzkirchen near Munich (see photo left). Dipl.-Phys. H. Künzel delegated to head  building experiments in Holzkirchen (see photo right).

1958

ITP affiliated with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (founded in 1949) to provide "administrative assistance". The "Institute of Technical Physics" is dissolved and incorporated in the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

1963

Inauguration of an administrative and laboratory building (see picture) in Stuttgart-Degerloch.   

1964

Aged 70, Prof. Dr.-Ing. H. Reiher hands over the management of the institute to Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. K. Gösele, the experienced former head of the Acoustics Department. Prof. Dr.-Ing. W. Schüle, who previously headed up the Thermal Technology Department, is appointed as Deputy Director of the institute.

1972

Name changed to the "Institute for Building Physics IBP".

1973

Fraunhofer IBP starts publishing its "Neue Forschungsergebnisse kurz gefasst" ("Summary of new research results"), which still appears regularly today.

1977

Prof. K. Gösele retires and hands over the management of the institute to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. F. P. Mechel.

1978           

Farewell party held in Holzkirchen for Prof. W. Schüle, aged 65.

1979

Cooperation agreement reached between the Gips Schüle Foundation, Stuttgart, and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft to set up a department for new building materials and components at Fraunhofer IBP. Named after the Schüle family’s gypsum mill business (‘Gips’ is the German word for gypsum) which was based in the town of Bad Cannstatt, the Gips Schüle Foundation manages the estate left by the Schüle siblings on their death.

1980

Dipl.-Ing. Architekt K. Bertsch becomes the head of the new Gips Schüle Department and the Deputy Director of the institute.

Based on a design by the architect W. Meidele, work begins on the construction of the new institute center of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for four institutes in Stuttgart-Vaihingen.

1983

Fraunhofer IBP moves into combined office and lecture hall building of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Inauguration of the new 3,600 m² laboratory and pilot plant facilities with the with state-of-the-art equipment.  

An open-day event is held to inaugurate the new Fraunhofer IBP.

Photo: View of the institute center Stuttgart IZS from Nobelstrasse; in the foreground on the left, the Fraunhofer IBP pilot plant.

1984

Inauguration of a separate Gips Schüle Building funded by the Gips Schüle Foundation with "small-scale" pilot plant facilities for conducting experiments on new building materials and systems.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. K. Gertis – former Head of the Theoretical Department in Holzkirchen and a full professor at the University of Essen since 1976 – is appointed to Fraunhofer IBP's management team to take charge of work on thermal and indoor climate control issues. He is simultaneously appointed to the newly-created Chair of Building Physics at the University of Stuttgart.

1985

New laboratories are required to conduct extensive research projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology in the field of the preservation of historical buildings and the conservation of building structures. The Department of Hygrothermics moves from Stuttgart to the Holzkirchen branch, where a new office and laboratory building is constructed.

1989

February 15: Prof. Reiher dies aged 94.

To mark the institute's 60th anniversary, a Fraunhofer IBP convention is held on the University premises and accompanied by an exhibition of products from industrial partners.

Photo left: A banner on the pedestrian bridge of the university advertises the IBP conference.

Photo right: Prof. Mechel (l.) and Prof. Gertis (r.) during an expert discussion.

1990

Prof. Dr. rer.nat. habil. F. P. Mechel retires and hands over overall management of Fraunhofer IBP to Prof. Gertis.

1991

Dr.-Ing. H. Künzel, the Deputy Director of the institute in Holzkirchen, retires. Management of the outdoor testing site is taken over jointly by Dr.-Ing. K. Kiessl, Dr. rer.nat. E. Mayer and Dr.-Ing. H. Werner.

K. Kiessl becomes the Deputy Head of the institute in Holzkirchen.

Dipl.-Ing. K. Bertsch retires and hands over the management of the Gips Schüle Department to Dipl.-Phys. N. König.

1992

With a background at the Bauakademie Berlin, Prof. Dr.-Ing. W. Fasold is appointed Head of Department of Room Acoustics and becomes the Deputy Director of the institute's operations in Stuttgart.

1995

Prof. Fasold retires and hands over the position of Deputy Director to Prof. Dr.-Ing. H. Fuchs, who is Head of Department of Room Acoustics/Technical Acoustics (RA/TA).

Photo: Prof. Fuchs (l.), Prof. Gertis (m.) and Prof. Fasold (r.) during handover of the post of Deputy Director.

1996

The cooperation agreement with the Gips Schüle Foundation is renewed and approval is granted for funding of a new extension for the Gips Schüle Department.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. W. Schüle dies on October 7 at the age of 84.

1998

Photo left: Building Physics Congress held in 1998.
Photo right: International Building Physics Congress and Building Physics.

Symposium held at the town hall in Sindelfingen to mark Prof. Gertis’s 60th birthday together with an industry exhibition, a traditional local fair at Fraunhofer IBP and trips to visit selected building projects.

1999

Triple anniversary at Fraunhofer IBP: 70th anniversary of the institute's founding, 40 years since it became part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and 20 years of cooperation with the Gips Schüle Foundation, all combined with the inauguration of the new extension.

2001

Fraunhofer IBP’s branch Holzkirchen celebrates its 50th anniversary   

2003

Aged 65, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Dr. h.c. mult. Dr. E.h. mult. K. Gertis hands over management of the institute to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Phys. K. Sedlbauer, who simultaneously takes up the position of Professor of Building Physics at the University of Stuttgart.

2004

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. K. Gösele, Director of Fraunhofer IBP for so many years, dies on January 14 at the age of 91.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. G. Hauser is appointed as an additional director of the institute and simultaneously appointed to the Chair of Building Physics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The institute celebrates its 75th anniversary and 25 years of cooperation with the Gips Schüle Foundation.

Photo left: Institute center Stuttgart IZS | Photo right: Aerial photo of the IBP Holzkirchen branch.

2014

Prof. Dr.-Ing. G. Hauser retires and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Peter Sedlbauer takes over Chair of Building Physics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Prof. Dr. rer.nat. habil. F. P. Mechel, Director of Fraunhofer IBP for so many years, dies on May 4 at the age of 84.

The institute celebrates its 85th anniversary.

2015

Prof. Dr.-Ing. G. Hauser (see photo), who was Director of Fraunhofer IBP from 2004 until his retirement in 2014, dies on August 10 at the age of 67.

Obituary (Only in German).

2016

The new year is accompanied by new management at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP. Effective as of January 1, 2016, Prof. Philip Leistner (at the time Head of Acoustics) takes on the role of Deputy Director to support Prof. Klaus Peter Sedlbauer in his management duties.

Photo left: Prof. Dr. Philip Leistner
Photo right: Prof. Dr. Klaus Peter Sedlbauer

Press release (Only in German)

April: at its last meeting, the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft appoints Gunnar Grün (see photo) as Deputy Director of the institute. This position had become vacant after Prof. Philip Leistner took up his position as the new Director of the Institute alongside Prof. Klaus Peter Sedlbauer in January.

Press release (Only in German)

On November 18, the Fraunhofer Center for Energy Efficient Renovation of Historical Buildings and Monument Preservation Benediktbeuern officially opens its doors to the public.     

Press release (Only in German)

Photo left: The Alte Schäfflerei on the grounds of the Benediktbeuern monastery houses the Fraunhofer Center. 
Photo right: Opening ceremony of the Center.

2017

New buildings for research and innovation: on July 14, the Fraunhofer IBP branch in Valley near Holzkirchen inaugurates its new buildings - office wing, pilot plant, laboratory space and a large warehouse - at a ceremony with guests from politics and industry.

Press release (Only in German)

Photo left: West wing of the new building.
Photo center: entrance area of the Fraunhofer IBP branch in Valley near Holzkirchen.
Photo right: from left to right: Prof. Philip Leistner (Fraunhofer IBP), Andreas Hallmannsecker (Mayor of Valley), Prof. Hannelore Deubzer (owner of Deubzer König Architekten), Wolfgang Rzehak (District Administrator of Miesbach), Prof. Alfred Gossner (Member of the Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft), Ilse Aigner (Bavarian State Minister), Msgr. Walter Waldschütz, Prof. Klaus Peter Sedlbauer (Fraunhofer IBP).

In October, the High Performance Center Mass Personalization is launched as a joint initiative of the Fraunhofer institutes IPA, IGB, IBP and IAO, the University of Stuttgart and numerous industrial partners in the region. It conducts interdisciplinary and cross-sector research on methods, processes, product systems and business models for manufacturing personalized products.

Press release (Only in German)
More information

2018

On March 20, the new Mittelstand 4.0 Competence Center for Planning and Construction is officially inaugurated with a kick-off event. In the future, this will provide practical support to small and medium-sized companies from the construction industry on their way to digitization.

More information

2019

Fraunhofer IBP celebrates its 90th anniversary.