Press releases of the Fraunhofer IBP

Are existing or planned buildings sufficiently protected against moisture? This can be calculated using the WUFI® Pro software from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, which has now established itself as the standard for moisture protection assessment. Version 7.0 draws on the experience of 30 years of pioneering work in hygrothermal simulation. It offers numerous innovations based on the latest research, and which are frequently requested in practice, such as moisture assessments for solar suitability in roofing, concrete-corrosion forecasts, and wood-rot assessments. WUFI® Pro 7.0 also features a completely redesigned interface that is even more intuitive than its predecessor.

“Fume events” occur when fluids such as engine oil or hydraulic fluid contaminate the air inside an airplane cabin via the “bleed air” used for air supply and conditioning. Measurements taken in flight do not allow for determination of whether the air quality on board is negatively affected as a result. With the Bleed Air Contamination Simulator (BACS), researchers at the Fraun-hofer Institute for Building Physics IBP can artificially simulate fume events on the ground, deliberately contaminating the air inside the testing unit with oils and deicing fluids and then studying the polluted air. The results can be used to make inferences about potential health risks.

A universal modular construction system: In the BAU-DNS flagship project, seven Fraunhofer institutes are developing innovative methods for the sustainable, modular and circular refurbishment of existing buildings, aimed at industry and small and medium-sized enterprises. They will be presenting recent findings and solutions at the BAU 2025 trade show in Munich from January 13 to 17.

Times remain challenging for the construction industry: the ongoing climate change with its extreme weather events, the growing scarcity of the resources needed to manufacture key building materials, as well as rising building costs, urgently call for new solutions. At the BAU 2025 trade fair, which is taking place in Munich from January 13 to 17, 2025, Fraunhofer IBP will be presenting innovative products and system solutions as part of a special exhibition titled “Mission for the future of building – affordable.sustainable.safe” at the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance booth (Hall C2, Booth 528).

Cutting carbon emissions by more than two-thirds with consistently high quality: Specialists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are working on future ways to manufacture the popular construction material with as little climate impact as possible. They will be showcasing their solutions at the BAU trade show in Munich from January 13 to 17, 2025.

Under the motto "Mission for the future of building affordable.sustainable.safe", from January 13 to 17, 2025, the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance will be presenting innovations as part of its special exhibition at the BAU 2025 trade fair in three key areas of transformation in the construction industry: sustainability, productivity and resilience. The exhibits will be on display in and around a two-story Innovation Cube in Hall C2, Booth 528. The Innovation Cube is a symbolic building for demonstrating the latest smart solutions both for the building envelope and for the interior.

In Germany, there are around three million buildings that are contaminated with the toxic wood preservatives lindane and pentachlorophenol (PCP). Previous measures for minimizing contamination include insulating contaminated areas or disposing of treated wooden building materials as hazardous waste. However, these measures are neither sustainable nor cost-efficient. In the CycloPlasma project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are developing a new type of process to remove these decades-old contaminants — in the air as well as in contaminated wooden structures — in a way that is residue-free, sustainable and does not pose a health risk. For this purpose, the scientists have combined an innovative adsorber material with plasma technology.

The number of incidents involving damaged electronic devices on board aircraft has increased in recent years. Most of these are caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are found in laptops and other portable electronic devices. In the LOKI-PED project, the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are collaborating with Airbus to assess the fire and smoke risks associated with lithium-ion batteries in cockpits and cabins. The objective is to make it safer to use portable devices on board.

The plaster and mortar used in facades often contain heavy metals and biocides that leach out and and infiltrate into the soil when it rains. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP has created a model that combines measurements of the substances that leach out with regional meteorological data. This creates a precise forecast that can be used at the planning stage to determine the type and amount of substances that could be released from facade materials when it rains. This complex project was a collaborative effort alongside universities and numerous partners from industry.

As climate change progresses, extreme weather events such as prolonged hot spells, storms and heavy rain are occurring ever more frequently, and cities are feeling the strain. The new urban climate model PALM-4U will allow municipal staff and city planners to simulate the effects of their planned construction projects on the urban climate, so that they can gauge the consequences of extreme weather events before they happen, improve quality of life in urban areas and protect the health of the sick and the elderly. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP created the user interface for the simulator, putting their many years of expertise in fields such as hygrothermics and indoor climate to good use.

In order to implement sustainable production, sustainable consumption and circular economy in practice, both systemic and technical solutions are required. According to an idea of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, these solutions are to be created in so-called CIRCONOMY® Hubs. These are Germany-wide networks that bring together partners from science, industry, associations and society to focus on a specific area. Two of these networks have already started their work: the hubs "Material Cycles in the Construction Sector" and "Circular Carbon Technologies CCT".

Times are challenging: not only have building materials become significantly more expensive in 2022, but the number of building permits for apartments has also fallen by almost seven percent¹. Changes are also in store for the construction industry due to increasing digitization as well as higher requirements governing the energy efficiency of buildings or their indoor climate. New solutions from industry, politics and research are therefore urgently needed. At the BAU 2023 trade fair, which will be taking place in Munich from April 17 to 22, 2023, Fraunhofer IBP will be showcasing innovative products and system solutions on the topics of Digitization, Energy and Heat, The Future of Living and Working, and Resources and Recycling at the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance booth (Hall C2, Booth 528) as part of the special exhibition “Building the Future”.

Energy is scarce – and like all scarce things, it comes at a price. That is why Germany needs to greatly reduce its energy consumption. There is significant potential for this in the area of heating and cooling energy which accounts for a large proportion of Germany’s energy consumption. Innovative materials that can be programmed to control heat transition can be a valuable tool in this scenario. The use of materials like these could, for instance, save up to 40 percent of the energy used to cool single-family homes.

The packaging world is experiencing a shift away from plastic toward paper, cardboard or paperboard. But how sustainable is this new trend? In its latest report “Reusable plastic crates vs. single-use cardboard boxes — two packaging systems in competition”1, the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP were commissioned by the Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg (SIM) to explain the background to and correlations between the ecological effects of single-use cardboard boxes and reusable plastic crates. A general discourse on the topic of single-use vs. reusable solutions intends to help political actors lay the groundwork for a viable circular economy of the future.

Until now, noisy and power-guzzling building dryers have normally been the only way of repairing water damage to apartments from leaking pipes or following heavy rain and flooding. The “FastDry”® technology developed by Fraunhofer researchers requires significantly less energy and works at least as quickly as conventional systems. The idea that underpins the technology is incredibly simple.

The European Union wants the Life Cycle Assessment of buildings to be given more significance in the future, and the EU Taxonomy creates a systematic basis for this: It defines criteria for evaluating investments, including for the climate change mitigation objective of the taxonomy. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP worked together with a business partner to develop a software suite that combines ecological indicators and economic calculations for investments. This has an influence on banks’ lending decisions since interest surcharges are possible for non-green investments in the future.

The rate of renovation in the building sector is still too low to achieve the energy transition by the target date set by the German federal government. However, increased use of prefabricated components can help accelerate this process. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE are developing a facade module that integrates the technical building equipment and supplies it with renewable energy to heat, cool and ventilate the adjoining rooms. This is made possible by a PV system integrated into the modular facade for supplying energy, a mini heat pump for heating and cooling, and a decentralized ventilation unit with heat recovery. In addition to being suitable for the renovation of existing facades, the system can also be used as a sustainable, energy-efficient solution in new builds.

A visit to the movies is a nice break from day-to-day life and can be an enjoyable outing, especially when there is a pandemic. But in order to relax and enjoy the film, you want to know that the risk of infection while you are watching it is as low as possible. The good ventilation systems typical of movie theaters make sure that any infectious aerosols are quickly removed. This has also been confirmed by the latest analyses from the CineCov project funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM).

The Earth's climate is becoming hotter and more extreme - scientists no longer speak of the climate change, but of the climate crisis. It is high time to act. The World Climate Conference COP26 is currently taking place in Glasgow. Crucial climate policy decisions are on the agenda: adaptation to climate change, climate finance, and future climate-related damage. Our cultural heritage is acutely threatened by the climate crisis and irreplaceable losses are already occurring. But what exactly does the future look like? Which extreme climate events will affect cultural heritage in Germany? And how can it be protected from damaging climatic effects? Fraunhofer researchers are investigating this in the BMBF project KERES. For the first time, not only a single climate model is being used, but also an ensemble of ten regional climate models. This makes it possible to reliably predict which extreme weather events threaten the historical buildings and gardens and to what extent.

How can viruses be effectively eliminated from indoor air? This question is now becoming more important as fall approaches. Efficient indoor air purification is essential, especially in schools. Fraunhofer researchers are investigating and optimizing various filter and air purification techniques in the AVATOR project.

As a rapidly growing renewable raw material, bamboo is an ideal substitute for wood. However, bamboo’s susceptibility to mold in damp conditions poses a problem. Researchers at Fraunhofer have now analyzed bamboo’s response to moisture under specific climatic conditions. By using simulation software, building owners can plan and implement measures to prevent the growth of mold.

Climate change is causing a persistent increase in the number of hot summer days. Offices and homes are getting hotter, and the nights bring little respite from the heat. Against this backdrop, a significant increase in new cooling systems installations is anticipated, which in turn will give rise to increased energy consumption. One potential cost-effective alternative is to use existing heating systems. According to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, the heat pumps in these systems can be reverse operated to provide effective cooling.

How do infectious aerosols spread in supermarkets, airplanes, and other indoor areas where large numbers of people congregate? Researchers from 15 Fraunhofer institutes and institutions are investigating this in the AVATOR project.

In the 1990s, avoidable structural damage was discovered in numerous buildings. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP responded to this by developing the WUFI^® program family, which has since become internationally established. This year the building software is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Until now, waste tires have been used mainly for recovering energy sources: Only small proportions of the carbon black contained in these tires are recycled, since mineral ash accounts for around 20 percent of its content. A new process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP is able to isolate almost all of this ash – allowing both the carbon black and the minerals from the ash to be reused.

A significant part of carpet waste consists of petroleum-based polypropylene. As a non-recyclable product, disposing of it has previously meant incineration or landfill. However, a new solvent is now making it possible to recover virgin-standard polypropylene from carpet waste — with no perceptible reduction in quality. Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and its partners, the process also involves costs that are quite competitive. The development has taken place as part of the ISOPREP EU project.

People who are required to serve a large number of customers at a checkout or counter are at a particularly high risk of exposure to COVID-19. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, a type of air lock was therefore developed to shield work stations from the surrounding air using constant ventilation. This “protective canopy” will be unveiled to the public from January 13 to 15, 2021, at the online BAU trade fair.

As healthy and tasty as mushrooms might be, they are good for much more than just the dinner plate. The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT has now teamed up with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP to investigate the use of fungus-based materials for the fabrication of eco-friendly sound absorbers.

Restaurant owners are increasingly turning to fired charcoal grills to prepare meals for customers – but the odors and fumes emitted by these grills are often a source of irritation for nearby residents. The German Environment Agency asked a team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP to investigate whether the exhaust air treatment systems used in grills actually get the job done and to study ways of preventing pollutant and odor emissions.

The project “Primordial Cities” developed by the internationally renowned philosopher and conceptual artist Jonathon Keats is based on the first communities that lived on Earth - so-called stromatolite cities, inhabited by primitive microbes. Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and based on research work by the scientists and their experience from urban climate projects, the experimental philosopher has developed an innovative urban scenario that takes a completely new approach and revolutionizes urban planning concepts by considering the changing climate. From 12 December onwards, the project is on show in an exhibition at the STATE Studio in Berlin.