Press kit BAU

Fraunhofer at World's Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials, Systems

April 17–22, 2023

Trade Fair Center Messe München

Hall C2, Booth 528

What does it look like, the building of tomorrow? How can the challenges associated with climate neutrality, resource availability, and affordability be overcome? At the BAU 2023 trade fair in Munich from April 17 to 22, Fraunhofer will be displaying promising concepts and innovative solutions.

Numerous exhibits will be showcased in the two-story Innovation Cube: This is a symbolic building for demonstrating innovative solutions not only for the building envelope, but also for the interior - for example, technologies for measuring humidity, for drying purposes or for acoustics.


The exhibits are divided into four thematic islands:

Energy and Heat, Resources and Recycling, The Future of Living and Working and Digitization.

Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance

Bau Trade Fair

Press Releases

 

Building the future: A special show by the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance

How can the road to climate neutrality and a circular economy in the construction and housing sector be shaped, and how can the necessary transformation be dealt with and implemented in a socially responsible manner? The Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance will be presenting solutions at the BAU 2023.

 

Switchable phase change material

Storing heat when it is available in surplus in order to use it almost loss-free at a desired later point in time - suitable materials and appropriate material systems are being developed by the Energy Efficient Storage Systems working group of the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology as part of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Programmable Materials.

 

Hydrophilic coatings from the roll

Retrofitting facades and solar panels easily with ultra-thin glass: Cleaning glass facades and solar installations is expensive and time-consuming. Dirt reduces the yield of solar modules. The Fraunhofer FEP has now succeeded in applying crystalline titanium oxide to ultra-thin glass using a roll-to-roll process, thus achieving hydrophobic surfaces that become superhydrophilic under UV light.

 

Future Districts: Digital Twins for Climate-Neutral Neighbourhoods

What would cities be without future-capable districts as engines and laboratories for tomorrow's living and working? The Fraunhofer IAO exhibit is a result of the research activities in the "Morgenstadt: Future District Alliance" - a unique innovation alliance of the Fraunhofer Morgenstadt initiative with 20 partners from the real estate industry, cities, state companies and startups.

 

Innovative and energy-efficient facade renovation

Fraunhofer researchers developed a facade module that integrates the technical building equipment and supplies it with renewable energy to heat, cool and ventilate the adjoining rooms.

 

Colored Solar Modules for the Integration into Building Facades

Photovoltaic (PV) solar modules with a green MorphoColor® structural layer have recently been added to the facade of the Center for Highly Efficient Solar Cells at the Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg. The pilot project for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will supply the research institute with approximately 11 megawatt hours of solar electricity per year.

 

Vertical water retention system

Energy and CO2 can be saved with the new lightweight resource-saving glass-foil roof coverings; a vertical water retention system absorbs precipitation water and stores it directly so that overloading of the sewer system and flooding in heavily sealed areas can be avoided.

 

Retrofittable electrochromic films control light incidence

Controlling light and heat radiation through windows and glass facades at the push of a button, saving energy and still maintaining a clear view? Switchable electrochromic films that turn dark but remain transparent are expected to make this possible in the future. The fact that this can also be retrofitted in existing buildings is to be demonstrated aswell.

 

Marker-free tracking: minimizing sources of error in construction, preventing product counterfeiting

Did the component really come from the chosen manufacturer? Or has a low-cost alternative component been supplied instead? Thanks to Track & Trace Fingerprint technology, this can be checked easily on the construction site using a smartphone.

 

Research for “Building the Future”

Times are challenging. New solutions from industry, politics and research are therefore urgently needed. At the BAU 2023 trade fair 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 as part of the special exhibition “Building the Future”.

 

Smart windows reduce energy consumption

Lightweight, switchable and smart glass technologies can significantly improve the energy management of buildings with large-area windows and glass facades and contribute significantly to reducing energy consumption for heating or cooling. Improving the availability and cost efficiency of such smart glasses and the corresponding manufacturing processes is the declared goal of the EU-funded Switch2Save joint project.