Dirk Schwede

Technical University of Applied Science Lübeck

The development towards an energy-efficient building practice with today's comfort and quality standards is still in its infancy in many regions of the world and especially in the tropical regions with demanding climatic conditions in terms of building physics. In this development, extensive questions of construction technology and building physics must be clarified. The German-Vietnamese CAMaRSEC consortium is currently working primarily in this field. At the same time, however, the demand for raw materials and the immense resource consumption of the construction industry endanger the ecological functions, biodiversity and in many cases, the local economic basis of life. Therefore, the ReBuMat project focuses on "resource-efficient construction with sustainable building materials" in tropical climates. This cooperation project aims to promote the research and development of building materials and construction methods for an energy-efficient, resource-saving and generally sustainable building practice. Based on interdisciplinary problem analysis, fundamental research and creative, practical relevance, the cooperation aims at the transfer of scientific results and knowledge-based standards into construction and planning practice in the world regions with dynamic construction activities in tropical climates.

The CAMaRSEC project is funded within the BMBF “CLIENT II – International Partnerships for Sustainable Innovations” programme and conducted by a consortium of Stuttgart University, Fraunhofer Institut for Building Physics, Hamburg University, Bau Bildung Sachsen e. V. and the TAURUS Instruments AG, as well as the Vietnamese partners Vietnamese Institut for Building Material (VIBM), National University of Civil Engineering (NUCE), College of Urban Works Construction (CUWC) in Hanoi and the Ton Duc Thang University in HCMC. The aim of this project is to enable an energy-efficient and resource-saving construction practice through the strategic development of an infrastructure for research, characterization, training and the transfer of scientific results in the construction and planning practice, based on interdisciplinary problem analysis and basic research. The effective application of energy- and resource-efficient construction tools and the successful implementation of the National Energy Code for the construction of residential high-rise buildings are currently hampered by a lack of opportunities for building physics and materials research as well as inadequate knowledge of user behaviour. The topic will be considered from five perspectives: living context, integrated design, technical basics, execution quality and resource utilization. It will enable the research on materials and building systems as a basis for the application of the current energy standards, a damage-free and durable function of residential buildings and thus the long-term resource-saving construction. In addition to the initial installation of a pilot and research infrastructure, the introduction of an advanced regulatory framework and capacity-building measures will be implemented at various stages of the building lifecycle. This promotes the implementation of effective construction standards, and the progressive performance goals of buildings and building components can subsequently be assessed and thus achieved. The research group at the University of Stuttgart brings together the work of the project consortium as part of the overall project management and ensures the integration of the results beyond the boundaries of specialist disciplines. In technical terms, the focus is on the technical and engineering aspects of building use and life-cycle aspects of materials and buildings, as well as the evaluation of these aspects in the governance framework to be developed. Fraunhofer IBP will develop the requirements for a performance-oriented selection of materials. Together with the VIBM and the TAURUS company, building physics test facilities are planned and implemented. This allows basic parameters to be determined and the development of new building materials to be promoted. The planned outdoor testing facilities will investigate the durability of the products, but also collect data on climate requirements. The University of Hamburg uses a holistic approach to investigate the socio-economic and political dimension and, based on this, will develop innovative policy approaches as well as adapted and implementable regulatory structures. This is the basis for the development of various dissemination products, which broadly expose the scientific findings in close cooperation with effective local actors. A National Center of Competence for Sustainable Construction to be developed will consolidate the project activities after the project duration. In addition, the three major overall project conferences, various workshops for the integration of stakeholders from business and civil society and the Scientific Advisory Board will be coordinated. Bau Bildung Sachsen e. V. translates the research results into training curricular for the training of construction workers together with the Vietnamese practice partner College of Urban Works Construction (CUWC). Training materials and related concepts for hands-on training sessions will be developed and practical training tracks will be established. Train-the-trainer trainings are conducted to train multipliers for the new training content. TAURUS Instruments AG, as one of the leading manufacturers of laboratory measurement technology, will plan and partially implement together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics and the Vietnam Institute for Materials Building Physics Test Facilities. In the future, Vietnam will be able to use basic laboratory facilities to determine basic parameters and to promote the development of new building materials.