Building technology

The Center for Building Technology is thematically organised into the Research Areas

1. Integrated Energy Systems
2. Building Automation & Management
3. AI & Digital Engineering
4. Indoor Environmental Technologies

are organised.

The work of the research areas is supported by the use of state-of-the-art IoT technologies, data analysis tools and simulation methods. The centre also has extensive laboratory equipment. The following facilities are available for component development:

• Laboratory air conditioning
• Climate cabin
• Low temperature cabin
• Heat pump test bench with integration in a "hardware in the loop" environment
• Particle Image Velocimetry & Laser Induced Fluorescence
• Spectroradiometer
• Acoustic cabin with sound pressure, sound intensity and structure-borne sound sensors
• Acoustic camera for sound source localisation and the development of sound-based predictive maintenance methods
• Tracer gas measurement technology
• Water laboratory
• Sorption isotherm measuring device
• Mass spectrometer
• Flame ionisation detector (FID)
• Fuel analysis (calorific value, moisture content, ash content, etc.)
• Test environment for solar thermal, PV, PVT and PV battery systems
• Test environment for stationary battery systems, fuel cell systems, electrolysis systems, etc.
• Test environment for surface heating & cooling systems
• Thermal comfort measurement technology
• Two outdoor PV & solar thermal tracking systems (2-axis tracking, areas of application: solar thermal, PV, PVT, façade elements, etc.)
• Indoor air quality measurement technology
• Mobile flue gas measurement technology
• Mobile thermal load simulators
• Mobile measurement technology for recording the thermal and electrical load and yield profiles of buildings and decentralised energy supply units for field measurements
• Test environment for hydraulic systems
• Test environment for semiconductor-based indoor air quality sensors
• CFD with high-performance computing cluster
• Machine learning, deep learning & reinforcement learning environment
• Building and system simulation software tools
• Laser flash analysis device for measuring thermal diffusivity
• 3D laser scanner and photogrammetry systems for the development of new digital planning, construction and operating methods for technical building systems.

A separate test building was constructed for the development of monitoring systems, control technology concepts, intelligent communication strategies for sector coupling and holistic system optimisation. The ENERGETIKUM Living Lab is equipped with the following features:

• Weather station with short-wave and long-wave radiation sensors
• Mobile radiation sensors for the thermal analysis of glass façades
• Intelligent lighting technology (Human Centric Lighting - HCL)
• Extensive system hydraulics for testing various thermally activated component systems
• Open and interdisciplinary building management system for the development and validation of model-based control strategies
• Extensive BACnet interfaces for integrating IoT sensors and developing intelligent monitoring and communication systems (e.g. BACnet OPC server)
• Digital operating data twin incl. machine, deep and reinforcement learning interface
• Comprehensive BIM model incl. augmented reality applications The ENERGETIKUM also acts as a test environment for
• The integration of PEM and SOFC fuel cell systems
• Electrochemical storage systems (incl. LiFePO4, RedoxFlow and rSOC)
• Interfaces to e-mobility (analysis and optimisation of charging strategies for PV use)
• The development of digital diagnostic methods for "fault detection and diagnostics" and "anomaly detection"
• The development and validation of model-based (data-driven) predictive control algorithms