Opening Graz Center of Sustainable Construction

The Graz Center of Sustainable Construction (GCSC) was inaugurated on June 22, 2022 by Rector Harald Kainz in the Aula of Alte Technik and the lecture „Über das Bauen in der Zukunft“ by Werner Sobek (Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design, University of Stuttgart, Werner Sobek AG) on current developments and challenges in the construction industry with regard to emissions, climate targets, resource consumption and raw material availability, among other things.
The GCSC, a new Research Center at TU Graz that promotes interfaculty and interdisciplinary research, bundles the knowledge of researchers of 18 institutes and drives research towards a climate-neutral built environment. The research spectrum includes architecture, civil engineering, materials sciences as well as and is divided into five strategic fields of action: Cities and Regions, Design and Construction, Materials and Resources, and Digital Processes and Sustainability Assessment Methods.

The side program was introduced by Martin Schanz (Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Sciences), Petra Petersson (Dean of the Faculty of Architecture), Urs Hirschberg (Head of the Fields of Expertise "Sustainable Systems") and Michael Monsberger (Institute of Building Physics, Services and Construction). In Hörsaal II of Alte Technik a poster presentation took place, which gave insights into current fields of action and research projects. For instance, in the project "ParisBuildings", researchers are dealing with the implementation of the Paris Agreement in the procurement process of public buildings, whereas the project "City Remix" has been identifying reuse and recycling potentials of the building stock of the City of Graz since 2021.

The second day was introduced by the plenary meeting of the scientific advisory board. Stefan Peters (Head of the Institute of Structural Design) and Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade (Institute of Structural Design) were jointly elected as new speakers for the GCSC. This was followed by workshops that addressed joint research questions on a climate-neutral TU Graz and paved the way for new research projects.