We are delighted to announce that the German Research Foundation has approved the new Collaborative Research Center 1683 on the topic of "Methods of interaction for the modular reuse of existing load-bearing structures".

Under the leadership of  Prof. Peter Mark as spokesperson and Dr. David Sanio as scientific coordinator, over 50 researchers from the fields of civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, architecture and computer science will be working together in the coming years. In addition to the Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Stuttgart, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) in Berlin and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are also involved.

The aim is to transform the resource- and emission-intensive concrete construction method into a sustainable circular process of reuse on a structural level. Instead of demolishing existing structures, entire components are to be removed as modules, examined, refurbished and reassembled into new structures. This requires a holistic, digitally networked approach that provides generally valid methods and automatable construction processes despite individual basic structures. The research in the CRC includes methods for structural design with existing modules, the characterization of the actual condition of old components and the holistic process modeling from inventory to new construction.