Rethinking construction

On September 30, 2025, the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC ) invited guests to an open house at its Large-Scale Construction Robotics Laboratory (LCRL). Guided tours, discussions, and live demonstrations brought research to life and highlighted the performance and relevance of the Cluster of Excellence.

“We are proud to be making a decisive contribution to the further development of architecture and construction in the digital age,” said Prof. Peter Middendorf, Rector at the University of Stuttgart, who opened the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence open day. Guests at the Large-Scale Construction Robotics Laboratory (LCRL) in Waiblingen included representatives from the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts, the Ministry of Rural Affairs, the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, the Stuttgart Region Association, and IBA`27. Partners from industry, associations, and science, as well as media representatives, also took the opportunity to gain insights into the construction of the future. The event also featured meetings of the IntCDC Industry Consortium, which facilitates direct knowledge exchange and accelerates the transfer of research into practice, as well as the second postdoctoral network meeting of the AdvanceAEC research network, initiated by the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence.

Cluster spokesperson Prof. Achim Menges and co-spokesperson Prof. Jan Knippers provided insights into the research conducted by the Cluster of Excellence during the open house. IntCDC develops the methodological foundations for a sustainable, resource-efficient, and climate-positive transformation of the construction industry. Following a successful first funding period (2019 to 2025), the cluster has recently been awarded an extension until 2032.  “In the first funding phase, we were able to demonstrate how co-design - i.e., the integrative development of digital planning methods, robotic construction processes, and sustainable building systems - can lead to enormous progress: less resource consumption, lower CO₂ emissions, greater productivity, and a new digital building culture,” emphasized Prof. Achim Menges. “In the second funding period, we will deepen our research and significantly advance it with a focus on bio-based materials, circular construction, and the use of artificial intelligence.”

IntCDC brings together the scientific expertise of seven faculties at the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems – and, from the second funding phase in 2026, also that of its new cooperation partner Bauhaus Erde.

During the open house, visitors were able to experience the Large-Scale Construction Robotics Laboratory (LCRL) of the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence during several guided tours. The LCRL is a central location for interdisciplinary exchange and an interface between research and practice. Innovative robotic systems and advanced materials are being deployed for cyber-physical manufacturing, both off-site and on-site. Scientific findings from architecture, civil engineering, engineering geodesy, production and systems engineering, computer science, and robotics, as well as the humanities and social sciences, are incorporated into concrete prototypes, processes, and systems.

During the tours, guests learned about the various research platforms at the LCRL. Each platform brings together the expertise of several research projects, enabling the integration of research results into the computer-based and robot-assisted creation of construction demonstrators. Among other things, robot-assisted processes for the manufacture of timber construction systems, for the production of coreless wound fiber composite components, mobile manipulators for AI-assisted assembly of building components, and collaborative multi-robot systems for use in new construction and existing buildings were presented. At the research construction site, a modified spider crane and a tower crane demonstrated automated processes in on-site assembly. The production of gradient concrete was also demonstrated. Visitors were not only able to watch, but also talk directly to the researchers—at the machines, at the models, at the components. The guests were impressed.

Cluster spokesperson Achim Menges also gave guests a glimpse into the future of the LCRL: the new research building for the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence is currently under construction on the Vaihingen campus of the University of Stuttgart. The building will serve as a demonstrator for the methods and construction techniques researched at the university. At the same time, it will become the new home for interdisciplinary researchers and the research infrastructure of the Cluster of Excellence.