In cooperation with project partners, the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart has developed a new thermoplastic material for façade cladding, comprising over 90 % renewable raw materials. On 17th October 2013 in the presence of representatives from architecture and business, Franz Untersteller, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy Industry in Baden-Württemberg, ceremoniously opened a 140 square metre bioplastics façade built at the completion of the project on the university city centre campus. With the project idea and the conceptual design, ITKE was amongst the 14 prize-winners in the field of science in the national competition “Excellent Locations in the Land of Ideas“ 2013/14. The official prize ceremony took place after the opening.
Prof. Thomas Graf, vice-rector for science and technology transfer at the University of Stuttgart, said during his welcoming speech to the guests: “The University of Stuttgart is already recognised today as one of the excellent sources of science and technology transfer in Europe. We have adopted the ambitious standard of being a leading source for innovation with an international reputation in the future. Future projects like the bioplastics façade make this vision transparent in a special way.“
In his speech, Minister Franz Untersteller underlined the significance of innovative environmental technology in the field of sustainable building. The state government is currently giving important impetus with the climate protection law and the reworking of Renewable Energies Heat Act of the state to increase energy efficiency. The new ideas of the ITKE project consortium for bio-based materials on the façades are very welcome in this respect, according to the minister upon the inauguration of the façade.
ITKE director Prof. Jan Kippers outlined the research project: “The aim of our project was to develop a plastic comprising as high a portion of renewable raw materials as possible whilst at the same time being weather-proof and flame-retardant. We wanted to show with the bio-plastics façade how the materials developed in the research project can be used for high-quality and at the same time ecologically efficient façade cladding.”
The initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas“ and Deutsche Bank jointly honour ideas and projects in
the name of competition “ideas find city“, including solutions for the challenges of the cities and
regions of tomorrow. From approx. 1,000 applications, a jury of experts comprising scientists,
business managers, journalists and politicians with a four-man advisory board selected the ITKE for
its bio-plastics façade. Dr. Christian Stotz, member of the management of the region
Stuttgart/Württemberg of Deutsche Bank, presented the award as “Excellent Location 2013/14” to ITKE
Director Prof. Jan Kippers and emphasised: “Innovations like the innovative bio-plastics in façade
engineering make our cities more liveable and lovable – and have the potential of becoming the
flagship for the innovative location of Germany.“
The new thermoplastic material was developed in cooperation with architects, material
developers, product designers as well as manufacturing and environmental technicians. With the
project ITKE together with its partners TECNARO. BAUER THERMOFORMING, spek DESIGN and Institute for
Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management (ISWA) at the University of
Stuttgart give an answer to the question as to how freely mouldable recyclable semi-finished
products can be manufactured from over 90% renewable plant-based raw materials. As a result of this
new development a product will shortly be able to be offered that takes up two tendencies: the
increasing demand for resource-sparing and sustainable materials as well as the increasing planning
and realisation of buildings with free geometry and flat cladding sheets with 3D effects (reliefs).
The ITKE has been dealing with the planning, simulation and production of complexly formed
building shells in research and teaching for many years. Up to now elements made of crude-oil based
plastics, glass or metal are used to cover such facades. Coextruded sheets may represent a
raw-materials efficient alternative in future. They combine the characteristics of the free
formability of thermoplastic materials with the ecological advantages of materials comprising
mainly renewable materials.
Further information:
Carmen Köhler, University of Stuttgart, Institute of Building Structures and Structural
Design,
Tel. 0711/685-83283, Email: c.koehler [at] itke.uni-stuttgart.de
Dr. Hans-Herwig Geyer, University of Stuttgart, Head of University Communication and Press
Officer,
Tel. 0711/685-82555, Email: hans-herwig.geyer [at] hkom.uni-stuttgart.de
The project was developed by the European Union with funds from the European Regional
Development Fund (EFRE) as well as supported by the State of Baden-Württemberg with funds from the
Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy Industry.
Further information on EFRE:
Ministry of Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg,
www.rwb-efre.baden-wuerttemberg.de
