immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Berner Fachhochschule

  • Switzerland-wide premiere: Fire tests on wall-bound green façade

    Switzerland-wide premiere: Fire tests on wall-bound green façade

    Green facades can contribute to improving the microclimate in the city, support heat regulation in the building and promote biodiversity. However, there is still a large knowledge gap with regard to fire behaviour. In order to close this gap, researchers from the Institute of Timber Construction, Structures and Architecture IHTA at the Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH have carried out two fire tests on wall-mounted green facades.

    The test arrangement consisted of a multi-storey external wall element with two full and two only partially formed storeys. In the lower part of the wall element, the researchers placed a fire chamber that was open to the front. This allowed them to simulate the escape of flames from a window as it occurs after the so-called flash-over – the sudden development of a small fire into a large fire. The tests were carried out on the premises of the Dynamic Test Center of the BFH-TI in Vauffelin as closely as possible to the test specifications for exterior wall cladding systems of the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers VKF (2016).

    Based on the results, it is possible to evaluate the fire behaviour of wall-bound green façades for buildings of medium height and to optimise the construction of external wall cladding systems for approval. The tests were part of a multi-year research project.

  • New double kindergartens made from re-use components

    New double kindergartens made from re-use components

    This semester, the architecture students of the 6th semester part-time are dealing with the question of how new double kindergartens can be created for the city of Basel from the building component catalogue of the Roche South Basel deconstruction project.

    An ambitious and experimental task and a pilot project
    After visiting the South Area on the Roche Campus in Basel, the students analyse the buildings that will soon be deconstructed for their resource potential for a future as double kindergartens. This is a pilot project, as there is currently no established industry for re-use parts. “New buildings” constructed from re-use resources are a step towards a circular economy in the construction industry. The 10-R cascade and Crade-to-Cradle are brought to the fore as theoretical foundations.

    For this ambitious and experimental task, the Department of Architecture, Wood and Construction at the Bern University of Applied Sciences is working with experts from the companies Gruner, CSD Ingenieure and Erne Holzbau. Every week, different speakers with knowledge and experience in the field give input and take part in the table discussions with the students.

    In partnership with the city of Basel and the Roche company, the students will develop proposals for the further use of the building components by the end of the semester. In the process, living spaces for children will be created by rejoining the building components.

    Re-use for Kids “design studio
    The “Re-Use for Kids” design studio is about finding ways to design and build new kindergartens from a catalogue of components from a deconstruction project. The aim is to find principles and parameters that enable a stringent architectural design when reusing building components. The effects of the reused parts on the structure, construction, spatial arrangement and atmosphere of the architecture are examined.

    Addressing the topic requires the inclusion of a wide variety of issues in the design process and is therefore an interdisciplinary task. Various external experts contribute their expertise in the design studio, thus creating a realistic teaching situation.

  • Bern University of Applied Sciences is working on heavy-duty wooden bridges

    Bern University of Applied Sciences is working on heavy-duty wooden bridges

    The infrastructure construction with its high proportion of reinforced concrete is one of the largest emitters of CO2 in Switzerland, explains the Bern University of Applied Sciences ( BFH ) in a statement . BFH researchers at the Institute for Timber Structures, Structures and Architecture , together with TS3 and other business partners, have developed a research strategy for the use of wood in infrastructure construction. A feasibility study for heavy-duty bridges made of wood is currently being carried out under the direction of BFH professor Steffen Franke.

    A first working model has already been created as part of the study, which will run until summer 2023. The bridge element has been on display in the inner courtyard of the BFH site in Biel since May 9th. The BFH explained in the statement that it was designed for a bridge running perpendicular to the axis. With it, for example, a cantonal road can be routed over a six-lane motorway. Industrial partner TS3 has contributed its technology for the wooden bridge, which is designed for a payload of 40 tons, with which the individual plates of the elements can be connected in a rigid manner.