immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Forschungsprojekt

  • Researchers use AI to develop new solar cells

    Researchers use AI to develop new solar cells

    As part of a research project at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne(EPFL), a method has been developed to search large databases for potential materials for the utilisation of new solar cells. According to a press release, several promising halide perovskites were identified through the use of machine learning (ML). ML is a branch of artificial intelligence in which computers learn from data sets or databases made available to them.

    Perovskites represent a promising new group of materials for future photovoltaic applications due to their simple manufacturing processes combined with low costs. It is important that the new materials have a suitable band gap so that they can utilise solar energy optimally. The band gap has the property of absorbing photons with a certain energy and then converting them into electricity.

    The EPFL team led by Haiyuan Wang and Alfredo Pasquarello developed a machine learning model that was able to identify 14 completely new perovskites from 15,000 materials. These are excellent candidates for future high-efficiency solar cells. The researchers were thus able to show that the use of ML can significantly accelerate the discovery and validation of new photovoltaic materials.

  • NEST serves EU project as pilot plant

    NEST serves EU project as pilot plant

    The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology(Empa) is part of the international consortium for the recently launched three-year HorizonEurope research project HEATWISE. The aim is to fully integrate the waste heat from these systems into the building technology in buildings with extensive IT infrastructure.

    “The goal is a zero-waste principle,” explains Binod Koirala from Empa’s Urban Energy Systems Lab in a press release. “This means that we want to recover as much waste heat as possible and integrate it into the building’s heating system.” In this context, the Empa team’s first task is to identify the potential for heat gains in Empa’s NEST research building. In addition to the waste heat from the microcomputing centre in its basement and the computers in the offices, the influence of people present on the room temperature will also be taken into account.

    The researchers want to use the data obtained in this way to derive predictive control algorithms that link the energy management of the IT infrastructure with the building technology. In addition to NEST, they will then be installed in three other pilot facilities: in buildings at Aalborg University in Denmark, in a car factory in Turkey and in an IT research and development centre in Poland.

    At NEST, the data centre’s air cooling system will also be supplemented by the newly developed on-chip liquid cooling system from Israeli project partner ZutaCore. The heat of up to 70 degrees recovered in this way can be used to power the showers in the building, for example.

  • Winterthur’s Grüze innovation lab opens in May

    Winterthur’s Grüze innovation lab opens in May

    In May 2024, the Grüze Innovation Lab will open on St.Gallerstrasse in Winterthur. According to a press release, it is planned as a versatile meeting place where visitors can find out about the large-scale Grüze crossing construction site. In addition, the filigree building, which is open on all sides, will be a place for discussions on urban development issues, possible conflicting goals and the effects of climate change on the urban population.

    The approximately 120 square metre pavilion with exhibition space, stage and café has a modular design and can be extended in modules. The statics were designed for a two-storey, closed building. This takes into account the possibility that the innovation lab could grow into a neighbourhood centre with increased space requirements in the medium term. For the time being, it is planned for a useful life of ten years.

    The innovation lab was developed by the Winterthur Civil Engineering Office in collaboration with the Department of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and Holcim Switzerland. The extra-thin and recyclable concrete slabs made of carbon fibre-reinforced concrete (CPC) from CPC AG reportedly save up to 75 percent material compared to conventional concrete construction methods. CO2 emissions are to be reduced by a factor of two to four.

    The CPC concrete elements, which emerged from a long-term research project at the ZHAW, can be dismantled into their component parts with little effort and rebuilt elsewhere or reused for another structure. Holcim produces them and makes them available on loan. The prefabricated elements are assembled within a few days in the spring.

  • Energie 360° wants to store summer electricity underground with methane

    Energie 360° wants to store summer electricity underground with methane

    In a new study, the energy service provider Energie 360° has highlighted geo-methanisation as a way to store surplus electricity in summer for use when there is a shortage of electricity in winter. According to a media release, the study, conducted together with the energy storage company RAG Austria AG in Vienna, focuses on the economic use of this method.

    In geo-methanisation, surplus renewable energy, such as solar power, is converted into hydrogen (H2) in summer. This is injected into a natural underground reservoir together with CO2, which comes from biogas plants, for example. At a depth of more than 1000 metres, microorganisms combine hydrogen and carbon to form methane gas (CH4). In winter, when the demand for electricity and heat is high, the renewable gas can be stored and used in a variety of ways, according to the technical explanation in the press release.

    The University of Bern, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) and the OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland) collaborated on the Underground Sun Conversion – Flexible Storage (USC-FlexStore) research project by Energie 360° and RAG Austria. The joint study shows that implementation is possible and economically interesting if existing gas storage facilities are used. These exist in Switzerland’s neighbouring countries, such as Pilsbach in Austria.

    “The potential is enormous: annually, renewable energy of several terawatt hours can be stored seasonally with this method. This will substantially alleviate the winter electricity shortfall in Switzerland,” Jörg Wild, CEO of Energie 360°, is quoted as saying. The prerequisite is that Switzerland concludes binding regulations with its neighbouring countries for the purchase of renewable gases.

  • 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.

  • Baden launches pilot project for reuse in the building park

    Baden launches pilot project for reuse in the building park

    The city of Baden is the focus of a new research project on the reuse of building components at city level, according to a media release. The research programme Buildings and Cities of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy(SFOE) has been implemented with the participation of the Zurich-based company intep (Integrale Planung GmbH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich(ETH) with Baden as a case study since January.

    The project will run for about two years and is largely financed by the SFOE. The city of Baden is contributing about a quarter of the project costs and the Federal Office for the Environment(FOEN) is also participating. “The city of Baden will benefit from tailor-made findings, especially for the city’s own construction projects and the ongoing revision of the land-use planning,” Markus Schneider, the city mayor, is quoted as saying.

    In the research project “Re-Use on the way to the net-zero target for buildings”, the focus is not on recycling building components, but on direct reuse in other buildings. For the project, component flows are being modelled, the environmental impact is being determined and the necessary framework conditions and measures for broad application are being systematically recorded, according to a statement from intep.

    “The CO2 emissions of a building over its entire service life – i.e. not only during operation but also during construction – are an important and still underestimated potential for the necessary reduction of CO2 emissions to net zero,” Nadja Lavanga, project manager at intep, is quoted as saying.

    Christian Vogler, energy coordinator of the city of Baden, names as reduction potentials “the preservation of existing buildings instead of new ones, circular and resource-saving construction methods, the reuse of building components and recycling”.

  • Holcim and Norman Foster Foundation build sustainable refugee accommodation

    Holcim and Norman Foster Foundation build sustainable refugee accommodation

    Zug-based building materials manufacturer Holcim and the Madrid-based Norman Foster Foundation are teaming up on an architectural project called Essential Homes. A prototype of the houses will be on display in original size at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale from 17 May, according to a media release. This is already the second cooperation for both partners.

    The Norman Foster Foundation designed the Essential Homes using building materials from Holcim. The low-carbon ECOPact concrete and the water-permeable Hydromedia concrete were used. Thermal and acoustic insulation is provided by Elevate panels and Airium foam from the building materials manufacturer.

    Overall, Essential Homes distributed communities are expected to provide up to 20 years of safety, comfort and weather resistance. “At Holcim, we want sustainable buildings to be accessible to all, improving living standards while creating a net-zero future,” Jan Jenisch, CEO at Holcim, is quoted as saying in the media release. It was therefore natural to agree to the cooperation when the founder of the foundation and British architect, Baron Norman Foster, and his team approached Holcim.

    This is already the second joint project for the Norman Foster Foundation and Holcim at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In the first collaboration, they jointly developed a hangar for drones that distribute medical supplies in Africa.

    The prototype of the Essential Homes will be installed in the Marinaressa Gardens in Venice. A complementary exhibition will be on display at Palazzo Mora.

  • Empa concrete project receives funding

    Empa concrete project receives funding

    The Ernst Göhner Foundation , based in Zug, is funding a research project for high-performance concrete at the Federal Materials Testing and Research Institute ( Empa ). She has now made an unspecified amount available to the Empa Future Fund as start- up funding, according to a media release .

    This supports a research project for more environmentally friendly concrete. This has a lower CO2 footprint than conventional reinforced concrete because it is more durable and stable. In addition, the self-tensioning concrete can be used more sparingly.

    The project is a so-called high-risk-high-gain project. "The risk of failure is high, but there is also a lot to be won," Masoud Motavalli, head of the research department for engineering structures at Empa in Dübendorf, is quoted in the media release. Since 2008 he had approached potential sponsors with the idea of prestressed high-performance concrete.