The new HolzBauForschungsZentrum of the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK Leipzig) is being built in the Innovation Park - Construction Technology - Leipzig/Saxony in the district of Engelsdorf. The foundation stone was laid today - in the presence of Thomas Schmidt, Saxon State Minister for Regional Development, Dr. Mathias Reuschel, Managing Director of Gesellschaft für Materialforschung und Prüfungsanstalt für das Bauwesen Leipzig mbH (MFPA Leipzig GmbH), Clemens Schülke, Mayor and Alderman for Economics, Labor and Digital Affairs of the City of Leipzig, HTWK Rector Prof. Dr. Mark Mietzner and around 50 invited guests from politics, business and science.



"The laying of the foundation stone is a significant moment for us. For almost ten years, the HTWK FLEX research group has been working on digitally based concepts for individually automated construction. The resource-saving Zollinger roof that we are standing under today is a prime example of this. We have used networked digital methods to make the vaulted timber roof construction fit for the future. Our special expertise now flows into the HolzBauForschungsZentrum. In the real laboratory, we want to develop building with wood on a 1:1 scale at application level and significantly accelerate the transfer from applied science to practice," says Prof. Alexander Stahr, head of the  FLEX research group at HTWK Leipzig  and project manager of the HolzBauForschungsZentrum.



The HolzBauForschungsZentrum is due to be completed by summer 2024 and handed over to HTWK Leipzig in time for the tenth anniversary of the FLEX research group. Not far from the Zollinger roof and in the immediate vicinity of the Carbon Concrete Technology Center of HTWK Leipzig, this will be another research facility in the InnovationPark - Construction Technology - Leipzig/Saxony. The Saxon State Enterprise for Real Estate and Construction Management (SIB) is the client of the investor MFPA Leipzig GmbH and is thus enabling the HTWK to quickly use a new research facility for timber construction. The initiators are the Saxon State Ministry for Regional Development and the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism with the Saxon Timber Construction Initiative and the promotion of applied research.



New real laboratory for the timber construction of the future



The HolzBauForschungsZentrum will have a floor area of around 1,100 square meters. A freely configurable work area for large-scale digital timber construction will be created in the hall. Industrial robots suspended from an overhead crane form the "technological heart" of the technical center. They are connected to each other and to the crane via a central control system so that every point in the hall can be digitally controlled to carry out processing steps. With this space-saving prefabrication strategy, which has hardly been tested to date, the technical center will have a unique technological selling point. In addition, the adjoining rooms house a modern carpentry workshop and an additive manufacturing laboratory with various 3D printing technologies.



At the HolzBauForschungsZentrum, the FLEX research group aims to develop automated production strategies and test them in real-scale prototypes. Parametric digital models play a central role in seamlessly networking all steps from design and planning to efficient prefabrication, logistics and assembly on the construction site. In this way, construction should benefit significantly more from the positive effects of digitalization in the future.



"In addition to the main research topic, there is a comprehensive need for research and transfer from computer science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, automation technology and economics. The principle of interdisciplinary collaboration within the university - but also with regional, national and international scientific and business partners - will therefore become an essential scientific and organizational cornerstone of the project," explains Stahr. In addition, further training courses on current research results are to be offered for employees from timber construction companies and building authorities as well as for specialists from architecture and engineering.



Thomas Schmidt, Saxon State Minister for Regional Development: "Sustainability and digitalization are the keys to competitiveness and regionalization in the construction industry. I am convinced that Saxony can be at the forefront of the 'construction turnaround' with reliable construction products and practical production and manufacturing processes of the next generation if research, companies and construction supervisors work closely together. With the HolzBauForschungsZentrum, a state-of-the-art research facility for the research and further development of production processes for timber construction is being created at the Innovationspark Bautechnik in Leipzig-Engelsdorf. What is special about this location is the opportunity to bring innovations quickly and directly to the market together with the local testing institutes. This active cooperation is a real competitive advantage and strengthens our regional economy."



Prof. Dr. Mark Mietzner, Rector of HTWK Leipzig: "Over the past five years, the university has entered into important partnerships with the regional economy, which made the HolzBauForschungsZentrum possible in the first place. Thanks to the excellent cooperation with the Saxon Construction and Real Estate Management (SIB) and the active support of the regional economy, the foundation stone for the implementation of this trend-setting project can be laid today. The research center underlines the role of HTWK Leipzig as an initiator of innovation and as a bridge between science and industry. The enthusiasm and commitment of our researchers, combined with the practical application in the region, reflect the successful implementation of my strategy to position HTWK Leipzig as a center for knowledge transfer and innovation in the region and beyond."



Dr. Mathias Reuschel, Managing Director of the Gesellschaft für Materialforschung und Prüfungsanstalt für das Bauwesen Leipzig mbH (MFPA Leipzig GmbH) and founding member of the Förderverein HolzBauForschungsZentrum Leipzig: "I am very pleased that the idea of a research center has been implemented in a very short time thanks to the joint trusting action of the mandate holders from regional business, science and politics. In the summer of 2024, we will inaugurate a center that, in the symbiosis between the HTWK and the MFPA, will significantly support the structural change away from coal mining towards a strengthened regional timber industry. That's the Saxon way"



Background to building with wood



Wood is seen as a beacon of hope for making the construction industry more sustainable. In its production and use, this traditional building material is more climate-friendly than energy- and resource-intensive reinforced concrete. With changing social objectives, the demand for timber buildings is growing at an above-average rate. Nevertheless, existing construction solutions are hardly suitable for meeting this demand, as wood is only available in limited quantities as a renewable raw material and competition for the industrial use of the material is increasing sharply. New concepts are therefore urgently needed to meet the growing demand with significantly less wood.



Modern timber construction is a future field of innovation and a driver for regional value creation. This is why the Saxon state government agreed in the coalition agreement to strengthen modern timber construction in Saxony. The Saxon Timber Construction Initiative is aimed at promoting the use of timber in construction projects, facilitating its use and thus increasing the demand for timber in Saxony. It is in line with and interacts with national and European strategies for a so-called building turnaround: for more climate- and resource-friendly circular and serial construction methods, for the transformation of the building stock to climate neutrality and - last but not least - for affordable housing.



published on 29.02.2024, by Dr. Franziska Böhl