The World’s First Adaptive High-Rise

On 5 October 2021, the world’s first adaptive high-rise building was inaugurated on the Vaihingen campus of the University of Stuttgart – the SFB1244 demonstrator. The interdisciplinary research project, which will also be part of the International Building Exhibition 2027, is the outstanding result of intensive planning and research work. Core questions and goals included:  How can quantities of building materials be reduced and limited resources saved in order to herald the most important goal – the technology turnaround. The sustainability pioneers include scientists, excellent researchers and doctoral students. The initiator of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) “Adaptive Envelopes and Structures for Tomorrow’s World” was Prof. Werner Sobek, who developed and designed the prototype of this high-rise building. Lucio Blandini (Institute Director of the ILEK and Managing Director at Werner Sobek) and Stefanie Weidner (architect at Werner Sobek and staff member at the ILEK) were also involved in this mammoth project. This unique project also inspired Science Minister Theresia Bauer, who was present at the opening. Theresia Bauer was enthusiastic about the “visionary power, but also the determination with which this building was driven forward”. What is special and unique about the 12-storey, approximately 37-metre-high building is that active elements have been integrated into the supporting structure. In a few years, the results of the research project will find their application in the construction industry. We can be curious! Click here for the video documentation.