The research infrastructure project “The Digital Construction Site – Construction Industry 4.0 as the Key to a Digital and Sustainable Construction Industry” at the Technical University of Braunschweig focuses on researching digital manufacturing technologies and their impact on planning and production processes. These technologies are investigated under real construction site conditions to generate practical guidance for the construction industry. The Digital Construction Site is a joint initiative of several institutes within the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences.
Driven by global population growth, demand for new buildings and infrastructure continues to rise, increasing pressure on resources and the climate. As one of the most resource-intensive sectors, the construction industry must rapidly transform toward climate neutrality. Meeting growing construction needs with fewer resources and lower emissions presents a major research challenge.
To address this, the project has established a unique large-scale digital research infrastructure. This enables the investigation of networked digital technologies as an integrated system, following the principles of Industry 4.0, directly on construction sites. The Digital Construction Site serves as an application-oriented, flexible research environment for developing and evaluating digital, integrated planning and production processes.
A key focus lies on additive manufacturing, particularly 3D concrete printing, as a transformative technology combining economic efficiency and sustainability. Building on prior research within the DFG Collaborative Research Centre TRR 277, the project aims to transfer fundamental research into practical, full-scale construction applications, while improving sustainability, safety, quality, and creating new interdisciplinary professional profiles.
Website: Digital Construction Site
