On September 30, 2025, the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC ) invited guests to an open house at its Large-Scale Construction Robotics Laboratory (LCRL). Guided tours, discussions, and live demonstrations brought research to life and highlighted the performance and relevance of the Cluster of Excellence.
“We are proud to be making a decisive contribution to the further development of architecture and construction in the digital age,” said Prof. Peter Middendorf, Rector at the University of Stuttgart, who opened the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence open day. Guests at the Large-Scale Construction Robotics Laboratory (LCRL) in Waiblingen included representatives from the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts, the Ministry of Rural Affairs, the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, the Stuttgart Region Association, AKBW and IBA`27. Partners from industry, associations, and science, as well as media representatives, also took the opportunity to gain insights into the construction of the future. The event also hosted meetings of the IntCDC Industry Consortium, which facilitates direct knowledge exchange and accelerates the rapid transfer of research into practice, as well as the second postdoctoral network meeting of the AdvanceAEC research network, initiated by the IntCDC Cluster of Excellence.
Towards a Future-Proof Construction Industry
Cluster spokesperson Prof. Achim Menges and deputy spokesperson Prof. Jan Knippers provided insights into the research conducted at IntCDC during the open house. IntCDC develops the methodological foundations for a sustainable, resource-efficient, and climate-positive transformation of the construction industry. Following a successful first funding period (2019 to 2025), the cluster has recently been awarded an extension until 2032. “In the first funding phase, we were able to demonstrate how co-design - i.e., the integrative development of computational design methods, robotic construction processes, and future-proof building systems - can lead to enormous progress: less resource consumption, lower CO₂ emissions, greater productivity, and a new digital building culture,” emphasised Prof. Achim Menges. “In the second funding period, we will deepen our research and significantly advance it with a focus on bio-based materials, circular construction, and the application of artificial intelligence.”
IntCDC bundles the expertise of seven faculties of the University of Stuttgart and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems – and, as of 2026, the expertise of the new participating institution Bauhaus Earth will also be integrated.
Research made Visible
During the open day, visitors were given the opportunity to experience the LCRL of the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC via several guided tours at the open house event. The LCRL is a central hub for interdisciplinary exchange and an interface between research and practice. Novel robotic systems and advanced materials are being deployed for cyber-physical construction, both off-site and on-site. Scientific findings from architecture, civil engineering, engineering geodesy, production and systems engineering, computer science and robotics, as well as the humanities and social sciences, are incorporated into prototypes, processes, and systems.
In the course of the tours, guests learned about the various research platforms at the LCRL. Each platform brings together the expertise of several research projects, enabling the integration of research results into the computational design and robot-assisted construction of building demonstrators. Among other things, robot-assisted processes for the manufacture of wood building systems, for the production of coreless wound fiber composite components, mobile manipulators for AI-assisted assembly of building components, and collaborative multi-robot systems for use in new construction and existing buildings were presented. At the research construction site, a modified spider crane and a tower crane demonstrated automated processes in on-site assembly. The production of gradient concrete was also presented. Visitors were not only able to watch, but also to engage directly with the researchers—at the machines, at the models, at the components. The guests were impressed.
In addition, Cluster spokesperson Achim Menges provided and outlook on the future of the LCRL: the new research building for the Cluster of Excellence IntCDC is currently under construction on the Vaihingen campus of the University of Stuttgart. The building will serve as a demonstrator for the methods and building systems developed at the university. At the same time, it will become the new home for the interdisciplinary team of researchers and the research infrastructure of the Cluster of Excellence.
