The integration of actuation concepts and adaptive elements into an experimental high-rise building

In 2017, the University of Stuttgart started a Collaborative Research Centre with the title Adaptive Skins and Structures for the Built Environment of Tomorrow. It is the goal of this research project to find an answer to today's most urgent social and ecological questions as the global population is continuously increasing and the amount of available resources remains limited. As a central approach to the solution of this problem, this research project focuses on the integration of adaptive elements into load-bearing structures, and, specifically for buildings, their interior and their facade. To illustrate this technique, an experimental, approx. 37m tall building will be constructed at the University of Stuttgart in 2019. This paper will introduce the topic of adaptivity in building skins and structures and will give an overview of the research topics the project focuses on and which will be applied to this globally unique, adaptive high-rise building. Hereby, the range of topics reaches from actuation concepts of the structural components to their actual implementation in the high-rise structure. A project report with first test outcomes of a beforehand realized prototype frame concludes the content of this paper.