Our Research Areas

Research at the Institute of Structural Mechanics and Design spans the spectrum from theoretical fundamentals through transfer to application. Basic and applied research are synergistically linked in roughly equal parts.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Knaack,
Chair of Facade Engineering

Our research is a joint effort among diverse partners from science, research, industry and public administration.

Fields of expertise

Research at the ISM+D is grouped into five fields, reflected in five working groups: the Glass Competence Center, the Generative Design Lab, the Structural Dynamics Unit, Energy Efficient Construction, and Paper Construction and Design.

Center of Snow and Avalanche Research

Avalanches represent a substantial and unpredictable risk to people whio live, work, or travel in mountain areas. Avalanche warning services assess the hazard level of particular locations by evaluating weather data, examining the characteristics of the snowpack, and using physical models. To predict and prevent slab avalanches, we study the fracture of snow, measure its material properties, and develop mathematical models to understand its mechanical behavior.

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Glass Competence Center

Glass and plastics have now gained a firm foothold as structural materials in the field of engineering. When glass is used in construction, the main feature is usually its high degree of transparency. The special material properties of glass and, above all, its brittleness, require special attention in construction, design and dimensioning.

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Generative Design Lab

In the Generative Design Lab, we research generative and additive manufacturing technologies for use in construction. Our focus is on process and product development. Research areas include the 3D printing of glass, steel, ceramics and paper. Research results include customized nodes for facade systems, free-form bricks for functionalized masonry, 3D paper structures for use as acoustic absorbers, and complex but fully transparent glass structures.

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Structural Dynamics Unit

Objects crossing bridges cause them to vibrate. The Structural Dynamics Unit investigates how these vibrations feed back to trains, motor vehicles or pedestrians and uses them to develop measurement methods and calculation models for the future.

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Energy Efficient Construction

The 'Energy Efficiency in Construction' research group is dedicated to the scientific study of methods to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and housing estates through to zero-energy buildings and energy-smart settlement-components.

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Paper Construction and Design

The Paper research group is involved in basic research in the field of sustainable and resource-saving construction using paper as a material. As part of the research project "BAMP-Building with Paper" and the project "Emergency Shelters Made of Paper", prototypes of wall, ceiling and floor structures have already been developed and assembled into a paper house.

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Structural Analysis Intelligence

The "Structural Analysis Intelligence" research group is dedicated to fundamental and applied research at the intersection of scientific machine learning, structural analysis, and structural engineering. Its primary focus lies in the formulation and training of physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) and neural operators (DeepONets), as well as AI-driven material modeling for structural-mechanical systems. Additionally, the group investigates issues regarding explainability (XAI), causal AI, and AI ethics to ensure the acceptance and regulatory compliance of AI-based design methods. Current third-party funded projects address data-driven service-life prediction in steel construction, agent-based construction information systems, and AI-assisted support systems for resource-efficient design.

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