Open Minds meet Open Campus: Shaping the future of the construction industry together

Building Cluster | RWTH Aachen Campus
The Construction cluster develops and tests new technologies and materials for deployment in construction. The productivity of materials, labor, and equipment on site is optimized, and on-site execution is improved and accelerated through integrated planning tools and automation. This will enable more efficient and faster execution of what have been, in some cases, very lengthy approval and launch processes. In the future, a combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning can take construction to the next level of development. To make productive, digital tools usable, the cluster is also dedicated to the corresponding qualification of employees. https://www.rwth-campus.com/forschung/cluster-bauen/

The Members
Since the start of the initiative, the Reference Construction Site has been attracting more and more industry partners. The consortium includes well-known companies such as EIFFAGE, ALIMAK GROUP, Autodesk GmbH, Casais Construction, Fundermax GmbH, Jekko Cranes, KUKA DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, LEONHARD WEISS GmbH & Co. KG, PORR AG, UNIBERG GmbH. They support the Reference Construction Site financially, infrastructurally and with expertise from practice.

The projects
Since the start of the Center Construction Robotics more than five years ago, numerous projects have been initiated, implemented and already completed on the Reference Construction Site. Here is a current selection of 2024/25:

Cluster of Excellence CARE: Climate-Neutral and Resource-Efficient Construction
CARE’s mission: Building sustainably, innovatively, and future-oriented
How we build today shapes the world of tomorrow – ecologically, economically and socially. Conventional concrete and cement account for around 80 percent of the materials used in construction and cause more than eight percent of global CO₂ emissions. The Cluster of Excellence CARE aims to fundamentally transform key areas of construction through the development and application of innovative and sustainable materials, forward-looking approaches to the design and dimensioning of structures, and advanced manufacturing technologies. To meet the current challenges, scientists at TU Dresden and RWTH Aachen University are conducting research in the Cluster of Excellence CARE on climate-friendly building materials, new construction principles, and advanced manufacturing technologies, incorporating digital technologies and sustainable framework conditions. Five specialized research areas are working toward a shared vision: the construction of the future should be durable, efficient, and responsible—with scalable, affordable, and climate-resistant building solutions that can be used worldwide.

TARGET-X
TARGET-X aims to strengthen key economic sectors in Europe by integrating 5G and 6G and to accelerate the digital transformation. TARGET-X pursues this vision by providing testbeds for different domains (energy, automotive, construction, manufacturing, and robotics). The development is expected to lead to new business models. The project brings together information technology providers, operational technology providers, and SMEs in a European context. The Reference Construction Site of RWTH Aachen University is one of the 5 European real-world laboratories, which is an ideal test environment for 5G and 6G processes. The TARGET-X project has received funding from the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101096614.
The project is supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT), ERICSSON GmbH of RWTH Aachen University through the three chairs (Chair of Individualized Production, Machine Tool Laboratory WZL and Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems), IDIADA Automotive Technology SA, Construction Robotics GmbH, Fundacio Privada I2CAT, Internet I Innovacio Digital a Catalunya, Marposs Societa Per Azioni, Fundingbox Accelerator SP. z o. o, Ericsson Arastirma Gelistirme ve Bilisim Hizmetleri Anonim Sirketi, Marposs Monitoring Solutions GmbH, 5G Communications for Future Industry Verticals SL, Neutroon Technologies S.L, Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. German Branch, FundingBox Communities SL and Qualcomm CDMA Technologies GmbH.

EConoM
EConoM is a research project funded until 30.04.2025 by the German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) as part of the InnoNT funding call, which is supported by the project funding agency TÜV Rheinland Consulting GmbH. To secure the German and European construction industry and to promote Germany as a location for technology and innovation, research and development into the automation of construction sites is essential. The combination of key technologies from 5G campus networks, edge computing, artificial intelligence, and digital twin will enable enormous automation potential and further optimization of workflows and processes within the construction site.
As part of EConoM, innovations in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G campus networks will be used to improve the quality of construction work, increase work safety on the construction site, reduce overall costs, and shorten construction times. To achieve this, edge computing, AI, and communication must be made possible on construction sites in a comprehensive, robust, easy-to-use, and trouble-free manner. It is coordinated by the partners Fraunhofer FOKUS, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, HOCHTIEF ViCon GmbH, planen-bauen 4.0 GmbH, UNIBERG GmbH, Zeppelin Rental GmbH, Construction Robotics GmbH, TÜV Rheinland and Chair of Individualized Production, RWTH Aachen University.

ROBETON II
The ROBETON II project is based on a promising approach to resource-efficient and circular construction. In the ROBETON project, a robot-assisted sawing process was developed that enables the dismantling of existing reinforced concrete walls into modular components that can then be reinstalled. To make this approach practicable, the ROBETON II project aims to develop the fundamentals regarding the requirements for load-bearing capacity, durability, and freedom from harmful substances for the implementation of the process. ROBETON II aims to reuse components that meet the requirements of new buildings. To this end, three objectives are being pursued: First, the cutting process is to be optimized to create form-fitting joints. Second, possible contamination of the components by sawdust, process water, and air or dust samples is to be checked. Thirdly, non-destructive testing methods for the concrete elements to be dismantled are being tested and validated. The investigations are necessary to develop strategies for the practical application of the process and to identify potential approval and reuse options for the components. This project is funded by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Construction (BMWSB) with funds from the Zukunft Bau Research Fund (project no.: 10.08.18.7-24.47).

MAXX – Mobile Assembly X-System
The renovation of building envelopes is gaining increasing market potential from an economic and sustainability perspective and is facing increasingly drastic challenges due to the shortage of qualified workers. By 2030, the market potential for building envelope renovation is estimated at €400 billion, with a demand for over 300,000 employees. This corresponds to an increase of over 50 percent of the current number of employees, which under normal circumstances can hardly be met.
The Center Construction Robotics aims to automate the renovation of building envelopes using construction robotics, thereby counteracting the shortage of qualified workers. Fundermax panel installation is currently the first prototype application for scaffold-free facade renovation. The MAXX system will be suitable for projects of all sizes and supports further renovation activities with interchangeable tools. It contributes to building maintenance and promotes the circular economy. Sustainable and semi-autonomous renovation processes are made faster and safer. MAXX – Mobile Assembly X-System is the ideal partner for renovation professionals. In the future, it will keep workers out of danger zones and make their work easier. For over two years, the project team has been working on the further development of an assistance system for the automated assembly and handling of facade panels for building renovation, thus contributing to the construction site of the future. The project was funded by the “Digitization of the Construction Industry and Innovative Building” initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Building and Digitization of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and was developed with the support of the industry partners of Center Construction Robotics at RWTH Aachen, including Fundermax GmbH, KUKA AG, and Jekko Srl.

 KI for BauChain
AI-based data collection and processing for building materials in a digitized construction process chain.
On construction sites, the control, ordering, inspection, storage, and provision of delivered goods must always be carried out in close coordination with the construction processes. Small disruptive factors at the beginning have an increasingly strong impact as the process chain progresses. The consequences are mainly delays and cost overruns. One approach to eliminating disruptive factors at the beginning of the process chain is to monitor the delivery status of goods, but this can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Material information is usually recorded in paper form, does not reflect the current status on the construction site, and is no longer available in further steps of the process chain. By digitally recording material information using AI methods, it can be cataloged and reused in real time. Semantically described, the recorded data can be integrated into the higher-level process control of the construction site.
For this purpose, process modeling methods based on linked data developed at the Chair of Individualized Construction Production are applied. They enable the integration of the collected information into a higher-level digital image of the construction site, including all process-relevant data, and thus agile process control. The use of AI methods enables the recording and cataloging of building materials as well as the volume estimation of bulk materials through 2D- and 3D-image analysis. Data collection and processing are being tested in the real-world laboratory of the RWTH Aachen Reference Construction Site using simulated delivery processes. The project is funded and supported by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs, and Spatial Development as part of the Zukunft Bau Research Fund program (project no.: 10.08.18.7-22.15).

OnTimeOlogie
Construction traffic data ontology for efficient data-based construction project management
In the traffic sector, different players use different data sources and collect various information that is often only available to a limited extent or with delays. This fragmentation of data makes efficient collaboration and decision-making difficult. To fully exploit the potential of the available data, comprehensive utilization through linked data is necessary, which benefits all stakeholders. OnTimeOlogie aims to enable format-independent linking of different data sources from traffic data and construction projects. Through the development of a semantic model and the use of ontologies, construction-specific data from infrastructure projects will be linked with information from the federal government’s mobility library in a dynamic semantic context. This should create potential for various construction companies, municipalities, and road users, and accelerate construction projects. First, an analysis of inventory data from various sources will be carried out, followed by the collection of specific requirements for accelerating infrastructure projects based on traffic data. A conceptual data model links external online data with construction project data. Feasibility will be verified by implementing an ontology framework, while the potential for various stakeholders will be validated by means of external cost analyses. Project partner: HOCHTIEF ViCon GmbH. Associated partners: Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), City of Aachen. This project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) as part of the mFUND innovation initiative (FKZ: 19F1219A).

Praxisleitfaden
The guideline for information networks in construction promotes the dissemination of digitally-based and innovative construction methods by conducting and documenting a detailed application-oriented analysis of the necessary digital prerequisites.
The aim is to enable the systematic selection and establishment of an information network for specific applications in construction practice. This creates a basis for the implementation of digital construction methods along the entire construction process chain, such as efficient planning through a priori simulation, the execution of control commands by automated construction machines, or the sensor-based recording of target variables in the actual process for computer-aided evaluation and optimization. For users with little expertise in network technology, the guide also offers easy access to digital technologies that are becoming increasingly important in practice. These results are also being incorporated into the development of a VDI expert recommendation on the requirements for a high-performance IT infrastructure for construction site automation, as well as publications with the German Association for Project Management in the Construction and Real Estate Industry. As part of the cooperation with numerous partners from the construction industry, the project provides knowledge and experience from the industry for the industry. The project is funded by the “Digitization of the Construction Industry and Innovative Construction” initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Local Government, Building, and Digitization of North Rhine-Westphalia. (Project no.: 35.05.04.01-IP-2022-007).