Prize for Teaching Excellence 2022/23

Image credit: Robert Frankl - TU Graz

The module “Low Carbon Building Design and Communities” developed and taught by  Prof. Christina Hopfe and Prof. Robert McLeod was nominated and shortlisted for the Prize for Teaching Excellence  2022/23. They joined the prestigious shortlist of 14 teams nominated for this award out of the entire portfolio of modules taught at TU Graz. The award ceremony took place on Wednesday 15. November 2023. 


The Styrian Housing Symposium 2023

From left to right: Bettina Gossak-Kowalski (TU Graz), Christina Hopfe (TU Graz), Harald Kainz (TU Graz), Landtagsabgeordnete Pichler-Jessenko, Wolfgang Konrad (Lichttechnische Gesellschaft), Architekt Burkhard Schelischanksy (ZT Kammer), Kammerdirektorin Jutta Frick (ZT Kammer)
Credit: Lebensressort/Lorber

The Styrian Housing Symposium 2023 with the topic “Healthy Building and Living” took place on Wednesday, October 4th in the auditorium of the TU Graz. Univ.-Prof Dr DI Christina Hopfe was one of the seven speakers.  She discussed risks and prevention strategies during heat waves and overheating in her lecture. More information at: https://www.meinviertel.at/steiermark/c-lokales/steirisches-wohnbausymposium-2023-gesundes-machen-und-wohnen_a6304037


New Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Sustainability

Michael Monsberger. Source: Lunghammer - TU Graz

Since October 1, 2023, Univ. Prof. Dr DI Michael Monsberger has taken on the role of Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Sustainability. The institute wishes him every success in his new role.


Viva Dipl.-Ing. Rainer Partl

Viva Dipl.-Ing. Rainer Partl

On 25.09.2023 our former colleague Dipl.-Ing. Rainer Partl passed his doctoral viva with distinction. The topic of his doctoral thesis was "Ontology for describing and representing project-organizational relationships in the planning process of MEP systems in a formal way".
Supervisor of the thesis was Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Michael Monsberger. Further reviewers were Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Raimar Scherer, as well as Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Motzko. Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Christian Hofstadler chaired the viva.
 


Viva Dipl.-Ing. Daniel Rüdisser

On August 18th, 2023, Dipl.-Ing. Daniel Rüdisser passed his doctoral viva with distinction. In his PhD thesis "RadiCal - A novel method to model energy flows induced by solar radiation", a new method for determining solar-induced energy flows for glazing, shading devices and further building components was developed, validated and tested. Further information can be found at https://bit.ly/3KLoc6A . The thesis was supervised by Prof. Michael Monsberger. Prof. John Mardaljevic (Loughborough University) acted as the second reviewer. Assoc. Prof. Dorothee Hippler chaired the viva.

Picture: Michael Monsberger, John Mardaljevic, Daniel Rüdisser, Dorothee Hippler

IBPSC becomes runners-up in the TÜV Austria science award 2022

The IBPSC came runner up in the category "entreprise" (german: Unternehmen) at the TÜV Austria science awards 2022 for the CovEd project led by Prof Robert McLeod.

For further information, please watch our youtube video - Thanks so much for the support of our Rektor Harald Kainz and the Max Planck Institute. 
 


Nomination for the TÜV Austria science award 2022

The jury of the TÜV AUSTRIA Science Prize short-listed the Coved project (led by Prof Robert McLeod) in the category "Company". We are excited about this nomination! The winning projects will be presented at a gala evening on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 7 p.m. in the cupola hall of the Vienna University of Technology.  

More information at https://www.tuv.at/tuev-austria-wipreis-2022-acht-projekte-auf-short-list/


IBPSA BauSIM 2022

From September 20th -22nd 2022, the IBPSC visited the BauSIM in Weimar. Five conference papers were presented. These were given by Mr. DI Fatos Pollozhani, Mr. DI Daniel Rüdisser, Dr Matej Gustin, Ass Prof Dr Hans Hafellner, and Prof Rob McLeod. Prof Christina Hopfe gave one of the three keynotes on the topic "Can we unleash the power of simulation to change the world?" Daniel Rüdisser won one of the scientific prizes with his paper on "Application of the RadiCal-method to model solar gains through the building envelope". Many congratulations! The next BauSIM will take place in 2024 at the Vienna University of Technology. We look forward to participating. 


New member in the ÖNORM Working group 214.06

Ms. DDipl.-Ing. Petra Fortmüller was included in the ÖNORM working group 214.06 - Planning of indoor waterproofing.


News from the "CovEd-project"

The CovEd project has attracted nationwide and international attention in the print and online media as well as on television and radio. Two pilot classes at the Sacre Coeur school in Graz and a number of seminar rooms at the TU Graz were equipped with mechanical extract ventilation systems which have helped to raise public awareness of the importance of adequate ventilation during the ongoing pandemic. Kleine Zeitung, Kronen Zeitung, ORF, Ö3, OE24, and more have reported on this ground breaking project led by Prof. Robert McLeod to improve indoor air quality and reduce the infection risk of COVID-19 through enhanced ventilation protocols in educational buildings.

An overview of the articles can be found here (Link to Presse section).


Inauguration

On Friday 10th June 2022 we celebrated the inauguration (German ‘Antrittsvorlesung’) of three new professors in our institute. In a ceremony held in the Aula room of Rechbauerstaße 12, at TU Graz, Professor’s, McLeod, Monsberger and Hopfe delivered their inaugural speeches, with the following titles:

  • Prof. McLeod – “CO2, Mindfulness and Doughnuts – delivering research impact in the 21st century”
  • Prof. Monsberger – “Gebäudetechnik im Kontext der Digitalisierung – Herausforderungen und Perspektiven”
  • Prof. Hopfe – “A stargazer’s guide to building physics in the 21st century”

The event was hosted by the Dean Prof. Martin Schanz with a welcome speech by the Vice Rector Prof. Horst Bischof. Following the speeches, food and drink were served in the outside courtyard and the festivities continued late into the night. We would like to extend a warm thank you to all our guests and colleagues who attended and supported this very special event.

    

   


Construction Site Excursion May 2022

As part of the course Building and Industrial Construction, an excursion was made to the construction site of the buildings "Data House" and "SAL Building" of the Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft.

Accompanied by of the responsible persons of the clients, the planning and the building physics very interesting information about the planning and the building process could be imparted to the excursion participants. 

The IBPSC thanks very much for the opportunity to visit the construction site.

You can find more information about the buildings here: 

Foundation Stone laid for two new Research Centers at TU Graz

Data House und SAL Building (German)


Dufton Silver Medal 2021

Univ.-Prof Dr Hopfe receives the Dufton Silver Medal for 2021 for the journal paper "Balancing daylight and overheating in low-energy design using CIBSE improved weather files" available at https://lnkd.in/dKxmvGmb written by Eleonora Brembilla, John Mardaljevic, Anastasia Mylona, Eirini Mantesi and herself.

The paper considers the requirements to balance the light available in a space so as to reduce overheating risk, adopting a newly developed solar radiation model. More information at https://lnkd.in/deyu2dqp

The Dufton medal (last awarded in 1999) is awarded for papers relating to fundamental research.


Get together

On 24th August 2021, after a few months in the home office took place a meeting of current and former employees of the Institute.