Research

The building materials industry faces major challenges in terms of the energy, emissions and resource savings required to achieve the climate targets. Measures to replace fossil fuels in the resource- and energy-intensive construction sector are not enough to achieve comprehensive decarbonisation. The long-term material use of wood in buildings is a building block for achieving climate neutrality in the building sector and it has been shown that timber construction can be a measure to mitigate climate change. An increase from the current 22% to 50% wood (residential) construction (Wood Construction Share) would require an additional wood input into the construction industry of 0.5 million m3 or up to 1 million m3 per year in a scenario with high wood utilisation in order to cover the increasing demand if no measures are taken to extend the service life of buildings and increase recycling. At the same time, the amount of waste wood from deconstruction will increase in the coming decades and therefore represents a growing potential for reuse and recycling from 2050 onwards if various technical, economic and regulatory obstacles can be overcome. Current political strategies and measures in terms of climate protection reinforce the need for innovations along the entire product life cycle and the value chain in the construction sector in order to realise the potential of the recyclability of construction products. Specifically

Smooth processes in supply chains (SCs) are essential. An analogue or digital disruption leads to delays in production, storage and/or transport. The resulting bottlenecks can jeopardise the entire provision of services to the population. Organisations as well as authorities are accordingly dependent on goods, energy or services reaching the population within a certain time. In order to (1) make the process flow from order to delivery more transparent, (2) minimise expenses and (3) be able to react more efficiently and resiliently to market fluctuations, SC participants are increasingly offering their services in the digital space. However, the basic structure of SCs is not designed to survive in this highly networked, digital environment without sufficient protection. Repeatedly, attacks are perpetrated on the IT of supply chains, causing them to be severely disrupted or even completely blocked. One of the most well-known cases, called ShadowPad, from 2017 shows that attacks on SCs are undoubtedly among the most dangerous modern attack vectors. The Sophie project aims to increase the resilience of value chains and their infrastructures and actors and addresses the following questions: 1) Mapping of specific components of relevant SCs taking into account digital influencing factors. 2) Simulation of digital attack vectors on SCs and their processes with regard to specific infrastructure areas; modelling of location problems and implementation of solution algorithms in order to evaluate potential supply locations with regard to their suitability for ensuring the optimal supply of all users in the event of a crisis. 3) Analysis of cascade effects and feedback processes with regard to critical infrastructures and supply-relevant organisations as striking use cases. 4) Validation and conception of general awareness trainings for key personnel in specific critical infrastructure areas. 5) Expanding the focus of the digital space to include cyber-physical systems (CPS) - analysing the potential impact of a digital crisis on society.

With the increasing population and the growing impact of climate change, cities are facing challenging developments. Freight transport and the building sector cause a large share of emissions and externalities in urban areas. The executing companies in the building sector are confronted with complex logistical planning tasks and limited spatial possibilities for action. At the same time, the population is exposed to negative impacts of construction logistics (e.g. particulate matter pollution, noise emissions and traffic congestion). Based on this motivation, the KONZIB project analyses the traffic and environmental impacts of resource-saving construction logistics and designs a solution approach for a Viennese construction logistics centre (collection and distribution centre for construction materials and waste from several large construction sites). The primary objective of the project is the survey of volume flows, construction related transports and processes of the current situation as well as the integral planning of a construction logistics centre as a solution approach for emission-reduced and circular construction logistics. The project results are intended to support the City of Vienna in achieving its goals for emission reduction and climate-neutral city as well as circular economy and resource conservation within the framework of the Smart City Strategy and the DoTank Circular City Wien 2020-2030 (DTCC30) program