Presentation of the 12^th Wilhelm Klauditz Prize for Wood Research and Environmental Protection 2024

6 November, 2024

The Wilhelm Klauditz Prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, is awarded every three years in recognition of outstanding scientific or application-oriented work in the field of wood research and environmental protection.

At the end of the iVTH general meeting on the 6^th of November 2024 in Braunschweig, the presentation of the 12^th Wilhelm Klauditz Prize took place. This year, the prize committee proposed that Andreas Göbert, Prof. Philipp Eversmann and Prof. Dr. Julian Lienhard from the University of Kassel should receive the award for their work 3DWoodWind Research Prototype - Modular construction system comprised of wound hollow profiles. Prof. Dr. Rainer Marutzky praised the innovative system in his laudatory speech, following which Andreas Göbert delivered a specialist presentation on his work.

The structural utilization of wood as a renewable raw material is constantly gaining in importance. The scientists from Kassel have researched an innovative possibility for the application of wood veneer. The award-winning work addresses the development of three-dimensional winding processes for material-efficient hollow-profile lightweight-construction components made from wood.

The novel modular construction system “3DWoodWind Research Prototype” was developed by the award winners as a lightweight-construction component by means of additive technologies. For the creation of the prototype, continuous strips of veneer wood were wound three-dimensionally around hollow components. For this process from the field of fiber-composite technology, synthetic carbon or glass fibers have predominantly been used up until now; the new process, however, uses a continuous strip of thin wood veneer. The veneer strips are bonded with PU adhesive. Through the intelligent combination and design of modular components, the construction system can be used to create multi-story structures. It can be integrated into the 3D planning of buildings via AI-controlled construction logic and can be used in areas that were previously primarily reserved for the application of concrete slabs and steel profiles.

The research partners are Philipp Eversmann (Universität Kassel, Department of Experimental and Digital Design and Construction), Julian Lienhard (Department of Structural Design) and Philipp Geyer (Leibniz Universität Hannover, Department of Sustainable Building Systems). Andreas Göbert, Georgia Margariti, Julian Ochs, Ole Wehye, Felita Felita, Ueli Saluz and Andrea Rossi were responsible for the scientific development.

The team was supported by three companies from the fields of adhesives, veneer production and mechanical engineering. The research project was funded by the German Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) using funds from the Zukunft Bau innovation program.

Further project participants were Elias Arayess, Guido Brinkmann, Nils Eckhardt, Sebastian Körner, Ilija Majcen, Clemens Mostert, Seyed Mobin Moussavi, Björn Raschper and Moritz Reh.