Innovative cooperation platforms

Physical innovation and collaboration platforms ensure a seamless transition from theory to application, where CARE collaborate closely with industrial partners to ensure the practicability and rapid implementation of solutions in the construction sector.

CARE Next-Generation Prefab Plant Prototype

This digital fabrication laboratory will serve as the core unit of the CARE Research Center Dresden and will include a branch in Aachen. The Prefab Plant will function as a prototype for future prefabrication plants being equipped with robotic assembly lines, automatically adaptable molds for complex geometries, and facilities for additive manufacturing using mineral-based and fiber-reinforced materials.

CARE Future Technologies Experimental Construction Site

The RWTH ‘Reference Construction Site’ was established by PI Brell-Cokcan in 2020 as part of the ‘Internet of Construction’ project and is the first European 5G-enabled large-scale construction test-bed. On the 4,000 m² CARE will perform large-scale research using automated heavy-duty machinery for the assembly and disassembly of building modules, recovery of components for structural reuse, in situ 3D printing, human-cyberphysical systems, and the exploration of collaborative robots

CARE Life-size Bridge Experimentation Site

A prestressed three-span concrete bridge, 45 m long and 4.5 m wide, was erected in April 2024 in Bautzen, near Dresden. This research site, referred to as openLAB, was initiated by PI Marx within the research project IDA-KI ‘Automated Evaluation of Monitoring Data from Infrastructure Constructions Using AI and IoT’. CARE will have full access and will primarily utilize it for research on structural health monitoring and upgrading of existing infrastructure.