Welcome to CARE – Climate-Neutral and Resource-Efficient Construction / Cluster of Excellence CARE

News

We conduct research on paradigm shifts in the construction sector and sustainable building materials. There is regular news about our mission:

Five interactive stations and a stage show. At the LNdW 2026 in Dresden, CARE has fascinated visitors with the award-winning boats from the Concrete Boat Team, among other exhibits.

CARE participates in Dresden Long Night of Sciences 2026

Jun 29, 2026

On June 26, CARE participated in Dresden’s Long Night of Science and wowed visitors with bouncy, floating, and magical building...

A person in a laboratory in front of a industrial robot and a concrete 3d-printed component — Professor Martin Claßen at the laboratory of the Instuitute of Structural Concrete. © Andreas Schmitter.

Circularity Over Carbon: Where Research Meets Practice at the Construction Congress in Aachen

Jun 8, 2026

a group of people on a lawn forming the letters "CARE" with their bodies — © materialmatters | Rico Schumann

First Annual Meeting of CARE Cluster of Excellence

May 11, 2026

Ceremonial Address: TUD President Staudinger speaks from a lectern in the Rectorate’s banquet hall. Several large bouquets of flowers are arranged around her. Prof. Mechtcherine, the honoree, stands next to the lectern and listens to her. — Excellent and exceptional: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Viktor Mechtcherine—spokesperson for the CARE Cluster of Excellence and member of acatech, among other roles—was awarded the Badge of Honor by the President of TU Dresden. © André Wirsig/TUD

Prof. Viktor Mechtcherine Receives TU Dresden’s Badge of Honor - An award for a researcher who is reimagining the construction of the future

May 8, 2026

A group photo taken from above, with the participants waving at the camera. — The 80 participants of the CARE Young Researchers’ Meeting held from February 9 to 11, 2026, in Würzburg. © CARE

Successful Early Career Meeting in Würzburg

Feb 12, 2026

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15 laboratories
55 countries
350 publications
120 researchers
23 partner

Research Areas

Construction sites of the future, undiscovered material compositions, and bridge designs of tomorrow: each of the 19 CARE projects serves at least one Research Area that is paving the way for a revolution in construction.

RA1

Multifunctional
Building Materials

RA1 explores circular, CO2-neutral composites with multifunctional properties by using novel types of raw materials and material combinations.

Discover more about multifunctional materials

RA2

Resource-Efficient
Structures

RA2 advances sustainability in structural design by investigating new approaches to material minimization enabled by digital fabrication.

Discover more about material minimization

RA3

Innovative Manufacturing Technologies

RA3 develops circular and automated fabrication and construction methods for sustainable, resilient, and climate-neutral construction.

Discover more about Manufacturing Technologies

RA4

Digitized
Value Chain

RA4 advances interoperability across material and structural design, automated construction, and sustainability assessment.

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RA5

Principles of
Circularity

RA5 systematically advances sustainability assessment methodologies and investigates human factors through empirical psychological research.

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19 Individual
Projects

19 individual projects foster synergistic interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.

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Events

We communicate the disruption in the construction industry in a way that is easy to understand. CARE can be experienced live in many places!

Upcoming events
Event image	Event title	Date and time	Location	Category	Action
	Strukturwandelsafari Sustainable Construction	11/13/26	Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1 52074 Aachen	Tour	Learn more
	RWTH’s “5 to 12” Science Night	11/13/26	Aachen	interactive	Learn more