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Cooperation Platforms From Theory to Practice

  • an automated production line and a modern building materials testing laboratory with a glass facade
    Visualisation of the CARE PreFab Plant. © neongrau

CARE Next-Generation Prefab Plant Prototype

At the CARE Research Center Dresden, a digital fabrication laboratory is currently being established, complemented by a facility in Aachen, which is currently under construction. The CARE Prefab Plant is conceived as a prototype for the next generation of prefabrication facilities. It will feature robotic assembly lines, adaptable formwork systems for geometrically complex components, and advanced additive manufacturing technologies for mineral-based and fiber-reinforced materials.

The facility will also support the development of innovative composite materials using recycled resources and biomineralization processes. Smart sensors and data-driven coordination of machines, materials, and workflows will demonstrate how prefabrication can evolve into a more resource-efficient, flexible, and future-ready approach to construction.

  • A construction site with numerous construction machines such as cranes, concrete mixers, and robots, all digitally connected and communicating with each other.
    The RWTH Aachen University reference construction site, which serves as an innovative and dynamic living lab within CARE. © neongrau

CARE Future Technologies Experimental Construction Site

The RWTH Reference Construction Site was established in 2020 by CARE PI Brell-Cokcan as part of the “Internet of Construction” project. It is the Europe’s first large-scale construction test site equipped with 5G technology. At this 4,000-square-meter facility, CARE conducts real-scale research using automated heavy-duty machinery for the assembly and disassembly of building modules, the recovery of components for structural reuse, in situ 3D printing, human-cyber-physical systems, and collaborative robots. The site also serves as a dynamic CARE living lab in which innovative technologies and construction processes are developed and tested under realistic conditions. In this way, it supports the transition toward more efficient, automated, and technology-driven construction.

  • 2 Menschen mit einem Tablet vor einer Brücke auf der ein Wagen mit Gewichten auf Schienen entlang fährt während die Brücke von einer Drohne gescannt wird.
    OpenLAB Bautzen: CARE research bridge for structural health monitoring and upgrading existing infrastructure. © neongrau

CARE Full-Scale Bridge Experimentation Site

A prestressed, three-span concrete bridge measuring 45 meters in length and 4.5 meters in width was completed in April 2024 in Bautzen, near Dresden. Known as openLAB, this research site was initiated by CARE PI Marx as part of the IDA-KI project, “Automated Evaluation of Monitoring Data from Infrastructure Constructions Using AI and IoT.” CARE has full access to the bridge and uses it primarily for research on structural health monitoring and innovative upgrading and repair methods. One 15-meter span of the superstructure will be constructed according to novel CARE design principles and subjected to full-scale load testing. These tests will evaluate its structural performance, validate new modeling methods, and improve predictions of structural behavior under various loading and environmental conditions. The bridge will also be subjected to controlled overloading and subsequently repaired using innovative methods. This research will contribute to the development of more resilient, resource-efficient, and sustainable infrastructure.