Architektur Als Informationsbasiertes System: Beyond Piezo-Klett, From Energy to Envelope, The Building Envelope as a Self-Sufficient Energy/Sensor Technology

Description

This dissertation examines the potential of the piezoelectric effect for architecture. The work builds on the insights and results of the research project “Piezo-Klett,” in which the author participated and which he provisionally led from 2020 to 2022 under the supervision of Roger Riewe at the Institute of Architectural Technology, TU Graz. This project—awarded the TU Graz Invention Prize in 2023—is documented and described in detail. Building on the project’s findings and drawing on current research in piezoelectricity, further applications of piezoelectric fibres in architecture are formulated, discussed, and positioned within a broader context. The piezoelectric effect can be used both as an energy source and as sensor technology. This opens potential for novel, intelligent and energy-autonomous façades and building components. Within the “Piezo-Klett” project, these possibilities were tested and measured in practice using various piezoelectric components. In addition to conventional products such as the DuraAct patch and the piezoelectric disc, the central idea was to utilise the piezoelectric properties of the “piezoelectric textile band” to power the NETBEE sensor interface autonomously and to use it at component junctions. The project team demonstrated that an active building envelope can be realised using piezoelectric products—particularly the piezoelectric textile band. Movements of the building generate mechanical deformation, which is converted into electrical energy that can power sensors by harnessing voltage and load variations at component interfaces caused by environmental influences, such as wind. Using this “piezo technology,” façades emerge that may be described as intelligent materials, capable of actively harvesting energy and, within the scope of information-technological requirements for resilient buildings, collecting data about their own condition while remaining energy-autonomous. These findings open new possibilities in the field of the Internet of Things, which is becoming increasingly relevant to the construction sector, particularly for the monitoring and maintenance of buildings. Building on this, the dissertation investigates which effects piezoelectric components could enable, particularly in the field of active sensor systems. In a speculative manner, piezoelectric elements are examined regarding their potential architectural applications and the design approaches that may be derived from them. By presenting these possible construction approaches and their potential in a coherent and comprehensible way, the thesis aims to stimulate further research in the field of piezoelectric technology and, more broadly, in the context of intelligent materials and the Internet of Things in architecture. Based on the Piezo-Klett project, the dissertation thus develops an extended theoretical discussion on how such technologies can be conceptually and practically integrated into architecture to create new adaptive and responsive building envelopes and components.

Period	1 Nov 2025 → 30 Dec 2025
Examinee	Toni Levak
Examination held at	Graz University of Technology (TU)
Degree of Recognition	International