Testing new ideas instead of simulating them: the real-world laboratory for infrastructure construction
The path from research to application is complex and often lengthy, especially in the construction industry. At the EuroTube Foundation’s Real-Labor, new materials, components, and digital tools are tested on an actual construction site. This allows new findings to be incorporated directly into construction projects.
How does an idea make its way from the lab to a real construction site? The EuroTube Foundation’s Real-Lab for Infrastructure Construction brings this very process to life. On the grounds of an actual construction site, researchers, startups, and industry partners are working on new solutions for sustainable infrastructure. Instead of merely simulating conditions, materials, components, and digital tools are tested under real construction site conditions.
One practical project is the Smart Mobile Factory: a mobile, sensor-monitored manufacturing unit that can produce concrete components directly on site and link the data to a digital twin. This makes it possible to examine how material flows, processes, and CO2 emissions can be improved. The findings are then fed back into the ongoing construction project.
At the booth, guests will learn why the path from research to application is lengthy and complex, and how a “real-world lab” can help bridge this innovation gap.
