Welcome to the Chair of Advanced Structures!
Our research and teaching focuses on the system analysis of structures including derivation of suitable partial models, engineering consideration of coupling and interactions, recording and consideration of extreme and changing load conditions as well as avoidance or evaluation of collapse potential using latest technologies (tools of digital engineering). Advanced Structures not only include the structures with high risk potential, lightweight and tent constructions, but also includes the use of damping elements and the interaction phenomena in standard construction methods.
Guest Lecture by Assistant Prof. Bora Pulatsu »Discontinuum-Based Analysis of Built Environment: New Trends and Challenges«
On 4th and 5th December 2025, Assistant Prof. Dr. Bora Pulatsu, from Carleton University, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Canada visited the Chair of Advanced Structure at Bauhaus Universität Weimar. As part of his visit, Bora held a very inspiring guest lecture in the frame of the NHRE master programm module “Structural Design and Performance Assessment.”
In his talk titled “Discontinuum Based Analysis of Built Environment New Trends and Challenges”, Prof. Pulatsu presented recent developments in the use of discrete element methods (DEM) for the analysis of unreinforced masonry (URM) structures. He discussed the increasing need for efficient conservation strategies in the face of resource limitations climate change and the growing frequency of extreme environmental actions.
The lecture introduced a broad range of DEM applications from material scale simulations to full structural assessments and emphasized how vision based documentation tools can be coupled with advanced numerical models to generate highly representative digital replicas of existing buildings. Prof. Pulatsu also outlined emerging research directions including data driven computational modelingspatial stochastic analysis and the integration of remote sensing measurements with state of the art simulation techniques.
The session offered students valuable insights into current research challenges in conservation engineering and computational structural mechanics enriching the course’s focus on assessing and designing structures for long term performance.
