Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Koch

The Chair of Intelligent Technical Design is concerned with the application of modern information and communication technology (ICT) during the design, the construction and the operation of civil infrastructure, such as buildings, bridges, tunnels, road and pipe networks. In this regard, we use methods of Building Information Modelling (BIM), Computer Vision and Machine Learning as well as Virtual and Augmented Reality to efficiently and sustainably inform decision makers. 

"Intelligent Technical Design refers to a design approach that utilizes advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to optimize the design process and improve the performance, efficiency, and sustainability of building and infrastructure systems. It integrates data-driven insights, real-time performance monitoring, and machine learning algorithms into the design process to make informed decisions, automate manual processes, and reduce the risk of human error. The goal of Intelligent Technical Design is to create high-performing, sustainable, and efficient building and infrastructure systems." [ChatGPT, 2023]

Published: 14 November 2019

New publication in Advanced Engineering Informatics

In cooperation with the University of Nottingham, a new article on "Integrated parametric multi-level information and numerical modelling of mechanised tunnelling projects" has been published in the journal "Advanced Engineering Informatics".

This paper presents a concept for parametric modelling of mechanized tunnelling within a state of the art design environment, as the basis for design assessments for different levels of details (LoDs). To this end, a parametric representation of each system component (soil with excavation, tunnel lining with grouting, Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and buildings) is developed in an information model for three LoDs (high, medium and low) and used for the automated generation of numerical models of the tunnel construction process and soil-structure interaction. The platform enables a flexible, user-friendly generation of the tunnel structure for arbitrary alignments based on predefined structural templates for each component, supporting the design process and at the same time providing an insight into the stability and safety of the design. This model, with selected optimal LoDs for each component, dependent on the objective of the analysis, is used for efficient design and process optimisation in mechanized tunnelling. Efficiency and accuracy are further demonstrated through an error-free exchange of information between Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the numerical simulation and with significantly reduced computational effort. The interoperability of the proposed multi-level framework is enabled through the use of an efficient multi-level representation context of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). The results reveal that this approach is a major step towards sensible modelling and numerical analysis of complex tunnelling project information at the early design stages.

More information can be found here.

Our team includes Prof. Koch, Mrs. Engelbert, Mr. Wagner, and several research and student assistants.

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Here you can find an overview of teaching modules offered by the chair.

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Here we describe individual research activities at the chair.

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