Research Seminar: BACK TO ZERO – Reducing CO2 Emissions in the Construction Industry through LCA

October 15, 2025

The construction industry is responsible for 40% of all CO2 emissions in Germany. In order to meet climate targets, it is necessary to effectively reduce CO2 emissions throughout the entire life cycle of buildings. The seminar teaches the basics of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool for determining CO₂ emissions in construction. The focus is on global warming potential (GWP), which arises throughout the building life cycle in materials, construction, operation and demolition. Tools are used to record and evaluate the data in a structured manner. The aim is to quantify the environmental impact of construction measures in a comprehensible manner and to develop a sound understanding of future-oriented planning and construction in times of climate change.

Wednesdays, 9.45-11.15 AM
Bldg. 11.40, Room 26
First Meeting: 29.10.2025
Submission/Exam: 11.02.2026

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie
Fakultät für Architektur
Institut Entwerfen und Bautechnik

Professur Nachhaltiges Bauen
Englerstr. 11, Geb. 11.40, Raum 25
D-76131 Karlsruhe

Tel: +49 (0)721/608-42167

Recent Publications:

Really Circular – Material Library at KIT

October 29, 2025

Dietzold, Lutz, ed. Iconic Awards 2025 – Spaces Objects Visions. Frankfurt: Rat für Formgebung GmbH, 2025.

Activating the Urban Mine

October 2, 2025

Hebel, Dirk E. “Activating the Urban Mine.“ In Architecture and Technology Volume II: Cities in Climate Crisis. Madrid: Norman Foster Foundation Press, 2025.

The city as a resource

September 18, 2025

Hebel, Dirk E. und Felix Heisel. “Die Stadt als Ressource.” In Für eine nachhaltige Architektur der Stadt. Berlin: Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, 2025.

From a linear to a circular system

September 15, 2025

Hebel, Dirk E. “Vom Linearen Zum Kreislaufsystem.” In Architektur Und Klimawandel. München: Edition DETAIL, 2025.

Interview: “We must finally start measuring CO2 emissions – not just how thick the insulation is”

July 29, 2025

Hebel, Dirk E. Interview: “Wir müssen endlich anfangen, den CO2-Ausstoß zu messen – nicht nur, wie dick die Dämmung ist.” Interview by Christoph Karcher. LooKIT 0225, 2025.

WEtransFORM – On the Future of Building

June 22, 2025

BUNDESKUNSTHALLE, ed. WEtransFORM – Zur Zukunft Des Bauens. Berlin: jovis Verlag, 2025.

Henkels Wuppertal

June 4, 2025

Renaissance AG, ed. Henkels Wuppertal – DenkWerkStadt. Wuppertal: renaissance Immobilien und Beteiligungen Aktiengesellschaft, 2025.

Building for the world of tomorrow

April 24, 2025

Monkenbusch, Helmut. „Bauen für die Welt von morgen.“ Hörzu, 24.1.2025

Funghi – underground networkers

April 24, 2025

Hebel, Dirk E., Tanja Hildbrandt. „ Pilze – Netzwerker im Untergrund“. alverde, dm-Magazin, April 2025.

Fungi are versatile

February 24, 2025

Merkert-Andreas, Carolin. “Pilze Sind Vielseitig.” Wohnglück, January 2025.

“RoofKIT – Carbon storage and Material storage”

January 9, 2025

Boerman, Elena, and Dirk E. Hebel. “RoofKIT – Kohlenstoffspeicher Und Materiallager.” Architektur.Aktuell, vol. 12.2024, no. Tradition und Innovation, Dezember 2024, pp. 98–109

Interview: “From a Linear to a Circular System”

November 13, 2024

Hebel, Dirk E. Interview: “Vom linearen zum zirkulären Kreislaufsystem.” Interview by Sandra Hofmeister, DETAIL 11.2024, Nov. 2024.

Building with renewable materials – Nature as a resource depot

October 29, 2024

Hebel, Dirk E., Sandra Böhm, Elena Boerman, Hrsg. Vom Bauen mit erneuerbaren Materialien – Die Natur als Rohstofflager. Stuttgart: Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, 2024.

Guest contribution: ‘Thinking, designing and operating in circular ways.’

June 27, 2024

Hebel, Dirk E. “In Kreisläufen denken, entwerfen und wirtschaften.” MÄG – Mein Häfele Magazin, 2024.

Interview: ‘Mycelium power for the construction industry’

June 10, 2024

Rubel, Maike, and Patricia Leuchtenberger. Interview: “Pilzpower für die Bauindustrie.” competitionline, 7 June 2024, https://www.competitionline.com/de/news/schwerpunkt/pilzpower-fuer-die-bauindustrie-7283.html.

‘Future building materials: mushroom, hemp and algae’ in neubau kompass

May 27, 2024

Müller, Janek. “Baumaterialien der Zukunft: Pilze, Hanf und Algen.” neubau kompass – Neubauprojekte in Deutschland, May 3, 2024. https://www.neubaukompass.de/premium-magazin/.

Interview: ‘We have disposed of valuable materials’

May 7, 2024

Sören, S. Sgries. “Interview: ‘Wir haben wertvolle Materialien weggeworfen.’” Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, April 27, 2024, SÜDWEST I 28 edition, sec. Sinsheimer Nachrichten.

Built on mushroom

April 24, 2024

Schweikle, Johannes. “Auf Pilz gebaut.” Stuttgarter Zeitung, April 23, 2024, sec. Die Reportage.

Organic Architecture – Fungus mycelium and flax as materials for the ecological building transition

February 13, 2024

Klaaßen, Lars. “Organische Architektur – Pilzmyzel und Flachs als Materialien für die ökologische Bauwende.” In Deutsches Architektur Jahrbuch 2024, edited by Peter Cachola Schmal, Yorck Förster, and Christina Gräwe, 198–209. Berlin, Germany: DOM publishers, 2024.

Circular construction – Circulation instead of demolition in “BUND-Jahrbuch 2024”

January 18, 2024

Streiff, Peter. “Zirkuläres Bauen – Kreislauf statt Abriss.” BUND-Jahrbuch – Ökologisch Bauen & Renovieren 2024, January 2024.

Redesigned Material Library at KIT in ‘Mitteilungsblatt des VDB-Regionalverbands Südwest’

January 8, 2024

Mönnich, Michael, and Sandra Böhm. “Neu gestaltete Materialbibliothek am KIT.” Südwest-Info: Mitteilungsblatt des VDB-Regionalverbands Südwest Nr. 36 (2023), 2023.

RoofKIT Wuppertal, Germany; Interview with Prof. Dirk Hebel

November 20, 2023

Hebel, Dirk E. “RoofKIT Wuppertal, Germany; Interview with Prof. Dirk Hebel: The aim is clear, we must forge the path ourselves.” In Sustainable Architecture & Design 2023/ 2024, edited by Andrea Herold, Tina Kammerer, and InteriorPark., 46–55. Stuttgart, Germany: av edition GmbH, 2023.

The existing building stock is the future resource

November 16, 2023

Hebel, Dirk E. “Der Bestand ist die künftige Ressource – Den linearen Umgang mit Baumaterialien schnellstmöglich stoppen.” Planerin – Mitgliederfachzeitschrift für Stadt-, Regional- und Landesplanung, Oktober 2023.

Article: Investigation of mechanical, physical and thermoacoustic properties of a novel light-weight dense wall panels made of bamboo Phyllostachys Bambusides

October 30, 2023

Gholizadeh, Parham, Hamid Zarea Hosseinabadi, Dirk E. Hebel, and Alireza Javadian. “Investigation of Mechanical, Physical and Thermoacoustic Properties of a Novel Light-Weight Dense Wall Panels Made of Bamboo Phyllostachys Bambusides.” Nature Sientific Reports 13 (October 26, 2023). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45515-3

Building Better – Less – Different: Clean Energy Transition and Digital Transformation

October 16, 2023

Hebel, Dirk E., Felix Heisel, Andreas Wagner, und Moritz Dörstelmann, Hrsg. Besser Weniger Anders Bauen – Energiewende und digitale Transformation. Besser Weniger Anders Bauen 2. Basel: Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, 2023.

From hunting, breeding and harvesting future building materials

September 27, 2023

Hebel, Dirk E. “Vom Jagen, Züchten Und Ernten Zukünftiger Baumaterialien.” Baukultur Nordrhein Westfalen, September 2023.

Building Circular

September 21, 2023

Hebel, Dirk E., Ludwig Wappner, Katharina Blümke, Valerio Calavetta, Steffen Bytomski, Lisa Häberle, Peter Hoffmann, Paula Holtmann, Hanna Hoss, Daniel Lenz and Falk Schneemann, eds. Sortenrein Bauen – Methode Material Konstruktion. Edition DETAIL. München: DETAIL Business Information GmbH, 2023.

Fungi

September 18, 2023

Schweikle, Johannes. “Fungi.” In Earthlike, 1:70–75, 2023.

Recent Contributions in “wohnen”