The new Research and Development Centre of GiB (Society for Innovative Construction Technology Ltd) offers over 2,000 m² of space for state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and test stands for the development of innovative components and system solutions. This makes it Lower Bavaria's largest sound testing laboratory, located directly on Simbacher Straße, at the end of Arnstorf.
Lindner Gewerbeimmobilien GmbH is responsible for the project management of the entire new construction, with an investment sum of approximately 5 million euros.
For the GiB new building, a particularly innovative element façade will be executed for the first time, which originated from a development contract with an industrial client. The construction serves thus as a practical test. It involves a completely new type of prefabricated drywall curtain façade in light steel construction, which is intended to be used later for customers in both residential and non-residential construction.
The GiB was founded at the end of 2009 and currently employs 80 highly qualified engineers and technicians in various construction services. The fields of expertise of GiB engineers include, in particular, structural design, fire protection solutions, product development, building physics, and construction and room acoustics. For many years, the GiB acousticians and their test stands have been accredited by the German Accreditation Body DAkkS. The current testing capacities of the GiB will be significantly expanded with the new Research and Development Centre, simultaneously creating new, highly qualified jobs for the region.
As an independent testing institute, GiB is authorised to conduct sound measurements in the laboratory or directly on the construction site for both the construction industry and project developers. For newly developed construction solutions, it is essential to verify and secure the practical suitability of the calculated component constructions on a 1:1 scale in large test stands – according to national as well as international, standardised test standards. Façades and window elements must be tested for their stability against wind and suction loads, driving rain resistance, and airtightness.
In addition to classical testing activities, GiB creates comprehensive sound insulation concepts for private or public builders of residential complexes, care homes, and schools, as well as for commercial construction. To ensure that the legally prescribed sound insulation properties are also achieved in practice, GiB also takes on construction supervision of projects.
In the area of fire protection, GiB also offers construction supervision, currently, for example, in a large contract at Frankfurt Airport as part of the expansion of Terminal 3, Pier G. The creation of fire protection concepts, such as component assessments for new and old building renovations, completes the field of activity of GiB fire protection engineers. Long-standing experience and competence in the area of structural fire protection solutions for existing buildings were decisive for the safe renovation of the Bogenhausen Clinic in Munich. Here, GiB initially assessed the escape and rescue route structures that had existed for over 40 years with the help of large-scale fire tests in the laboratory and then developed a suitable renovation concept.
A large part of GiB's construction services now comprises structural design/statics. More than 25 specialised planners produce stability certificates in the areas of façade construction, interior design, steel/aluminium constructions, glass construction, and timber construction. Special constructions, such as 3D free-form roofs/facades or photovoltaic free-field systems at home and abroad, are part of the GiB structural engineers' portfolio. The challenge here is not only the purely computational design according to national and international standards but also the practical execution of component tests in GiB laboratories or directly on site at the construction projects.
In the area of light steel construction, GiB has conducted several joint research projects with various universities in recent years. The Fraunhofer Society is also a partner of GiB. The goal is to conduct construction-near and application-oriented research to develop and generate innovations for the regional and supra-regional construction industry in the area of construction/expansion systems. In this context, further research activities in the field of 'Application-Oriented System Development' are already planned or underway.
'With the new construction of the modern Research and Development Centre, the construction-near service offerings and testing possibilities of GiB are decisively expanded, so that GiB is well prepared for the challenges of the future,' says the Managing Director of GiB, Prof. Dipl. Ing Klaus Lang.
