Dense, humid broadleaf forests, monsoon-swollen rivers and deep ravines - in the Indian state of Meghalaya wooden bridges easily decay or are washed away in floodwaters.

Campus news - Planning and building with living construction materials: Prof. Ferdinand Ludwig founded the research field of "Baubotanik" in 2007.

Research news High-rise buildings with glass facades are energy-guzzlers: They heat up like greenhouses and therefore have to be cooled for most of the year.

After years of relative neglect, timber construction is making a comeback. All over the world, architects are now using wood in designs of houses and even high-rise buildings. Hermann Kaufmann holds the Chair of Timber Construction at the Institute for Architectural Design and Building Technology in the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In this interview he explains why wood is an excellent choice as a climate-friendly material and how it can be used to build affordable housing.

Research news - The Guggenheim Museum by star architect Frank Gehry led to an economic boom in the Spanish city of Bilbao. This "Bilbao Effect" is appealing to many urban planners and politicians who look to better position their cities in economic and social terms by building exceptional architectural projects.

Research news - Active components on buildings such as blinds whose design was copied from naturally occurring solutions - that is the subject of the research conducted by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Freiburg, and the University of Stuttgart.