New building for the ITA – institute for textile research

Research Center finished

Fig. 1 (from left to right) Rector of RWTH, Prof. Ernst Schmachtenberg, director of ITA, Prof. Thomas Gries, Klaus Huneke (chairman of the board of trustees of „Forschungskuratoriums Textil“), Fritz P. Mayer (chairman of association of the textile machine industry), Head of Department of Economics in North-Rhine Westphalia, Karl-Uwe Bütov, Dr. Walther Pelzer (Ministry of Science and Research NRW), Alexander Kochs (Carpus + Partner), Harald K. Lange (BLB-NRW Aachen).

Fig. 2 Textile concrete as a specimen.

Fig. 3 Textile concrete at the façade.

Fig. 4 Textile concrete with biaxial fabric.

Fig. 5 The single components were then individually installed and the joints were closed in a permanently elastic way.

On September 11, the new building for the ITA – Institut für Textilforschung (institute for textile research) in Aachen was inaugurated. On the occasion of the inauguration ceremony the 75^th anniversary of the institute was celebrated at the same time. Thanks to the nice weather, the ceremony could take place out in the open – thus in direct view of the new textile concrete that has been developed there up to being ready for the market now. The hall façade of the new institute building is completely made of textile concrete. Moreover, the building is the first one constructed in this manner world-wide.

Therefore, the director of the institute, Prof. Thomas Gries, is equally proud to whom at last the key was formally presented by the head of the branch office of “Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW” in Aachen, Harald K. Lange. Even as important as the institute is for textile research, as large was the key: It actually provided place for seven speakers and the director of the institute for an official photo (Fig. 1).

Their speeches held before the key was handed over had been remarkably entertaining and were introduced by the academic director of ITA, Dr. Thomas Veith. As expected, not only the...