Dr Ferdinand Oswald
Member of the Future Cities Research Hub | Senior Lecturer
First: Sustainable and energy efficient façade and building technologies and low-tech architecture in cold and moderate climate regions.
Second: Increasing comfort and reducing the utilisation of air conditioning in subtropical and tropical climate regions with passive cooling methods.
Early research experience involved the development of sustainable building projects e.g. passive houses. Realizing 2007 the first German apartment block in “Passive House Standard” as project head architect with Stefan Forster Architects in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Using EIFS (exterior insulation finishing system) in this project as a non- reusable, non-recyclable and non-separable facade component leads to the development of a follower of this system. Outcomes from this research in the last ten years, is the research development, grants of patents, pre-certification testing’s and product publication of the façade system “StoSystain R”, the world first recyclable façade system with reclosable fastener fixation.
Research interests:
- Construction Detailing and Building Technologies
- Facade Design Strategies
- Optimizing Natural Ventilation
- Low-Tech architecture
- Reuse, recycling and separability of building components
Research projects:
Gradient Concrete | Resource and emission reduced concrete building construction system for NZ
Learning from the past? Traditional and Urban Tulou
StoSystain R – Recyclable facade system with reclosable fastener fixation
Hook-and-Loop fastener – application for the technical building equipment
Reduce A/C – Reducing the utilisation of air conditioning in high-rise buildings in subtropical and tropical climate regions
