Aída Santana Sosa

FH Campus Wien

Austria

Working Groups: WG1, WG3

Scientific Expertise
Architecture engineering

Scientific Background
Aída Santana Sosa studied architecture in Spain, enrolling internships abroad in Italy and Mexico. She has worked in several architecture offices in Austria since 2013. In 2016 started working at the Technical University of Vienna as a researcher and lecturer at the department of structural design and timber engineering with special focus on multi-story timber building design and construction, working interdisciplinary with other faculties and universities and combining industry and academia. Since 2020 works at the Vienna University of Applied Sciences as a full-time researcher and lecturer at the department of building and design, being involved in several research projects which main subjects are resource efficient design, multi-storey timber constructions and circularity. In 2018 she enrolled a doctoral degree wherein the complex ecosystem of the timber construction sector is analysed and mapped and predictions are to be made.

Motivation
The climate crisis, the destruction of ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity and the increasing scarcity of resources, show the limits of the linear economy. Many buildings, containing valuable resources and much grey energy, are demolished with weak justifications. The existing building stock must be rehabilitated to enable climate-neutral operation, including envelopes and structures being designed in a climate-friendly way and adaptable to future requirements. The global goal of climate neutrality can only be achieved if the use of carbon intensive materials such as concrete and steel is also reduced. Renewable materials such as wood and natural fibres should be widely used, wherein priority will be given to the reuse of complete building elements. Industrialized large timber constructions require an integral planning and in-depth coordination with manufacture and construction companies in an early phase, where the potential of circular design should be wider exploited focused on Design for Deconstruction and Reuse.

Contribution
The Department has over twenty years of experience in construction and design, and has extensive technical expertise and a large network of contacts. R&D is an important and growing part of our activities, and our partnerships with renowned construction companies and universities demonstrate the University's recognised research expertise. The combination of well-founded theory and practical evaluation facilitates the constant development of projects involving experts from academia and industry. Design concepts in modern timber buildings for versatility, convertibility, extensibility, but also deconstructability and reusability is one of the most urgent topics to analyse, exploit and evaluate in our department. There is a need to analyse examples, address specific standards and regulations and share technical solutions, so that a common framework for new and existing buildings can be created to support the decision making of all actors in the value chain and facilitate their assessment.