Innsbruck university breaks ground on engineering test hall

The University of Innsbruck has broken ground on a new engineering testing hall, ORF reported on Monday. Its central feature will be a test bed where researchers can test components made from different materials more effectively than before.

The hall will allow researchers to test not only long structural components such as beams, but also larger structures, including entire bridge spans. The facility fulfils a long-standing wish of the university’s civil engineers, said laboratory head Andreas Andreatta.

Andreatta said resource concerns meant existing buildings should be kept rather than demolished, making it important to develop and test ways to strengthen them. Researchers will be able to assess how reinforcement methods work and to what extent they are effective.

The current facilities for such tests are cramped. The new hall will allow separate work areas, including carpentry and metalworking shops, to work together. It will also give students the chance to deepen their understanding of course theory through practical examples.

The hall will also be used for tests commissioned by external construction companies. The first phase of the expansion project has already been completed, and the testing hall is due to be finished in October 2027.

The Federal Real Estate Company, or BIG, is financing the 16.2 million euro project. The University of Innsbruck is contributing 11.39 million euros towards construction costs. BIG will rent the building to the university, with the university’s contribution reducing the rent.