Viega Cube Aachen Officially Opened
RWTH and Viega have developed a research platform to investigate innovative drinking water management systems.
The Viega Cube Aachen – a research platform for the development of products and methods for improving energy efficiency in the provision of hygienically safe drinking water – has now been officially opened. The test bench, established as part of the close collaboration between RWTH and Viega GmbH & Co. KG, is being operated in the test hall of the Institute of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Building at RWTH Aachen University.
The platform facilitates research into innovative drinking water management systems that reliably prevent hygiene risks, for example due to stagnant water in the piping system of buildings, and automatically regulate hygiene-critical temperatures of the drinking water. With its modular design, the Viega Cube also makes it possible to link the drinking water management system with other building technology components: heat generators, for example, can be tested and evaluated with the help of the Cube.
"With the Viega Cube, we can conduct interdisciplinary research into the latest methods. New developments can thus be aligned with practical requirements at a very early stage and further developed in an application-oriented manner," explains Professor Christoph van Treeck, head of the Institute of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Building e3D.
Ralf Baginski, Chief Technology Officer at Viega, highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration for future research projects: "The Viega Cube Aachen gives us the opportunity to work together with research institutions and other companies to drive innovations for intelligent and energy-efficient building technology."
Students will also benefit from the project – according to van Treeck, the Cube will offer further added value in providing a setting for application-oriented teaching, where the technology and digital management of a drinking water system can be demonstrated.
Photo
From left to right: Ralf Baginski (Chief Technology Officer Viega GmbH & Co. KG), Claus Holst-Gydesen (Management Board, Viega Holding GmbH & Co. KG), Walter Viegener (Chair of the Management Board, Viega Holding GmbH & Co. KG), Professor Christoph van Treeck (Head of the Institute of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Building), Professor Markus Oeser (Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering).