Science Talk with
Climate change, rising resource consumption and growing demand for housing present major challenges for the construction industry worldwide. In future, buildings must not only be constructed more quickly and efficiently, but must also become more sustainable and use fewer materials.
At the same time, the construction industry faces structural problems. Many construction processes are still heavily labour-intensive and require a large workforce, whilst there is a shortage of skilled workers in many areas. Added to this are increasing demands regarding energy efficiency, material use and emissions reduction.
At the Science Talk on 28 May 2026 at phaeno Wolfsburg, Prof. Dr Inka Mai from the Technical University of Berlin will provide insights into how new technologies are transforming the construction industry and what role digital manufacturing could play on building sites in the future.
One possible solution to these challenges lies in digital manufacturing. Processes such as 3D printing make it possible to produce components automatically and with precision directly from digital blueprints.
In this process, robots apply materials such as concrete layer by layer, thereby constructing components or entire structures. Often, traditional formwork or moulds are no longer required. This can save material and open up new architectural possibilities.
So-called additive manufacturing combines automated production with customised design. Components can be specifically tailored to their function, and complex shapes can be realised that would be difficult to achieve using traditional construction methods.
But what technologies already exist? Which materials are suitable for 3D printing in the construction industry? And what role could robotics and digital manufacturing play on construction sites in the future?
During the Science Talk, Prof. Mai will provide insights into current research on digital fabrication in the construction industry. She will demonstrate how robotics and 3D printing are already being tested in construction practice today, and what opportunities these technologies could open up for more efficient and resource-efficient building.
The talk combines current research with accessible insights into technological developments and invites questions from the audience. This fosters a discussion on how construction sites and building processes might change in the future.
The Science Talk is a collaboration with the Volkswagen Group and will be offered in a hybrid format, both in person and as a YouTube livestream, to make it accessible to a wider interested audience outside the region.
Thursday, 28 May 2026
at 6.30 pm, doors open at 6.15 pm
at the phaeno Science Theatre
Inka Mai is an assistant professor and head of the Robotics-Assisted Construction of the Built Environment group at the Institute of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Berlin.
She studied industrial engineering and civil engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig, at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and at the University of Rhode Island in the USA, where she also obtained her PhD.
Her research focuses on robot-assisted additive manufacturing using concrete and alternative materials such as clay, utilising digital technologies and robotics to make construction processes more efficient, sustainable and resource-efficient.
In May 2025, Prof. Mai was awarded the Young Scientist Prize of the Berlin Science Prize for her research. Among other things, she developed injection 3D printing for delicate components, as well as large-particle 3D printing, which significantly reduces material consumption and CO₂ emissions.
