IBR&I Institute of Building Research & Innovation

What IBR&I Institute of Building Research & Innovation does

IBR&I Institute of Building Research & Innovation (IBRI) is an independent, privately held Austrian research institute organised as a ZT-GmbH (a limited liability company reserved for state-certified engineers and architects). Founded in Vienna in 2013 by Renate Hammer and Peter Holzer, with Philipp Stern as a shareholder, the institute employs approximately six staff and operates from Wipplingerstraße 23/3 in central Vienna. Its declared mission is to advance a building culture that centres the harmony of people and environment, working independently of political and commercial agendas.

The institute's core competencies lie in building physics research and applied consultancy, spanning energy-efficient building systems, climate adaptation technologies, circular construction principles, dynamic building energy simulation, life-cycle assessment, climate-responsive building design, and real-world performance monitoring. It has developed proprietary methodological contributions including the Resilient Cooling Technology Assessment framework (IEA Annex 80), the Sani60ies facade-integrated component activation method for minimally invasive renovation of 1950s-1960s housing, and the Energieschwammerl "Energy Sponge" neighbourhood-scale modelling tool. Its technical outputs are evidenced by quantitative field results — a 28% average cooling energy reduction across 13 European pilot buildings, a 3.9 seasonal performance factor for facade-activated heat pumps, and net-zero life-cycle CO₂ demonstration buildings.

IBRI generates revenue primarily through competitive publicly funded research grants from Austrian bodies (FFG, Klima + Energiefonds, Wirtschafts Agentur Wien, federal ministries) and European programmes (IEA EBC, EU Horizon Europe), with individual project grants ranging from approximately €8,000 to €1,700,000. Secondary revenue streams include fee-for-service consulting for housing developers, municipalities, and public institutions, and customised planning services delivered in partnership with architecture firms. Customers are predominantly Austrian non-profit housing developers (SOZIALBAU AG, Wohnpark Alt Erlaa, GESIBA, ARWAG, EBS/WAG) and municipal governments (City of Vienna, Mannersdorf am Leithagebirge). Distribution is research-led: open-access publications, IEA working group participation, and conference presentations establish scientific credibility that drives both grant success and consulting mandates.

Name

IBR&I Institute of Building Research & Innovation

Legal name

Institute of Building Research & Innovation ZT GmbH

Website

https://building-research.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IBR&I is an independent Austrian building physics research institute (ZT-GmbH) founded in Vienna in 2013. It delivers publicly funded research, consulting, and planning services to housing developers, municipalities, and public institutions on energy-efficient renovation, climate adaptation, and circular construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Research & Innovation Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAHAAAC

EIA/ESIA Documentation & Technical Studies (Air/Water/Noise/Traffic)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

Keywords

• Building physics research
• Energy efficiency consulting
• Climate adaptation buildings
• Circular construction research
• Sustainable building renovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna (Wien)

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publicly Funded Research Projects: The primary revenue stream consists of competitive research grants from Austrian and European public funding bodies, including the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, the International Energy Agency (IEA EBC), and EU programmes. Grants range from €8,000 to €1,700,000 per project.
2. Consulting & Expert Services: Fee-for-service consulting mandates for housing developers, public institutions, municipalities, and planning offices on sustainability strategy, portfolio management, and policy advisory.
3. Planning & Design Services: Customised planning services for energy systems, daylight, architecture, and building technology integration in construction and renovation projects, often in partnership with architecture firms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IBRI is a private building physics research institute that delivers applied research, demonstration projects, and consulting on energy-efficient building systems, climate adaptation, and circular construction. Its core offerings span three service lines: Planning & Innovation (custom concepts integrating energy, daylight, architecture, and building technology), Research, Development & Demonstration (field studies, technology assessments, and demonstration buildings), and Consulting & Mediation (sustainability strategy, portfolio management, and policy advisory for housing developers, municipalities, and public institutions). The institute generates quantitative outcomes such as 28% average cooling energy reduction in European pilot buildings and net-zero CO2 lifecycle performance across demonstration buildings.

Product overview

IBR&I Institute of Building Research & Innovation is a private research institute (ZT-GmbH) founded in 2013, not a product company. It offers three interconnected service lines: Planning & Innovation (custom concepts in energy, daylight, architecture, and building technology), Research, Development & Demonstration (innovative solutions for buildings and technologies with practical testing), and Consulting & Mediation (sustainability consulting, portfolio management, strategy and policy advice). The institute also produces research publications and deliverables from international projects like IEA EBC Annex 80 on resilient cooling technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planung & Innovation (Planning & Innovation) Develops tailored concepts in energy, daylight, architecture, and building technology and management, supporting competition entries and integration of building technology into projects. Aimed at housing developers, architecture firms, and planners seeking scientific input on building physics and design integration.
• Forschung, Entwicklung & Demonstration (Research, Development & Demonstration) Conducts research and develops innovative solutions for neighborhoods, change processes, building systems and technologies, focusing on energy efficiency and sustainability in practical applications. Includes field studies, technology assessments, and demonstration buildings for housing developers, municipalities, and public institutions.
• Beratung & Vermittlung (Consulting & Mediation) Provides consulting in sustainability, portfolio management, strategy and policy, developing tailored strategies for sustainability goals and facilitating informed decision-making for public institutions, housing developers, and municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% average cooling energy demand reduction across 13 European field study buildings through resilient cooling strategies
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Consortium partner in the Circular Knowledge Hub (€194,000), a central knowledge hub for circular construction in Austria, providing academic and engineering expertise.
• Urban Innovation Vienna (UIV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Consortium partner in the Circular Knowledge Hub, contributing municipal innovation and urban development perspectives to the circular construction knowledge exchange platform.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 97 / Task 5 Sustainable Cooling in Cities (€288,000), focusing on urban-scale cooling assessment methods and technologies.
• Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 97 / Task 5 Sustainable Cooling in Cities; also partner in JUNG Erlaa, Circular Knowledge Hub, and Zukunftsquartier projects, contributing engineering and urban planning expertise.
• VELUXminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 97 / Task 5, contributing industry perspective on daylighting, windows, and ventilation solutions for sustainable urban cooling.
• Gemeinnützige Wohnungsaktiengesellschaft Wohnpark Alt ErlaaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Owner of Austria's largest housing estate (~3,000 apartments) and primary demonstration site for the Decarb Alt Erlaa and JUNG Erlaa projects, providing a unique large-scale decarbonisation laboratory.
• Österreichische Energieagentur (Austrian Energy Agency)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Lead coordinator of the EU co-funded install.res project (€1,700,000), with IBRI as a consortium partner working on heat pump solutions in existing buildings across 5 countries.
• Sozialbau AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Consortium partner in install.res, providing social housing stock for demonstration projects on heat pump retrofits in Austrian residential buildings.
• Housing EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024European federation of public, cooperative, and social housing providers, serving as consortium partner in install.res to facilitate cross-European replication of heat pump retrofit solutions.
• wohnbund:consultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Consortium partner in RESI.GO (€150,000), contributing housing and urban development consulting expertise to the project on resilient cities.
• Technische Universität Wien — Institut für VerkehrswissenschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Consortium partner in RESI.GO, contributing transportation science expertise to the integrated approach to resilient city development.
• Marktgemeinde Ober-GrafendorfminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Municipal partner in RESI.GO, providing a real-world urban context for testing and demonstrating resilient infrastructure solutions.
• GEBE-STREBEL GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Consortium partner in greenWATERrecycling (€330,000), providing the STREBEL greywater treatment technology for demonstration in the project on water and energy recycling in buildings.
• Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Consortium partner in greenWATERrecycling and multiple other IBRI projects, contributing expertise in landscape engineering, water management, and environmental biotechnology.
• Stadtgemeinde Mannersdorf am LeithagebirgeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Municipal partner in MADOKLI (€176,000), providing the local urban context for research on pathways to a climate-neutral district using local thermal resources.
• NÖ Dorf- und StadterneuerungminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Consortium partner in MADOKLI, contributing expertise in village and town renewal processes to support climate-neutral district development in Mannersdorf.
• Niederösterreichische Energie- und Umweltagentur (enu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Consortium partner in the DECLEAR project (€115,000) addressing energy poverty and decarbonisation, contributing regional energy and environmental consulting expertise.
• Institut für Immobilien, Bauen und Wohnen (IIBW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Consortium partner in DECLEAR, providing expertise in housing policy, building, and living conditions relevant to identifying and addressing energy poverty.
• DIE UMWELTBERATUNG (Environmental Advisory)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Consortium partner in DECLEAR, contributing public-facing environmental consulting and energy advisory expertise to the energy poverty alleviation research.
• SOZIALBAU gemeinnützige WohnungsaktiengesellschaftflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Housing provider and demonstration site host for Sani60ies (€534,000), providing three Vienna residential complexes for the minimally invasive thermal renovation field trials.
• RENOWAVE.ATcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Consortium partner in multiple renovation-focused IBRI projects including RENOWAVE.AT (€1,500,000) and RESI.GO, serving as a central platform for knowledge exchange on building renovation in Austria.
• Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Consortium partner in ProBACH (€531,000), providing expertise in urban waterway restoration, landscape engineering, and biodiversity assessment for reactivation of Vienna Forest streams.
• Weatherpark Meteorologische Forschung und DienstleistungencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Consortium partner in ProBACH, providing meteorological research and microclimatic simulation expertise to assess the cooling effects of stream reactivation.
• e7 energy innovation & engineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 80 (Resilient Cooling in Buildings, €330,000), contributing to the development and assessment of resilient cooling technologies across four technology groups.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 80, one of Europe's leading building physics research institutes, contributing expertise in building energy performance and hygrothermal simulation.
• Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 80 and Annex 97; globally leading building energy research institution providing simulation methodologies, key performance indicators, and policy analysis.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Consortium partner in IEA EBC Annex 80, contributing expertise in indoor environment, building acoustics, and sustainable building design from its Department of the Built Environment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP): One of Europe's largest building physics research institutes and a core IBRI partner on IEA EBC Annex 80 and Annex 97; provides a much broader portfolio of building-physics services and is a benchmark for the kind of large-scale research institute IBRI could evolve into.
• TNO: Dutch applied research organisation with significant activity in building innovation, energy transition and circular construction; participates in many of the same EU building-related programmes as IBRI at significantly greater scale.
• Passive House Institute: International research and standards body for energy-efficient and Passive House building design; overlaps with IBRI's work on building physics, energy-efficient renovation and standards-setting, but at a much more global, certification-driven scale.
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden: Swedish state research institute with a built-environment division covering building physics, energy systems and urban sustainability; comparable to IBRI in its independent applied-research positioning and EU project participation.
• Austrian Energy Agency (Österreichische Energieagentur): National energy agency that coordinates the €1.7M EU install.res project in which IBRI participates; offers comparable policy advisory, programme coordination, and building-decarbonisation consulting but at a broader, national-policymaking scale.
• Danish Building Research Institute (SBi, Aalborg University): National building research institute covering sustainable construction, energy efficiency and indoor climate — a directly comparable peer to IBRI's portfolio of building physics, climate adaptation and circular construction research.

Direct peers

• IIBW – Institut für Immobilien, Bauen und Wohnen: Austrian research institute focused on housing policy, construction and living conditions; IBRI's consortium partner in the DECLEAR energy-poverty project and a directly comparable niche research/consulting firm serving the Austrian built environment.
• AEE INTEC: Austrian institute for sustainable technologies conducting applied research on renewable energy and energy-efficient buildings; competes for and collaborates on FFG and IEA building-research grants with overlapping scope to IBRI.
• e7 energy innovation & engineering: Austrian energy and buildings research/consulting firm that is a long-standing IEA EBC consortium partner with IBRI on Annex 80, working on similar building physics, renewable heating, and energy-efficiency research mandates.

Emerging players

• BPIE – Buildings Performance Institute Europe: European policy think tank producing evidence-based research on building energy performance and decarbonisation; overlaps with IBRI's policy-advisory and standards-shaping work, especially via EU-level programmes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibr-i-institute-of-building-research-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IBR&I Institute of Building Research & Innovation