Team
Discover our research around transforming existing buildings,
urban building and climate modelling, and innovative energy system solutions.
Univ.Prof.in Dipl.-Ing.in Dr.in techn.
Kristina Orehounig
Head of Research Unit
Kristina Orehounig is Professor of Building Science and Human Ecology at the Vienna University of Technology and head of the Research Unit Building Physics and Regenerative Systems. She works at the intersection of buildings, their components and systems, and the surrounding neighbourhood, with a strong emphasis on understanding and applying physical principles to create sustainable solutions. Before joining TU Wien, she headed the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory at Empa and lectured at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She has led and contributed to numerous national and international research projects, including the DUT Partnership program on Plus Energy Districts, the SWEET SWICE project on living and working in transition, and Cooling Singapore 2.0, where she served as Lead-PI and visiting researcher at the Singapore-ETH Centre.
kr•••@tuwien.ac.at [show email]
Publications: 1 | 2
Publications: 
Univ.Ass.in MSc
Yang Gao
Univ.Ass.
Yang Gao is a university assistant and doctoral candidate at the Research Unit for Building Physics and Regenerative Systems. Her research focuses on urban energy systems and smart cities, combining urban data analytics, GIS, behavioral science, and complexity science to develop human-centered energy models. She holds Bachelor's degrees in Architecture from the China Academy of Art and the Technical University of Munich, and a Master's in Smart Cities and Urban Analytics from University College London. She contributes to the SWICE project, supporting sustainable energy transition.
Project.Ass. PhD
Karina Angelica Garcia Pardo
PostDoc
Karina García-Pardo is a postdoctoral researcher at TU Wien, specialising in urban climate resilience and geospatial analysis. Using GIS, remote sensing, and spatial modelling, she investigates how urban form, environmental processes, and human activity shape cities across scales. She holds a PhD in Architecture from the University of Seville and has collaborated with many distinguished institutes, including CSIC (Spain), Politecnico di Milano, and CINVESTAV (Mexico) on urban climate, nature-based solutions, and climate-responsive buildings. Alongside her research, she contributes to landscape design projects integrating ecosystem services into urban environments.
Senior Scientist Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Ulrich Pont
Senior Scientist
Ulrich Pont has been with the Institute of Architectural Sciences at TU Wien since 2002. His research spans sustainable construction, building physics, Universal Design, and tool development, emphasizing interdisciplinary links with humanities and social sciences. He was interim head (2021–2023) and is affiliated with the University of Vienna and the Academy of Fine Arts. He collaborates with various institutions, NGOs, and planning offices. At TU Wien, he serves as Senate Spokesperson for non-professor academic staff and has led numerous funded R&D projects.
Univ.Ass. Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing. BSc
Bernhard Redl
Univ.Ass.
Bernhard Redl is a doctoral candidate at TU Wien, Austria. His research field includes geographic information data analysis, building simulations integrating Deep Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence methods. He is currently working on his thesis researching natural ventilation in residential buildings. In addition to his doctoral studies, Bernhard is enrolled in the Data Science Master's program at TU Wien, focusing on data-driven techniques for optimizing data processing and analysis. He holds a M.S in Software Engineering & Internet Computing and a M.S in Architecture, both from TU Wien, Austria.
be•••@tuwien.ac.at [show email]
Publications: 1
Project.Ass. Dipl.-Ing. MSc
Jan-Philipp Richtmann
Project Assistant
Jan-Philipp Richtmann works at the intersection of urban technology, district energy systems and decarbonization, focusing on techno-economic modeling, data-driven decision support, and transformation strategies for decarbonizing buildings, real estate portfolios, and urban districts. He holds Master's degrees in Architecture (TU Wien) and Smart Cities and Urban Analytics (UCL). Before academia, he worked in architecture and real estate. He is currently involved in the EU project Pol4PED, addressing urban energy systems and digital methods for sustainable urban transformation.
Associate Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing.(FH) Dr.techn
Matthias Schuß
Associate Professor
Matthias Schuß is an Associate Professor at the Research Unit of Building Physics and Regenerative Systems, TU Wien, Austria. He holds Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering, earned his PhD in 2011 and Habilitation in Building Controls and Diagnostics in 2018. His research focuses on smart buildings, IoT, building simulation, energy efficiency, monitoring, diagnostics, and control. He has authored 150+ scientific publications and has served as a guest lecturer in Ireland and the Czech Republic.
ma•••@tuwien.ac.at [show email]
Publications: 1
Univ.Ass. MSc
Til Sommer
Univ.Ass.
Til Sommer is a doctoral student and university assistant at the Research Unit for Building Physics and Regenerative Systems. His research and teaching focus on sufficiency strategies for net-zero buildings and urban heat challenges in future climates through data- and simulation-driven approaches. He holds a Master's degree in Architecture from the Technical University of Darmstadt, where his studies explored sustainable development, parametric design, and digital solutions for collaboration and planning. He also brings practical experience as a design architect, having implemented and optimized digital processes in architectural practices.
MSc PhD
Fatih Topak
PostDoc
Fatih Topak is a postdoctoral researcher at TU Wien. He holds MSc and PhD degrees in Building Science from Middle East Technical University, where he was involved in teaching architectural design and building physics. His research explores how building systems can respond to diverse human needs while advancing climate neutrality and well-being in the built environment. His international experience includes a year-long research stay at Penn State University, contributions to the activities within IEA EBC Annexes 79, 87 and 95, and research work within the SWEET SWICE project.
Mag.
Alexandra Vonkilch
Office Assistant
Alexandra Vonkilch is an administrative assistant at the Research Unit Building Physics and Regenerative Systems. She studied Celtic Studies and Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Vienna and combines long-standing experience and expertise from academic research and the private sector, supporting the research unit through administrative coordination, project management, and the organization of academic events and conferences.
Univ.Ass. Dipl.-Ing.in BSc
Magdalena Wölzl
Univ.Ass.
Magdalena Wölzl is a university assistant at the Research Unit for Building Physics and Regenerative Systems at TU Wien. Since completing her Master's degree in Architecture in 2019, she has worked on national research projects investigating the thermal performance of innovative window systems, with a focus on vacuum glazing. From 2026, she contributes to the Re-Use: Holzhaus project on the circularity of prefabricated timber houses. Her research focuses on simulation-based assessment of building components, thermal bridges, and climate-resilient urban strategies, especially green–blue infrastructure.
BSc.
Fiona Doula
Student Assistant
As a student assistant, they are an important part of our team, supporting research, teaching, and daily operations. They contribute to a range of projects, develop practical skills, and help create a collaborative and productive working environment.
Dominik Fill
Student Assistant
As a student assistant, they are an important part of our team, supporting research, teaching, and daily operations. They contribute to a range of projects, develop practical skills, and help create a collaborative and productive working environment.
BSc.
Philipp Simlinger
Student Assistant
As a student assistant, they are an important part of our team, supporting research, teaching, and daily operations. They contribute to a range of projects, develop practical skills, and help create a collaborative and productive working environment.
BSc.
Lea Sophie Walter
Student Assistant
As a student assistant, they are an important part of our team, supporting research, teaching, and daily operations. They contribute to a range of projects, develop practical skills, and help create a collaborative and productive working environment.
Past Members:
- Behrooz Khalili
- Julian Schmidt
- Baraa Hachicho
- Robin Bohdansky
- Hanna Weltken
- Zoe Andrea Boogman
- Bianca Sitz