Benjamin Hueber, doctoral candidate at Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences, received an award for his poster titled "Development and Numerical Analysis of Active Bottom Surface Cooling (ABSC) for Urban Heat Mitigation and Thermal Comfort Enhancement", which was supervised by Prof. Dr. Ursula Voss. The ICUC12 conference took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from 7 to 11 July 2025.
The award-winning poster introduces the concept of Active Bottom Surface Cooling (ABSC) – an active cooling strategy, integrated into urban ground surfaces. Unlike passive methods that rely on humidification, shading or radiation reflection, ABSC uses mechanical and thermodynamic processes to enhance thermal comfort for pedestrians. The goal of this method is to lower surface temperatures in urban areas by installing pipes in the top layer of the ground surface, through which a refrigerant (primarily water) circulates. As a result, the technology reduces the energy contained in the surface.
Benjamin Hueber conducts his research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Volker Coors, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Simon-Philipp, and Prof. Dr. Ursula Voss within the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Training Group “Sustainable, Energy-efficient and Resource-saving Design of Resilient Living Spaces”, which was established as part of the HIRE project at HFT Stuttgart. The program brings together expertise from various disciplines to address challenges in sustainable urban development.
The recognition at ICUC12 highlights the quality and relevance of application-oriented research at HFT Stuttgart, particularly in the fields of urban climatology and sustainable city planning.
HFT Stuttgart congratulates Benjamin Hueber on this outstanding achievement and the international recognition of his work.