Head:
Address:
Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT)
Institute for Water and Environment
- Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management -
Kaiserstrasse 12
76131 Karlsruhe
Phone: +49 (0)721 - 608-44418
Email: wasserbau∂iwu.kit.edu
Visiting address:
The challenges facing water managers and engineers nowadays are manifold, complex, and require cross disciplinary approaches. These challenges include the safety of hydraulic natural and built systems, ageing infrastructures, pollution, guarantee of energy and food security, sustainable development and safety of urban environment, ecological feedbacks and an uncertain future.
Our group develops research towards engineering solutions for the design, the planning and the implementation of sustainable water infrastructures prepared for global change. We investigate the mechanics of flowing water and its interaction with key elements of a river basin such as sediments, dissolved matter, gases, living organisms and people. More specifically, the group is committed to develop research on four main topics: sustainable and secure water for supply, food and energy; adaptive and multi-functional hydraulic systems; healthy rivers; and geophysical processes in rivers and lakes.
In the last week of August, Prof. Mario Franca and Dr. Davide Vanzo had the privilege of attending the 14th Symposium on River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamics (RCEM2025) in Barcelona, hosted by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
The conference brought together leading researchers in hydraulics, geomorphology, and applied mathematics to discuss advances and novelties in morphodynamic processes understanding and modelling.
IWU-WB delegation engaged in stimulating discussions and explored new potential collaborations across disciplines. Many thanks to the organizers and fellow attendees for fostering such a vibrant scientific exchange. See you in RCEM 2027-Japan!
The 6th International Symposium on Shallow Flows (ISSF) was hosted by the Polytechnic University of Turin from September 15th to 18th.
IWU-WB was represented by Dr. Luiz Oliveira, who presented his experimental and numerical research within the project “The Effects of Floodplain Forest Succession on Flood Risk and River Management”.
This project is carried out in cooperation between IWU-WB, the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), and the University of Naples Federico II (UNINA).
On 31st October 2025, Professor Vargas-Luna (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) will give a seminar on the role of vegetation in morphological processes. His talk will explore how plants influence flow, sediment transport, and river morphology, drawing on fieldwork, laboratory experiments, and numerical models. The presentation will highlight recent advances while addressing the challenges of representing plants in rivers, offering fresh insights for students and researchers interested in fluvial processes and environmental change.
Link to the seminar PDF file
On July 15, 2025, we gathered for our annual outing.
We started with a presentation of the Grötzingen fish pass by M. Eng. Martin Gerschitzka, Project Engineer (Engineering office Dr.-Ing. R.-J. Gebler GmbH) . Then, we visited Miguel Pavel’s atelier, where we took our group photo. Afterwards, Mr. Ludwig (Construction company Grötz) presented a construction site for bank erosion control, followed by a weir with fish pass and turbine introduced by Mr. Fleißner, former electrical engineer and co-owner of the hydropower plant. Finally, we observed renaturation works and a weir to be modified.
After a short lab visit, we enjoyed a delightful barbecue!
Can’t wait for our next expedition !
From 7 to 11 July, Rotterdam hosted the International Conference on Urban Climate. The conference brings together researchers, practitioners and policymakers working on improving the quality of urban areas. The theme was "Heritage as an Urban Climate Challenge" and considered the impact of the existing built environment on climate resilience.
From IWU-WB, Harro Jongen attended and presented recent work on the impact of the location and timing of energy flux observations at complex urban sites. He also presented a summary of his PhD thesis work entitled: Bridging balances: water and energy in the urban climate. Additionally, he convened a session on extreme precipitation and urban flooding. The last contribution was a poster on attributing evaporation fluxes to the different surfaces in the city, which was awarded the third prize!
From June 10 to June 13, 2025, our students once again had the opportunity to explore various hydraulic engineering and water management facilities as part of the Pentecost excursion. They were able to connect their theoretical knowledge from their studies with valuable practical insights. Accompanied by Victor Dupuis and Yesheng Lu from the Chair of Environmental Fluid Mechanics, as well as Prof. Mário Franca and Daniel Beetz from the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, 17 students experienced impressive days in southern Baden-Württemberg.
The technical excursion destinations included the Kleine Kinzig dam, Elz river revitalization, Lake Constance water supply, the Center of Fishery Research of Baden-Württemberg, the Albbruck-Dogern hydropower plant, the Hornberg Basin of the Wehr pumped storage power plant, and the Wolterdingen flood retention basin.
The program was rounded off with “non-technical” evening activities such as shared dinners, free time in Überlingen – some used the opportunity to swim in Lake Constance – and a guided tour of the Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus brewery.
We would especially like to thank all operators and stakeholders who made these exciting visits possible, as well as all sponsors and the Verein zu Förderung der Ausbildung und Forschung in der Hydromechanik e. V. for their generous financial support.
