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.
Climate change increases the probability of dike failure mainly because of raising water levels (overtopping), stronger hydraulic forces (waves, surges, discharges), and weakening dike materials through either excess water (saturation, seepage) or lack of it (drought cracking).
In this talk, we will discuss more specifically the requirements for conducting reliable experiments and monitoring techniques based non-intrusive devices such as digital imagery.
The discussion will be based on recent experiments conducted at a small scale in the hydraulics laboratory of UCLOuvain-iMMC (Belgium) and at medium scale in the hydraulics laboratory of SPW-MI in Châtelet (Belgium).
Link to the seminar PDF file
From 6–8 October 2025, a KIT delegation met with leading African universities and research institutions in Stellenbosch, South Africa, for a networking event organized in the scope of the strategic project FA(ST)²Africa.
Davide Vanzo was representing our Institute and the Water research at KIT. The three days were packed with inspiring presentations, discussions, round tables and new ideas on how to strengthen collaboration across education, research and innovation — from joint master programmes and staff exchanges to co-created research projects tackling the Water–Food–Energy Nexus, climate resilience and sustainable urban development. The meeting highlighted the strong foundation of existing KIT–Africa partnerships and the shared ambition to expand them further.
More info and news in the FA(ST)²Africa official webpage.
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 !
