Royal Danish Academy PhD scholarship at Institute of Architecture and Space; Topic: Grass Composites

Position: The Royal Danish Academy posts vacant PhD scholarship at Institute of Architecture and Space (Topic: Grass Composites
A PhD scholarship is offered at 'The Royal Danish Academy - Architecture, Design and Conservation' in the following topic: 'Grass Composites in Architecture'.

Framework

This is a call for a 3-year fully funded PhD Scholarship at the Institute of Architecture and Space, CEMAS - Center for Material Studies, to support the ongoing research in the field of fibrous material composites and thermal design in Architecture.

The topic focuses on material studies of grass fibres extracted from agricultural processing, with the aim of making grass a new raw material for building components with specific fabricated technical properties and visually expressive characteristics.

The PhD project is placed within the larger Grass

CO2mposites project, with two other PhD projects initiated and senior researchers focused on grass processing and fibre extraction (Aarhus University) and lignin-based grass binders (Copenhagen University). The project therefore offers opportunities to collaborate directly with associated disciplines, as well as a series of connected industrial partners spanning architecture to agriculture.

The PhD will start on 1 September 2026 or soon hereafter. Final date to receive applications is 28 June 2026.

General Project Summary

Currently, architecture and the construction sector are gravitating towards a more sustainable built environment through the use of wood. However, in the Danish and European context, grassland biomass is an even more promising renewable resource with regard to energy renovation of existing buildings, characterisation of fibre-to-form qualities and innovation in new building parts.

The project hypothesis is that grass-based materials can reduce carbon emissions by substituting energy-intensive materials and boost carbon capture storage by creating higher-value, long-lived building elements.

The project investigates how grass-based building parts can be better for the environment and biodiversity, and how they can increase market value by offering specific technical properties, an expressive visual character, robustness and diversity in advanced form applications. In particular, the thermal dynamics of the developed grass composites are in focus, and how we can, through fibre compositions, create thermal properties for a variety of building parts.

The project will explore
1) the basic composition and structure of grass composites,
2) fabrication methods and techniques for the structure of the fibres and building parts for specific thermal and expressive qualities and
3) full-scale prototyping and testing. Research evolves through cascading experiments, involving theoretical and empirical investigations.

PhD Focus

The PhD project has the following clear focus area:

• Investigation into grass-based fibre composites for building parts.
• Investigation into thermal characteristics and design of building elements.
• Fabrication methods for natural fibre composites.
• Scalability of the design and construction methods.

Applicant's Eligibility

The candidate must hold an educational degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) in one of the fields below:

• Architecture
• Architectural Technology
• Architectural Engineering

The candidate will investigate the material and geometric analysis and design of grass-based building parts, with applications from façade elements to parts related to building interior transformations. Therefore, the candidate is expected to expand and develop knowledge in the areas of biogenic materials for buildings, fibre-based composites, thermal behaviour and performances of building elements and fabrication methods and processes for the fabrication of the grass-composites.

If you have previous knowledge and experience, your application will be prioritized.

• Material studies with a focus on natural fibers and natural binders.
• Computational studies, with a focus on parametric modelling and thermal simulations.
• Prototyping Studies, with a focus on full-scale building part making and testing.

Previous experience in the following topics is advantageous, but not required:

• Python/Coding competencies
• Thermal and hygroscopic testing of building parts

If…