IBO – Austrian Institute for Building and Ecology

IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie (Austrian Institute for Building and Ecology) is an independent, non-profit scientific association and associated limited company based in Vienna, Austria. Since 1980 the association has researched the interactions between people, buildings, and the environment, with a central mission to develop and promote the foundations of ecological and sustainable architecture. The institute is one of Austria's longest-standing voices in building biology (Baubiologie) and building ecology (Bauökologie), bridging scientific research, product testing, and practical consulting for architects, manufacturers, and consumers. The IBO group consists of two closely linked entities: the non-profit association IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Baubiologie und -ökologie (Verein), founded in 1980, and IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie GmbH, founded in 1997. The association acts as the program operator of the IBO Prüfzeichen (IBO certification mark) and offers memberships to private individuals, professionals, and companies. The GmbH carries out research, knowledge dissemination, and a broad range of services through its departments: material ecology (product testing, life-cycle assessments, and EPDs for building materials, building product management), building assessment (IBO ÖKOPASS, klimaaktiv Bauen und Sanieren, EU Green Building, passive house certification), building physics (construction and building methods, building simulation, sound insulation and acoustics, moisture damage), and measurements (sound, moisture, comfort, and indoor-environment measurements). IBO's stated goal is "Ökologisch bauen und gesund wohnen" – building ecologically and living healthily. Its work spans applied research projects, reference projects such as the klimaaktiv renovation of the JURA sports facility and the Rundhalle, and publications including the annual IBO yearbook (Jahrbuch) and the IBO Magazin. The institute also organizes and participates in congresses, symposia, and trade fairs, such as the BauZ! congress and the Zukunft.Bau.Stoffe webinar series. Through its testing mark, certifications, and advisory services, IBO influences the Austrian and wider European market for sustainable building products and healthy indoor environments. IBO is headquartered at Alserbachstraße 5/8, 1090 Vienna. It is governed by a board (Vorstand) and managed by a small executive team, with a multidisciplinary staff of researchers, building physicists, material ecologists, and building assessors. As an independent scientific association, it is not listed on any stock exchange and operates on a non-profit basis, funding its public-interest work through memberships, research projects, and service fees.

The IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie traces its origins to 1980, when it was founded as an independent, non-profit scientific association under the name IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Baubiologie und -ökologie. From the beginning, its mission was to research the interactions between people, buildings, and the environment and to develop the scientific foundations for ecological and sustainable architecture. This placed IBO among the early institutional pioneers of building biology and building ecology in Austria, a field that gained broader public attention in the 1980s and 1990s amid growing environmental awareness. For its first nearly two decades, the association operated as a research and advocacy body, building a network of architects, scientists, and environmentally minded professionals. In 1997, the organization expanded its commercial and service capacity by founding IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie GmbH. The GmbH allowed IBO to offer professional services alongside its non-profit research: material ecology (product testing, life-cycle assessments, and Environmental Product Declarations for building materials), building assessment (including the IBO ÖKOPASS, klimaaktiv Bauen und Sanieren, EU Green Building, and passive house certification), building physics (construction methods, building simulation, sound insulation and acoustics, moisture damage), and measurement services (sound, moisture, comfort, and indoor environment). Over the following decades, IBO became a recognized Austrian competence center for healthy and sustainable building. It developed and operates the IBO Prüfzeichen, a certification mark for building products, with the association acting as program operator. It also became involved in major Austrian and European sustainability initiatives, including the klimaaktiv program and EU Green Building. Its reference projects include the klimaaktiv renovation of the JURA sports facility and the Rundhalle, as well as research projects on circularity such as reSOILution (use of excavation material for clay building products) and Jakub & Levi (development of an innovative climate-neutral neighborhood). IBO has also built a strong knowledge-dissemination profile. It publishes the annual IBO Jahrbuch (yearbook) and the IBO Magazin, and organizes or participates in congresses, symposia, and trade fairs, including the BauZ! congress and the Zukunft.Bau.Stoffe webinar series. Its Late Lunch Sessions and webinars address practical topics such as building simply, economically, and durably with sustainable materials. The institute maintains a specialist library of around 3,000 volumes and offers telephone advice and consulting to members on topics such as flooring, furniture, wood protection, paints, and varnishes. As of the 2020s, IBO remains headquartered at Alserbachstraße 5/8 in Vienna's 9th district. It is governed by a board (Vorstand) that includes its president, Susanne Formanek, and managing directors Cristina Florit and Bernhard Lipp. The organization continues to combine non-profit research with fee-based services, and its work is increasingly relevant as the EU tightens rules on green claims and Austria faces a large building renovation challenge.

• 2026

  BauZ! 2027 Call for Papers open until 31 October 2026; Zukunft.Bau.Stoffe webinar on 23 September 2026.

• 1997

  IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie GmbH founded to provide professional services alongside research.

• 1980

  IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Baubiologie und -ökologie founded as an independent, non-profit scientific association.

• IBO Prüfzeichen certification mark established, with the association as program operator.

• IBO ÖKOPASS building assessment developed and offered.

• Participation in klimaaktiv Bauen und Sanieren and EU Green Building programs.

• Reference project: klimaaktiv renovation of the JURA sports facility and Rundhalle.

• Research project reSOILution on using excavation material for clay building products.

• Research project Jakub & Levi for an innovative climate-neutral neighborhood.

Independent, non-profit scientific institute and service provider for ecological building, healthy living, and sustainable construction in Austria and the EU.

• IBO Prüfzeichen

  Certification mark for building products, operated by the IBO association.

• IBO ÖKOPASS

  Building assessment and certification tool.

• IBO Jahrbuch

  Annual yearbook publication of the IBO.

• IBO Magazin

  Online magazine covering comfort, building simulation, social knowledge dissemination, and more.

• BauZ! 2027 Call for Papers
• Zukunft.Bau.Stoffe Webinar
• Late Lunch Sessions 2026

1. 1Ökologisch Bauen, Gesund Wohnen - IBO - Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologieibo.at
2. 2Über uns - IBO - Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologieibo.at
3. 3Team - IBO - Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologieibo.at
4. 4IBO Verein - IBO - Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologieibo.at
5. 5IBO – Österreichisches Institut für Bauen und Ökologie (Austria) - Wikidatawikidata.org