In addition to the teaching of basic scientific knowledge across the entire breadth of Civil Engineering, links to the neighbouring disciplines of Architecture, Transport, Economics, and Environmental, Social, Planning and Process Sciences as well as international aspects are taken into consideration. Numerous contacts and cooperation partnerships exist with universities and research institutes. Lectures in cooperation with the building industry and building administration offices ensure the relation to practice. In addition, the Peter Behrens Hall provides unique experimental opportunities for teaching and research tasks.

The Institute for Civil Engineering hosts academics from Germany and abroad. It has contact with many universities in other European and non-European countries. Particularly worth mentioning is the contact with the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (Russia), Istanbul Technical University (Turkey), the University of Auckland (New Zealand) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA). There is a collaboration with the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering regarding the exchange of students on the Bachelor's degree course.

The largest test hall at TU Berlin is located at the Institute of Civil Engineering. Experiments on a 1:1 scale can be performed there. A list of test stands and measurement methods that can be used at the institute can be found here www.bau.tu-berlin.de/menue/dienstleistungen. The institute also has various laboratories (Soil, Electronics and Analysis/Microscopy) and workshops.

The individual research topics at the Institute of Civil Engineering range from sustainable building through environmentally friendly and multifunctional materials, bridge construction, renewable energy and wind energy systems, resource protection and urban water systems to structural engineering. There are numerous national and international contacts and collaborations with research institutions. The institute's Peter Behrens Hall provides unique experimental opportunities for teaching and research tasks.

The materials testing facility Materialprüfanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH (MPA) is also located in the institute's buildings. Through cooperation with TU Berlin, students have the possibility to use the MPA's experimental facilities for research.