HFT Stuttgart's mission is to implement sustainable development incorporating the concept of intergenerational justice, and has also given the structural development (circularity) of the institute and campus high priority. Their circular plan comprises five design fields: teaching, research, knowledge transfer, advancement in the field of operations and governance to advances sustainable development. As a technical institute, HFT Stuttgart focusses their research and projects on improving the energy-efficiency for local urban and municipal areas often in conjunction with other institutes and stakeholders. The EnSign real-world lab is a flagship living lab project for the transformation of the inner-city campus to climate-neutral functioning. Beginning in 2012, the project has employed iterative, co-operative workshopping with both academic and non-academic stakeholders to deliver campus energy transformations financed in a sustainable way.