The award ceremony took place in a festive setting at the Oskar von Miller Forum in Munich. Georg Gerhäuser, President of the Bavarian Construction Industry Associations, honoured outstanding Bachelor's and Master's theses in civil engineering. A total of 36 graduates from eight Bavarian universities had applied. The selection was made by a ten-member committee made up of representatives from academia and the construction industry. In addition to scientific quality, practical relevance and comprehensibility were also taken into account in the assessment. The award-winning papers were published in a conference volume - the first scientific publication for many of the honoured young talents.
Focus on sustainable building: Annika Karl honoured with third prize
Annika Karl impressed the jury with her bachelor's thesis ‘Experimental investigations into the shear load-bearing capacity of adobe masonry’. She investigated a rediscovered, particularly sustainable construction method that impresses with its low carbon footprint and good building physics properties. At the centre of her work were storey-high masonry test specimens on which experimental tests were carried out on the shear load-bearing capacity. The results obtained clearly exceeded theoretical expectations.
The work thus provides a reliable basis for assessing the shear load-bearing capacity of clay block masonry. It proves the fundamental applicability of existing design rules, but also points to potential for optimisation - for example through a more precise definition of the material parameters, in particular the tensile strength of clay blocks. At the same time, Karl identifies open research questions: her tests were carried out under standardised climatic conditions; the influences of moisture or long-term effects were not taken into account. Her work therefore not only makes a valuable contribution to research, but also provides important impetus for future developments in sustainable construction.
Further awards for practical innovations
The three other award-winning theses from Regensburg also demonstrate high professional quality and innovative strength:
- Anna Fautz's master's thesis dealt with the optimisation of open-pored asphalt for footpaths and cycle paths in line with the sponge city strategy.
- Julia Sinnig analysed the potential for ecological optimisation in concrete construction through the use of locally available secondary materials in her bachelor's thesis.
- Matthias Staudinger developed a concept for the digital inventory, CAD-supported planning and energy evaluation of an existing building with a change of use and extension.
The award ceremony kicked off with a specialist colloquium on the topic of ‘Digitalisation in construction - changes in studies and training’, presented by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Simon Vilgertshofer (HM Hochschule München). The Bavarian Construction Industry Career Promotion Foundation has been awarding the university prize every year since 2009. Since 2014, the award-winning work has been documented in a separate brochure.
Strong in research and education
The success in this prestigious competition emphasises the high quality of teaching and research in civil engineering at OTH Regensburg. It is also an expression of the great commitment of the students and supervising lecturers.
