New Ed. Züblin AG Foundation Junior Professorship

• junior Professorship for the Digitalisation of Construction Processes focuses on simulation and modelling
• sponsored by ZÜBLIN with around € 1.4 million

Ed. Züblin AG and the University of Stuttgart have concluded an agreement to establish a foundation junior professorship for the Digitalisation of Construction Processes. The aim of the interdisciplinary junior professorship is to more strongly bring together the traditionally separate areas of construction design, construction management, project execution and real estate management. The professorship is located at the Institute of Construction Management (Faculty 2 Civil and Environmental Engineering) of the University of Stuttgart. The foundation junior professorship, which is being sponsored by ZÜBLIN with around € 1.4 million for a period of six years, will focus among other things on simulation and modelling.

Klaus Pöllath and Jörn Beckmann, members of the management board of Ed. Züblin AG, and Prof. Wolfram Ressel, rector of the University of Stuttgart, signed the agreement in the University of Stuttgart’s Senate Hall on 26 June 2017.

University Rector Wolfram Ressel thanked ZÜBLIN for its far-sighted commitment. As one of the largest German construction companies, he said, ZÜBLIN has always shown great interest in the strong scientific foundation of its activities in the field of digital construction and in the rapid practical implementation of research results.

Ressel added: “The Institute for Construction Management at the University of Stuttgart is seen as a driving force in the field of construction management at the interdisciplinary interface between research and practice. The foundation professorship will contribute to research and put into practice the potential to be found in the rapidly spreading digitalisation of structure lifecycles.”

Klaus Pöllath emphasised: “Our many years of experience have shown how important it is to anchor new developments from construction practice as quickly as possible in research and teaching. With the foundation professorship, ZÜBLIN can make a concrete contribution to examining the digitalisation of construction processes from a stronger scientific perspective.” Jörn Beckmann added: “The issues of digitalisation and BIM, Building Information Modelling, are changing our business like few other issues before. We are proud that the foundation professorship will help make the students of the University of Stuttgart to important carriers of know-how in this field.”

The new foundation junior professorship for the Digitalisation of Construction Processes is intended to cover important areas of digitalisation in construction design, construction management and building management processes that have previously only been researched at the periphery. The issues that will be dealt with by the foundation junior professorship involve demands on the entire construction sector, especially in the industrialised nations. The focus will on the design and construction of buildings under special consideration of profitability, the sustainable use of resources and low environmental impact – realisable, for example, through lifecycle analyses.

Klaus Pöllath emphasised: “Our many years of experience have shown how important it is to anchor new developments from construction practice as quickly as possible in research and teaching. With the foundation professorship, ZÜBLIN can make a concrete contribution to examining the digitalisation of construction processes from a stronger scientific perspective.” Jörn Beckmann added: “The issues of digitalisation and BIM, Building Information Modelling, are changing our business like few other issues before. We are proud that the foundation professorship will help make the students of the University of Stuttgart to important carriers of know-how in this field.”

The new foundation junior professorship for the Digitalisation of Construction Processes is intended to cover important areas of digitalisation in construction design, construction management and building management processes that have previously only been researched at the periphery. The issues that will be dealt with by the foundation junior professorship involve demands on the entire construction sector, especially in the industrialised nations. The focus will on the design and construction of buildings under special consideration of profitability, the sustainable use of resources and low environmental impact – realisable, for example, through lifecycle analyses.