Awards presented to creative, well-engineered precast solutions
The constitution of the Fachvereinigung Deutscher Betonfertigteilbau e. V. (FDB; German Association for Precast Concrete Construction) stipulates that academic tuition be prominently promoted. Against this backdrop, it obviously makes perfect sense to present sponsorship awards to students in order to reward their thinking and creative skills in designing with structural precast elements. The Universities of Applied Sciences in Bochum, Frankfurt, and Darmstadt have long been closely collaborating with the FDB, and professors and lecturers from other universities are invited to approach the FDB and explore the various options available for offering sponsorship awards.
Since the first award ceremony held at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (FRA-UAS) in winter 2016, three universities have joined this initiative to make use of the FDB offering and to apply for sponsorship awards.
Comprehensive design work
At Bochum University of Applied Sciences, students in the construction engineering master’s degree course form groups to jointly work on their projects in their precast construction module. The best project assignment was selected on 24 January 2018. The award was presented to Group 3 comprising Tim Lange, Clara Walsemann, Dennis Gerlic, and Hendrik Rispeter. The four students share the 500 euro prize money equally among themselves.
Group 3 submitted to the jury the complete structural analysis and design of specific points (i.e. girder design down to the element level), which also included the related construction-ready detailing. The team also considered commercial viability as well as the process sequence required on the construction site. Furthermore, they submitted a complete costing exercise for the structural framework of the factory building.
Creative solutions with precast elements
In February 2018, the FDB Special Award for students was presented at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (FRA-UAS). Reinhard Metz received this award on 23 February 2018 on the occasion of the open-house event. The jury found that he submitted an exceedingly detailed paper for developing the production process for his precast elements, as well as for their subsequent use.
The summer party held on 21 June 2018 by the Freunde des Instituts für Massivbau an der TU Darmstadt e.V. (Association of the Friends of the Institute of Concrete and Masonry Structures at TU Darmstadt) provided the perfect occasion for rewarding the best final assignment of the current term. This award was handed to Lukas Bujotzek, who participated in the Darmstädter Betonfertigteiltage 2018 (2018 Darmstadt Precast Concrete Days), like all students attending the “Precast Structures” lecture and seminar. The knowledge passed on during this four-day FDB training seminar was incorporated in the final exam, which assessed the creative, technically sophisticated consideration of precast solutions. The FDB is grateful to its cooperation partner, InformationsZentrumBeton, and the host of the event, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carl-Alexander Graubner.
Detailed façade design
On 20 July 2018, an FDB sponsorship award was presented to Bianca Bartl at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (FRA-UAS) to honor her bachelor’s thesis in the field of structural design. Her thesis convinced the jury members thanks to its exceedingly professional approach to designing a precast concrete façade down to the tiniest detail.
Beginning in 2016, the FDB website lists award-winning entries at //www.fdb-fertigteilbau.de/fdb-angebote/fdb-foerderpreise-fuer-studierende" target="_blank" >www.fdb-fertigteilbau.de/fdb-angebote/fdb-foerderpreise-fuer-studierende:www.fdb-fertigteilbau.de/fdb-angebote/fdb-foerderpreise-fuer-studierende.
The FDB sponsorship awards should contribute to enabling students of architecture and construction engineering (sponsorship awards address both disciplines) to deal with the planning and design with precast elements already during their degree course, and to fill students with enthusiasm for this state-of-the-art construction method with a view to their future careers. The FDB hopes that further universities will apply for this 500 euro award. Many students’ theses or project assignments would be eligible for this prize money that the FDB offers in conjunction with its sponsorship award.
