Presentation of the Züblin-Stahlbaupreises 2025

The ZÜBLIN Steel Construction Prize was awarded for the 13th time this year to students and graduates from the fields of Architecture and Civil Engineering at TUD Dresden University of Technology. The prize, which is endowed with a total of EUR 3000, honors outstanding student research projects and final theses that contribute to the further development and application of steel construction. The expert jury consisted of Marco Eckert - Technical Managing Director, Lars Feulner - Head of Construction, both from Züblin Stahlbau GmbH in Hosena, Hans-Jörg Brahms - Director of Central Technology, Structural Engineering at Ed. Züblin AG based in Hamburg, Prof. Dr. Matthias Beckh, Director of the Chair of Structural Design at the Faculty of Architecture at TU Dresden and Prof. Dr. Richard Stroetmann, Director of the Institute of Steel and Timber Construction at TU Dresden. The ceremonial presentation of the Züblin Steel Construction Award 2025 traditionally took place in the evening as part of the Civil Engineering Ball of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Technische Universi-tät Dresden on 22 May in the Stromwerk of the Kraftwerk Mitte cultural center (Fig. 1). Prof. Stroetmann opened the award ceremony and thanked Züblin Stahlbau GmbH for its great commitment to teaching and research as well as the excellent cooperation over the past years. Mr. Eckert then took the floor with a brief presentation of the versatility of the company. Ms. Viola Baumann's diploma thesis, which was awarded 3rd prize, was dedicated to the calibration of partial safety factors for historical structural steel constructions. The aim was to draw conclusions about the necessary partial safety factors on the resistance side on the basis of statistical evaluations of material and geometric parameters of steel structures from the 20th century and the associated material data. Using probabilistic methods, Ms. Baumann analyzed influencing factors for various construction elements and verification formats and derived time-differentiated partial safety factors. The results provide a practical basis for the assessment of existing steel structures within the framework of the Eurocode safety concept. Ms. Sophia Stitz and Ms. Emma Bomertl were awarded 2nd prize for their design of a column-free hall for BSG Chemie Leipzig. The work was created as part of the Constructive Design course at the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape and combines an indoor soccer pitch, a fan store and administrative areas under a durable, flexible roof. The supporting structure consisting of two rows of steel columns and an articulated girder grid enables a column-free area of 36×90 m. With modular interior spaces, a translucent façade and a sophisticated bracing system, the hall is impressive both functionally and structurally. The 1st prize went to Mr. Moritz Paul Zetzsche. As part of his work, he dealt with the track-structure interaction of the Berlin Siemensbahn.

© Dekanat BIW

In order to determine the amount of upgrading required for the engineering structures
he developed models for the coupled systems to record the effects of rail traffic, permanent effects and temperature fluctuations. On the basis of parameterized finite element models, Mr. Zetzsche determined rail stresses, bearing forces and necessary strengthening measures for the engineering structures. The results provide reliable information on the rail stresses and the load-bearing safety of the engineering structures. The parameterized calculation models can also be used to forecast rail stresses for other existing projects in the future.

The award-winning work impressively demonstrates the diversity and depth of engineering sciences issues in the field of steel construction, ranging from structural design to as-built assessment and interdisciplinary design. The jury and the supervising Institutes of the TUD Dresden University of Technology warmly congratulate the prizewinners (Fig. 1) on their outstanding work!

Report: Brian Rust, M. Sc. Institute of Steel and Timber Construction, TUD Dresden University of Technology