Aerial view of the Beyer Building at the TU Dresden

Picture shows the annual report 2019 (open and closed)

The institute introduces itself

For more than 100 years the subject 'solid structures' has been taught at the TU Dresden. At the moment three professorships belong to our institute. All studies and research within the institute are focused on experimentation on reinforced concrete in all its various forms. In the field of teaching, we collaborate with many partners of the construction industry. Together we make research findings become part in construction projects.

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Important topics

Photo shows a brochure with historical views of the Beyer building

History

Reinforced concrete construction has a long tradition at the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD). In Germany the first lectures about reinforced concrete were held by Max Förster at the TUD, which was former called Technische Hochschule (TH), at the beginning of the last century. The listed Beyer building was completed in 1913 and is one of the oldest buildings made of reinforced concrete in Dresden. It is about to be restorated.

Foto zeigt ein Gruppenbild des Instituts für Massivbau

Employees

The Institute for Concrete Structures currently has more than 60 employees. There are two professorships and an endowed professorship: Solid Structures, Special Solid Structures and the Endowed Professorship for Civil Engineering. The Otto Mohr Laboratory is also affiliated. There are seven research groups with different thematic focuses. The C³ Team is located in a branch office in the Dresden World Trade Center.

Events

Every year in March we are host of the Dresdner Brückenbausymposium. It is the most renowned symposium all over Germany concerning the topic of bridge construction. Every two years the German Bridge Construction Prize is awarded within the frame of the symposium. Additional to that we organise the symposium ‘Experimental study of building constructions’ every two years as well.

Manfred Curbach and Ulrich Häußler-Combe sitting on a concrete bench on the future construction site of the CUBE

If you want to jump far, you have to take a good run-up

[Foreword from the Institute's 2019 Annual Report]

Getting off to a good start: this is how one could summarise some of the work at the Institute for concrete structures in 2019. For example, there is the work for a new Collaborative Research Centre/Transregional Collaborative Research Centre with the number 280, for which the German Research Foundation granted approval in May 2019. Twenty-six proven scientists* from 18 institutes at TU Dresden and RWTH Aachen University therefore jointly wrote a scientifically in-depth proposal of around 400 pages entitled "Design strategies for material-minimised carbon-concrete structures - the foundations for a new way of building", submitted it to the DFG in mid-November and then prepared the two-day review, which then took place on 21 and 22 January 2020. This work has been carried out with great commitment at all institutes. The entire organisation, the preparation of the physical proposal and the review was carried out by the spokespersons of the two Institutes for Solid Construction in Dresden and Aachen, which meant that numerous employees were directly involved in the proposal and the others were also involved in the overall project by taking on additional work. Our special thanks go to all of them.

But further efforts were needed to secure the future. In order to maintain the continuity of the Professorship of Solid Construction, there was great agreement to organise a parallel appointment at an early stage. Deutsche Bahn Netz AG was won over as the donor for the financing of this transitional period, so that a selection committee started work in spring 2019 to identify the best person for the position. Thanks to excellent cooperation between all the participating institutions of the TU Dresden - the Faculty Council, the Senate, the Rector and the administration - as well as the selection committee, which is made up of excellent external scientists, Prof. Steff en Marx was able to start work at the Institute for Solid Structures on 1 February 2020 in what is a record-breaking period for such a complex procedure. Many thanks to all those involved.

The foreword to the Annual Announcements 2018 spoke of the obligation we have towards our history and tradition. In 1903, the nationwide first lectures in reinforced concrete construction were held by Prof. Max Förster. Today it is again the TU Dresden, where the world's first professorship for carbon concrete was created and which is expected to be occupied in spring 2020. The professorship will be funded for six years within the framework of the Tenure Track Programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, before it will be continued - if the evaluation is positive - by the Free State of Saxony, the Technical University of Dresden and the Institute for Solid Construction.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all employees for their work in 2019, not only in these three areas, but also for all the work carried out at the Institute of Solid Construction. All this would not be possible without their enthusiasm. We would like to thank all the readers* of our annual report from all areas of the construction industry, the scientific community and the general public for their great interest, their benevolent support and their sustained assistance.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E.h. Manfred Curbach and Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Häußler-Combe