History of the Institute of Concrete Structures

Max Förster (*1867, †1930) can be mentioned here first. Appointed to the TH Dresden in 1899, the term reinforced concrete first appeared in 1911 in the name of his field of appointment, which from then on read: "Building materials theory, theory of reinforced concrete construction. Timber and solid bridge construction and iron structures in civil engineering". Together with Willi Gehler, Professor at the TH Dresden, E. Probst, Professor at the TH Karlsruhe, H. Fischmann, Director of the Deutscher Eisenbau-Verband in Berlin and W. Petri, Director of the Deutscher Beton-Verein E.V., Max Förster publishes the new journal "Der Bauingenieur", which at that time was still the organ of the Deutscher Eisenbau-Verband and the Deutscher Beton-Verein.

Max Förster is succeeded by Friedrich Wilhelm Neuffer (*1882, †1960). He was appointed on April 1, 1931 for the field of "solid construction, timber construction, foundations and construction site facilities".

From 1951, Ernst Lewicki (*1894, †1973) heads the Institute for Reinforced Concrete, Solid Bridge Construction, Foundation Engineering and Construction Operations.

In 1954, reinforced concrete was spun off from this Institute and taken over by Gottfried Brendel ( *1913, †1965). Shortly afterwards, Gottfried Brendel also took over solid bridge construction.

He is succeeded in 1966 by Siegfried Schröder (*1921), whose area of appointment is now "Reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete and solid bridge construction". In the course of efforts to build as light as possible, the term "solid bridge construction" is removed from the title of the chair. Nevertheless, solid bridge construction remains part of Siegfried Schröder's teaching area.

From 1986 to 1992, the Chair of Reinforced Concrete and Prestressed Concrete Construction is headed by Werner Haupt (*1936).

In the course of the restructuring of the faculty after reunification, the department was divided up again and Jürgen Stritzke (*1937) took over the Chair of Solid Bridge Construction in 1992 until he retired in the fall of 2003. He initiated the Dresden Bridge Construction Symposium, which soon became known far beyond the borders of Saxony. Today, this conference, which takes place every year in March, is a permanent fixture for all partners involved in solid bridge construction.

In 1994, Manfred Curbach (*1956) is appointed to the Chair of Solid Construction. He takes over the training in reinforced concrete construction and special fields. Since the appointment of Prof. Ulrich Häußler-Combe, he has taught prestressed concrete construction and solid bridge construction. Manfred Curbach retires at the beginning of October 2024 and takes up a senior professorship in solid construction.

In April 2003, Ulrich Häußler-Combe was appointed to the Chair of Special Concrete Structures. He represented teaching in the subjects of reinforced concrete construction (fundamentals and design theory), special structures and masonry construction.

In the fall of 2003, there was another restructuring of the faculty's Institutes. The Institute of Construction Materials, which had existed since 1992, was dissolved. The Chair of Concrete Structures and the Chair of Special Concrete Structures, together with the Otto Mohr Laboratory, formed the Institute of Concrete Structures. Ulrich Häußler-Combe retires at the beginning of October 2021.

At the end of 2006, Manfred Curbach is elected Vice-Rector of the University. During his term of office until the end of 2010, Steffen Marx takes over all teaching duties. Manfred Curbach continues to supervise the now extensive research activities at the Chair of Concrete Structures. Steffen Marx initially moves to the University of California San Diego as a visiting professor in 2010 and then takes over as head of the Institute of Concrete Structures at Leibniz Universität Hannover in 2011. In February 2020, Steffen Marx returned to the TUD Dresden University of Technology and took over the Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering of DB Netz AG (now DB InfraGO AG) at the Institute of Concrete Structures. At the beginning of 2025, Steffen Marx fills the Chair of Concrete Structures and becomes Director of the Institute.