The Chancellor of the University of Stuttgart, Dr. Bettina Buhlmann, appointed the civil engineer Dr. Dirk A. Schwede junior professor in sustainable building on 14th December 2012. With this the internationally acknowledged expert takes up a newly created position at the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (Institut für Leichtbau Konstruieren und Entwerfen - ILEK) at the University of Stuttgart, which is supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation. The junior professor will further strengthen the main research focus “Design and Technology of Sustainable Environments“ at the University of Stuttgart as well as contribute towards researching sustainable design and construction methods at the ILEK.
The particular aim of the foundation professorship is to pursue visionary interdisciplinary research approaches to develop sustainable building materials. “We want to design building materials and components in such a way that highly efficient and at the same time ideal sustainable constructions become possible by exploiting growth, self-strengthening and self-healing processes“, according to the Manager of ILEK, Prof. Werner Sobek. Whilst the possibilities of saving energy in buildings in the exploitation phase are intensively researched today, the energy and resource consumption for the manufacturing of building materials, components and buildings, for their conversions and demolitions as well generated waste have largely not been taken into account up to now.
Dr. Dirk A. Schwede, born in Kiel in 1972, was the Managing Director of a planning office for sustainable and energy efficient building in Shanghai, where he also worked as a visiting professor at the University of Tongji until he was appointed junior professor at the University of Stuttgart. Schwede studied civil engineering at the University of Stuttgart and did his doctorate at the University of Sydney.
Building and facade concepts for tropical climates
“Part of the research will deal with making the approaches to sustainable building abroad, in
particular in Asia with its high level of construction activities and greatly changing user
requirements, relevant and effective“, is how Schwede outlines his goals for the junior
professorship. “For example, light, sustainable constructions, as they are developed at ILEK, are
to be implemented in functional and resource-efficient building and facade concepts for the
tropical climate.“
The junior professorship in sustainable building has been created for a period of five years
and is being funded with 960,000 Euros. The funds already made available for this will primarily go
towards establishing the research group. The University of Stuttgart and the ILEK will provide
around 10 percent of own funds to support the research; the rest will be funded by the Robert Bosch
Foundation. "Many natural resources in the world are becoming scarce, which is why new forms of
sustainable use are becoming increasingly important. With the junior professorship in sustainable
building we wish to strengthen the research in this increasingly significant research direction“,
says Dr. Ingrid Wünning Tschol, Head of the Programme Division “Health and Science“ at the Robert
Bosch Foundation.
Your contact person:
Prof. Werner Sobek, University of Stuttgart, Institute for Lightweight Structures and
Conceptual Design (Institut für Leichtbau Entwerfen und Konstruieren ILEK), tel. 0711/685- 66226,
email: werner.sobek@ilek.uni-stuttgart.de
Andrea Mayer-Grenu, University of Stuttgart, Department University Communication,
tel. 0711/685-82176, email: andrea.mayer-grenu@hkom.uni-stuttgart.de
