Nominees 2016

Jury nominates six structures for the 2016
German Bridge Engineering Award

Berlin, November 2, 2015 – In 2016, the Federal Chamber of Engineers (BIngK) and the Association of Consulting Engineers VBI will, for the sixth time, present the prestigious German Bridge Engineering Award. A jury of renowned bridge engineering experts has nominated for the competition three structures, out of a total of 20 submission, within the two categories “road and rail bridges” and “pedestrian and bicycle bridges”.

Competing for the award in the category „Road and Railway Bridges“ are:

The Grubental Bridge near Goldisthal in the Thuringian Forest

According to the jury’s reasoning, the Grubental Bridge combines aesthetic quality with cost-effective construction and sustainability. Despite the filigree appearance of the bridge, the semi-integral structure, with an arch frame, designed for high-speed rail traffic, is robust and almost maintenance-free.

The Rendsburg Railway Bridge across the Kiel Canal

The strengthening of the historic Rendsburg Railway Bridge has been nominated for the German Bridge Engineering Award, because, thanks to this outstanding engineering achievement, a historic civil engineering landmark could be preserved, and it could be upgraded to handle today’s traffic loads. According to the jury, this was made possible by using an innovative calculation approach, as well as structural measurements to tap into the hidden load carrying capacity of the structure.

The Kocher Valley Bridge (Kochertalbrücke) on interstate A6 at Geislingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg

The rehabilitation and upgrading of this German engineering icon is a model of how the service life of existing structures could be sustainably extended through innovative and creative engineering. The successful rehabilitation not only eliminates the traces of 35 years of traffic, but it also improves the stability and durability of the bridge beyond its original service level.

Nominated in the category „Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridges“ are:

The Leibniz Bridge across the Finow Canal in Eberswalde, Brandenburg
With the nomination of the Leibniz Bridge, the jury recognizes the innovative approach to combine structural and constructability features of a slender steel superstructure and a load bearing railing construction. From a viewpoint of design and construction, the bridge is an impressive piece of engineering within an urban area.

Campus Bridge in Würzburg
The Würzburg Campus Bridge has been nominated for the German Bridge Engineering Award because it shows, in an impressive manner, that even robust solid reinforced concrete bridges can be shaped in a gentle and graceful way. The two-way structure with integrated stairways, which fuse into an arch-shaped construction within the center part, cleverly links the traffic flow between the campus and public transportation.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge across the Danube river near Deggendorf
By nominating the Danube River Bridge, a structure more than 450 m in length, the jury distinguishes a seemingly floating, filigree steel truss structure that generates a successful contrast to the adjacent railway bridge. In addition, the jury recognizes the bold implementation of the semi-integral base-supports, which leads to a low-maintenance structure.

Out of the three structures that have been nominated and introduced above, for each one of the categories, a jury, presided by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Curbach, will select the two winning bridges at a second meeting in early 2016. Until the award ceremony in Dresden on March 14, 2016, the names of the winners will be a well-kept secret by the judges and the awarding authorities. The award ceremony, to be held on the eve of the Dresden Bridge Symposium, will again be a big event that celebrates the art of civil engineering. More than 1,000 guests are expected to attend the event hosted by the BIngK and the VBI.

The Federal Department of Transportation and Digital Infrastructure will again sponsor the event, and it will also be fostering the award. Again, one of the main sponsors will be the DB AG (German Rail Service).

The award to honor outstanding engineering achievements was created in 2006, and since then it is jointly awarded by BIngK and VBI every two years.

Contact:
Association of Consulting Engineers VBI, Ines Bronowski, Budapester Straße 31, 10787 Berlin, Germany, Phone: +49 (0)30 / 26062-230, Email: .

Federal Chamber of Engineers, Jost Hähnel, Joachimsthaler Str 12, 10719 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 / 2589882-24, Email: .