The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) proudly announces that Professor Werner Sobek, an internationally renowned architect, consulting engineer and academic, is its 2024 Gold Medallist.
First established in 1922, this prestigious accolade is for individuals who have made unique and outstanding contributions to the advancement of structural engineering.
Professor Sobek will receive the Gold Medal at
a special award ceremony on 23 September 2024 at IStructE’s head office in London. At this event, he will deliver his Gold Medal Address titled “
Building in a New World.”
Professor Subek’s impressive career began at the University of Stuttgart where he studied Architecture and Civil Engineering from 1974 – 1981. He received his Doctorate from the same University in 1987, where he also founded the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK). He established his own planning office in 1992, now known as Werner Sobek AG, which currently employs some 450 people worldwide.
Speaking about the Gold Medal, Professor Sobek says: “I am honoured and delighted to receive this recognition from The Institution of Structural Engineers. My Gold Medal address will explain the need to radically rethink the planning and design of our built environment to address the immense challenges posed by climate change, resource scarcity, and demographic shifts.”
Professor Sobek adds: “Structural engineers and architects need to address a fundamental question: how can we design our buildings and structures to build with less material for more people and without harmful emissions? My address will share a new view of lightweight construction and its part to play in all this - and the importance of good engineering for the careful use of our resources.”
Yasmin Becker, Chief Executive of IStructE, says: “I am thrilled that Professor Sobek is our 2024 Gold Medallist. This award honours an expert who is not only at the pinnacle of their profession, with an illustrious career, but also someone who focuses on future challenges to deliver positive change. Professor Sobek’s significant contribution makes him a worthy winner.”
Werner Sobek has written a trilogy “
non nobis: about building in the future”, which is an overview of Werner’s thoughts and perspectives on the future of the building sector. His firm, Werner Sobek AG has a special emphasis on the design and planning of structures, facades, and technical building equipment, as well as on consulting in building physics.
Professor Sobek concludes: “I aim to create a built environment that is both breathtakingly beautiful and one that meets the interests of future generations. I want to build emission-free for more people and with less material.”
Professor Sobek’s biography
Image of Professor Werner Sobek - Credit: Rene Mueller
- Born in 1953, Aalen in Germany.
- Studied Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Stuttgart from 1974 – 1981, and a Doctorate from the same institution in 1987.
- Held a professorship at the University of Hannover from 1992 – 1995, becoming the successor to Frei Otto in 1995 and then additionally to Jörg Schlaich in the year 2000.
- Found the ILEK Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design at the University of Stuttgart.
- Gained emeritus status in 2021.
- Held the Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s former professorship at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago from 2008 – 2014.
- Served as a visiting professor in Graz, Singapore, Hamburg and at Harvard.
- Established his own planning office in 1992, now called Werner Sobek AG with around 450 employees across the globe.
- Co-founded several non-profit foundations and associations, including the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), for which he served as both a founder member and president.
- In addition to receiving numerous honours and awards in Germany and abroad - including the German Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande) - Werner Sobek was also the only architect and engineer to be named among the 500 most influential intellectuals in the German-speaking world by Cicero magazine in 2022.
About IStructE’s Gold Medal Award
This was first presented in 1922 to Professor Henry Adams. Past recipients include Felix Candela (1960), Ove Arup (1973), Oleg Kerensky (1977), Sir Edmund Happold (1991), Dame Jo da Silva (2017), and Albert Taylor Williamson (2023).
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For further information please contact:
The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) Newsroom on +44 (0)7930 53 45 43.
Notes to Editors
About the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE): https://www.istructe.org/
The Institution of Structural Engineers dates to 1908 and is now the world’s largest membership organisation dedicated to the art and science of structural engineering.
It has over 29,000 members working in 138 countries around the world. Professional membership is one of the leading global benchmarks of competence and technical excellence. Members undergo rigorous technical assessment and commit to continual learning and development.
The Institution drives higher standards and shares knowledge because its members’ work is vital to public safety and meeting the challenges of the future. The Institution provides a voice for its members, promoting their contribution to society as innovative, creative problem solvers and the guardians of public safety.