The Gold Medal is the Institution’s highest individual honour. The 2024 award has been presented to Werner Sobek in recognition of his innovative work on adaptive structures and significant research into the contribution of structural engineering to carbon-zero.
To celebrate this achievement, Werner delivers the Gold Medal address, Building in a new world, reflecting on the critical challenges posed by climate change, resource scarcity, and demographic shifts for the building industry.
Emphasising the necessity of radically rethinking our planning and design approaches to create a sustainable built environment. Werner Sobek elaborates on how innovative lightweight construction can significantly contribute to building with fewer materials, accommodating more people and eliminating harmful emissions, highlighting the vital role of advanced engineering in the judicious use of our resources.
The address is hosted by the Institution's President Tanya de Hoog and Chief Executive Yasmin Becker.
For those attending in-person, a networking drinks and canapes reception concludes the event.
About Werner Sobek
Werner is an architect and consulting engineer. He is the founder of the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) at the University of Stuttgart. From 2017 until 2020 he was chairman of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1244 on Adaptive building skins and structures. Werner initiated and headed several non-profit initiatives, such as the aed e.V, which promotes the great design expertise in the Stuttgart region. In 2022 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, one of Germany’s highest distinctions.
Werner Sobek is the founder of a globally active planning office with more than 450 employees. The company processes all types of buildings and materials. Special emphasis is placed on the design and planning of structures, facades, and technical building equipment as well as on consulting in building physics. Its aim is a built environment that is breathtakingly beautiful and at the same time meets the interests of future generations.
Werner aspires to build emission-free for more people and with less material.