Expert jury determines the winners of the 11th PERI student competition

With a prize fund of EUR 20,000, the international PERI Construction Exercise is a competition open to all students studying construction at an educational institution. The aim of the competition is to connect the construction operation content of the course – in particular the areas of work preparation and formwork technology – with a high degree of practical relevance. Well-known experts from the industry form the jury for judging the final round and evaluate the work submitted. At the same time, the competition is an excellent opportunity for students to establish initial contacts with potential employers and to gain insights into the supply industry.

Construction Exercise 2016/17 has been adjudged

On the 29^th November 2017, the award ceremony for the prize winners of the 11^th competition took place at PERI headquarters in Weissenhorn. A total of 34 teams had submitted their respective comprehensive solutions for the 11^th Construction Exercise. Particularly noteworthy and pleasing was the 6^th place achieved by two students from the "Hamk University of Applied Sciences" in Finland. The top five teams qualified for the final round. At the end of November, the finalists from various German universities presented their solutions at the PERI training centre in Weissenhorn in front of an audience and a jury of experts.

Each team had 20 minutes to present their work before the jury asked their questions. For the experts, it was important to verify just how confidently and competently the procedures outlined and the decisions that had been taken were justified. After the final consultation, a close but nonetheless clear result was determined:

1^st place: Maxim Rotzalski | RWTH Aachen
2^nd place: Marc Kieferle | Hochschule Munich
3^rd place: Florian Bröning | Hochschule RheinMain, Wiesbaden
4^th place: Dennis Lohölter, Max Renneis | Hochschule Kaiserslautern
5^th place: Rabea Felice Bogen, Anja Hanusch, Franziska Schneider | Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, Gießen

With a very good written preparation along with a convincing presentation, Maxim Rotzalski from the Hochschule Aachen clinched first place after the final round came to end. However, in addition to the prize money on offer, a varied, two-day event in Ulm and surrounding area awaited not only the winner but also all other participants in the final round. This included a visit to the project forming the basis of the assignment, the new construction of the Sparkasse Ulm, a structure with a total of 8 floors located in the middle of the city.

A reception in the Ulm town hall hosted by the city´s Baubürgermeister (senior administration official responsible for construction matters) was a great honour for the participants and guests. Tim von Winning presented current and future key projects of the City of Ulm under the motto "Reconstructing Ulm". Following this, Harald Walter, Director of the Coordination Centre for Major Projects (KOST), highlighted the challenge of coordinating the numerous construction projects currently being realized in Ulm. Gerhard Fraidel, Departmental Head of Infrastructure, closed the reception in the town hall with a talk on the preservation, new construction or the demolition of the many bridges in the city. Using photos of ongoing construction sites, he vividly demonstrated how varied the activities of a civil engineer in a municipality can be.

Construction Exercise 2018/19

The documents for the new PERI Construction Exercise 2018|2019 can be requested free of charge at https://www.peri.com/en/knowledge/construction-exercise.html