Thomas Winterstetter has been working for the Werner Sobek corporate group in Stuttgart since 2001, serving as Managing Director or Board Member and Partner of Werner Sobek AG since 2008. His focus lies in the design and planning of complex geometries and innovative, sustainable solutions in the field of building envelopes. Additionally, he established the building services and sustainability sector of the corporate group with Werner Sobek Green Technologies starting in 2007.

In his presentation, he addresses the latest technologies for sustainable construction in the global context of urban development. Innovations and flagship projects in the field of building envelopes are introduced and explained in terms of conception and implementation.

www.wernersobek.com/de

Thanks to new technologies and advancing standardization, BIM is finally establishing itself in the German-speaking region. New requirements, especially in the field of sustainability certification, act as a catalyst. Nevertheless, many questions in the area of the overall life cycle of digital information management remain unanswered, and solutions are being actively pursued on various fronts.

Lars Oberwinter is an expert in interdisciplinary BIM implementation and digital construction and planning process optimization at TU Wien. As the Managing Director of Plandata, he sheds light on current trends and developments, presenting approaches and strategies to address these challenges.

plandata.eu/

Karl Stefan Dewald holds a PhD in Civil Engineering and further degrees in Business Administration and Management from Vlerick Business School. With more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, he is an experienced Head of Business Management with a proven history in large global companies in international leadership roles. When he joined Schüco International KG in 2018, Stefan assumed responsibility for the Façade Systems business unit. Today, he heads the Façade Engineering division within Schüco, which combines global responsibility for both the Façade Systems business unit and the Engineered Project Solutions division.

Equipped with smart technologies, the façade acts as an intelligent interface between the inside and outside and automatically and intelligently controls the temperature, air quality, access, glare and solar shading in the building. Combined with a holistic control system, smart façades are decisive for a better energy balance, less effort in building management, more flexible use of the property, greater value retention and, above all, better occupational health for users and residents.

You can look forward to the innovation presentation by Karl Stefan Dewald, Head of Business Unit Façade at SCHÜCO and Head of International Façade Strategy at Schüco.

www.schueco.com/de

Gregor M. Kassl heads the facade planning department at ARUP Germany, specializing in the design and construction of facade claddings with a focus on architecture, building physics, structure, geometry, glass design, and more. In his presentation, he dedicates attention to new developments in facade planning and introduces innovative projects by Arup:

He discusses considerations for a resource-efficient circular economy in the areas of research, design, dismantling, and recovery. His presentation explores how to best align these considerations with the requirements for a balance between safety, efficient energy use, daylight, and comfort.

www.arup.com/

Gerhard Haidinger is the Managing Director of GIG. He explains facade construction using the pioneering project “Cube Berlin,” which represents an architectural fusion of aesthetics, technology, and sustainability. The double-skinned ventilated facade is a perfect example of how architectural glass design can meet the structural and energy requirements of today’s “smart” commercial buildings: Intelligent sun protection and AI-based control set new standards in facade construction.

Gerhard Haidinger oversees the operations of GIG Facades, a manufacturer of premium facades for top-tier architecture worldwide.

www.gig.at/

For over 20 years, Dr Frederik Lehner has headed the marketing and market research institute Interconnection Consulting, which develops individual solutions in the areas of strategy, sales optimisation and B2B marketing and is a leader in the façade markets.

The basis for the presentation on VHF in Europe is a brand-new study by InterConnection Consulting, which was compiled for the top European markets in the run-up to the congress. Dr Frederik Lehner, Managing Director and founder of InterConnection Consulting, will show the similarities and differences between European markets, from the use of materials to construction segments.

The market for curtain walls is difficult to grasp empirically. This makes the presentation on the European market for curtain walls by Dr Frederik Lehner all the more exciting. The founder and CEO of InterConnection Consulting will present the current drivers of the market, analyse the construction environment in Europe and finally talk about the development and trends of the curtain wall market,

interconnectionconsulting.com/

Paul-Rouven Denz studied architecture and urban planning at the University of Stuttgart and E.T.S.A. Madrid, specializing in “resource-efficient construction” and “building construction”. Mr. Denz has gained extensive experience in lighthouse and research projects on sustainability in Germany and abroad and has successfully participated in architecture and innovation competitions. Since 2017, Mr. Denz has also been a PhD student at the TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment, researching “Smart Textile Skins” for material and energy efficient building envelopes.

From 2014, Paul-Rouven Denz built up the research and development department at Priedemann Facade Experts with a focus on new facade technologies, materials, systems and planning processes. Since January 2022, Denz has been Head of Projects and authorized signatory for the entire operational business of Priedemann Fassadenberatung GmbH and Facade-Lab GmbH, including R&D.

https://priedemann.net/

After training as an architect and urban planner at RWTH Aachen University, Andreas Bittis worked as an editor for ARCH+ and as a freelance journalist for various architecture magazines. He then worked in various architectural firms such as Rhinescheme (Beijing), ingenhoven architects (Düsseldorf, Sydney, Singapore) and Eller + Eller Architekten (Düsseldorf, Berlin, Moscow), to name but a few, as a project manager in various fields.

In 2012, he joined Saint-Gobain Building Glass as Architectural Specification Manager, where he not only advises architects and façade planners, but also on topics such as sustainability and BIM. In 2015, he joined the German marketing team as Product Manager for all coated glass and as Market Manager for glass façade projects. In 2018, Andreas moved to the central marketing team, Business Unit Facade, as International Market Manager in Paris. Since 2022, he has been Marketing Director responsible for iWin® – glass as a data carrier – the only REAL digital twin.

https://www.saint-gobain.com/fr

External, rigid, or controllable sun protection and facade systems made of glass, alternatively constructed with metal, plastic, or textile covering, are part of Colt International’s product portfolio. They enhance modern facade architecture in conjunction with structural sun protection.

Jürgen Radlspöck demonstrates how the use of curtain facades with glass louvers, as fixed or sun-tracking sun protection, sometimes equipped with photovoltaic technology, transforms a facade into a dynamic building envelope. This not only becomes a crucial part of building energy management with high energy efficiency but also highlights aesthetic elements to the fullest.

COLT has been a specialist for innovations in the fields of ventilation, heating, air conditioning, preventive fire protection, sun protection and daylight technology since 1931. The aim is to create solutions that make new buildings and renovation projects safer, more pleasant, more beautiful and more economical.

www.colt‑info.de

In their presentation, Helena Feldmann-Fischer and Martin Bachem, both partners at O&O Baukunst, illustrate how the visionary facade should look from an architectural perspective and how new technologies ideally align with architectural requirements.

O&O Baukunst is managed by the architects Roland Duda, Christian Heuchel, Florian Matzker, Markus Penell together with Laurids Ortner and Manfred Ortner. The demands on the joint architecture have grown with the size of the tasks. The conditions of European architecture are in the foreground, which may unite the historical heritage with the requirements of renewal in an attractive form.

The art gallery O&O Depot in Berlin, initiated by the partners, with exhibitions by independent artists: crossing the no man’s land between art and architecture again and again and bringing suggestions that can be used as concepts in the buildings.

In 2020, Laurids Ortner & Manfred Ortner were awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize, the highest distinction in the Republic of Austria, for their outstanding artistic life’s work.

ortner-ortner.com/