Standing Ovation for Werner Sobek
“We need to build for more people with love and dedication, with less material, without emissions.” With these words, our company founder Werner Sobek concluded his farewell lecture on 25 May 2023 in front of more than 900 enthusiastic listeners at the University of Stuttgart – after more than three decades of research and teaching at universities in Europe, Asia and America.
After words of welcome from Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel, the architect Christoph Ingenhoven, a long-time friend and companion of Werner Sobek, spoke first. He not only described the numerous joint projects, but also praised the extraordinary precision in all of Werner Sobek’s work. “You defined the field of your activity in a completely different way – as working on the question of how engineers and architects can work honestly, with conviction and with a clear conscience”, Christoph Ingenhoven summarised what distinguishes our company founder in his eyes.
Afterwards, the Minister President of the State of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, thanked our company founder for his tireless commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change. “The central task we currently have is to do everything in our power to take action against the man-made climate crisis”. He was therefore grateful, said the Baden-Württemberg state premier, to have Werner Sobek as an external advisor to his team of experts.
At the farewell lecture itself, our company founder once again succeeded in captivating the audience with the results of his decades of research. He emphasised that “sounding out the future through interdisciplinary work” is necessary for change in the building industry, as at the ILEK (Institute for Lightweight Design and Construction) he founded at the University of Stuttgart. After about 90 minutes, Werner Sobek said goodbye to the stage for the last time as a lecturer to a standing ovation.
Photos: René Müller / Michaela Weißhappel
