STUVA news
In October 2010, Professor Alfred Haack celebrated his 70th birthday. His name is inseparably linked with STUVA, the Research Association for Underground Transportation Facilities. Professor Haack began working for STUVA in 1967, became a director in 1977 and was a Managing Director from 1995 to 2007 (Fig. 1).
We may not know whether he arrived in the world already equipped with such energy and enthusiasm, but we do know that 70 years of Haack have resulted in 43 years of indefatigable activity on behalf of STUVA, including almost three years on a freelance basis since his retirement. In recent years, the most important stages of his professional career have been described in detail in various places and on various occasions: on his 60th birthday, for example, in tunnel 7/2000, on his 65th birthday in tunnel 7/2005, and in tunnel 3/2007 on the occasion of his celebrating 40 years of service to the company. To mark his farewell in 2007, a special edition was published, with anecdotes and brief stories which revealed a little of Professor Haack’s private side. His departure was also marked by a report which appeared in tunnel 1/2008 under the title “Eine Ära geht zu Ende” (“End of an Era”). The author may well have thought this would be the logical outcome of Professor Haack’s relinquishment of his office. But this has not proved to be true. Alfred Haack has continued with his indefatigable commitment, and it was in fact clear to everyone who really knew him that this was not a man who could ever be reduced to mere “retirement”. Although Dr. Roland Leucker, as the new Managing Director, has taken over leadership of STUVA, there is still plenty for Professor Haack to do to support him. All around the globe, people are still asking for him to apply the knowledge he has accumulated over decades. But, these days, Alfred Haack is more likely to be found disseminating his knowledge in seminars or lectures. Invitations come to him from all over the world and he is always keen to ensure that those present receive information about the latest STUVA activities.
The Board of Directors, the STUVA team and the STUVAtec team would like to offer their wholehearted congratulations to Professor Haack on this special birthday, and wish him many more years of good health.
Earlier this year, Dr. Helmut Grossmann took retirement after 20 years of employment with STUVA. He graduated in civil engineering from the Technical University of Hanno-ver in July 1971, following which he was Research Asso-ciate at the Institute of Trans-port, Road Engineering and Planning at the TU Hannover until 1975. In 1977 he com-pleted his doctorate there on the subject “Einfluss von P+R-Anlagen auf die Verkehrsauftei-lung und zweckmäßige Lage von P+R-Plätzen” (“The influence of P&R facilities on traffic distribution and the efficacious siting of P&R car parks”). Following an internship with Hannover City Council in the field of urban planning and urban rail networks, he passed the State Examination in 1978 and thus earned the title Con-struction Assessor. From 1978 to 1982 he headed up the Town Planning Office in Rinteln. From there, he moved to the Town Planning Department at Jülich, where he was employed as Technical Assistant Director until 1990 (Fig. 2).
He came to work for STUVA on 1 September 1990. His main fields of activity here have been barrier-free short-distance public transport (SDPT), together with legal issues and cost and economic aspects of SDPT. Dr. Grossmann is the author of numerous research projects, reports and publications in this field: he played a decisive role in the compilation of the book which forms part of the “Blaue Buchreihe” (“Blue Book Series”) put out by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) under the title “Barriere-freier ÖPNV in Deutschland” (“Barrier-free SDPT in Ger-many”), which was edited by STUVA.
Dr. Grossmann is still active in these fields even though he is no longer professionally employed, and he continues to be involved with STUVA in a consultative role on a freelance basis. Recently, for example, he co-authored the Blue Book “Nachhaltiger Nahverkehr – Beiträge des ÖPNV zum Umwelt- und Klimaschutz” (“Sustainable local transport – SDPT’s contribution to environmental and climate protection”), which has just been published. He also brings his competence to important workgroups and standardisation bodies dealing with recommendations and standards for the (far-reaching) barrier-free design of the infrastructure, such as the recent “FGSV-HBVA –Hinweise für barrierefreie Verkehrsanlagen” (“German Road and Transportation Re-search Association: Notes on barrier-free transport systems (FGSV-HBVA)”) and “DIN 18070: Barrierefreies Bauen – Öffentlicher Verkehrs- und Frei-raum” (“DIN 18070: Barrier-free construction – public transport and open space”). Dr. Grossmann is a member of the German Federal Rehabilita-tion Council (BAR) workgroup “Barrier-free Environmental Design” and is one of the founder members of the FGSV working party 2.5.3 on barrier-free transport systems. He is a member of the “European In-stitute Design for All” (“Euro-päischen Institut Design für Alle” – EDAD). In 2009, Dirk Boenke took over as his successor in the SDPT field of work at STUVA.
The STUVA Board of Direc-tors and Managing Directors are grateful to Dr. Grossmann for his long-term commitment to STUVA and give him their best wishes for good health and success in this new phase of his personal and professional life.
In October 2010 Professor Manfred Bandmann gave up his active work as Chairman of the Board of Directors of BG Bau and took retirement. From 2001 to 2009, alongside his main activities, he also sat was on the Board of Directors and Advisory Council of STUVA. In November 2009, to mark his retirement, Professor Band-mann was appointed an honorary member of STUVA. This appointment is an expression of gratitude for his successful work for STUVA over many years. Professor Bandmann has been highly praised for his work on behalf of STUVA, in particular for his concern for occupational safety in underground construction. Many current research projects in this area were initiated by him and were followed through by STUVA with the support of BG Bau.
Through his wider involvement in the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) and in several major EU projects, Professor Bandmann has promoted the work of STUVA energetically. It is not least as a result of his work that occupational safety in underground construction has achieved the high status it deserves. He has made a signi-ficant contribution to protecting the lives and health of those employed in this field. His numerous presentations at STUVA conferences and ITA conventions, together with his booklets and publications, have promulgated the insights he has gained, and have advanced their practical implementation in the construction industry.
The STUVA Board of Direc-tors and Managing Directors would like to give Professor Bandmann their best wishes for his health and personal happiness in this fresh period of his life.
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has set up a new field of collaborative research on the topic of “Interaction Models for Mechanical Tunnel Construction” at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. This joint research project, which includes a total of 14 research projects and is planned over a twelve-year period, will use models to investigate the impact of tunnel construction on the surrounding area and the impact of the geological conditions and the existing infrastructure on the tunnelling process. Potential construction hazards will thus be reliably discerned in advance with the aim of increasing safety and cost effectiveness in tunnel construction.
