Maximilian Nagel, a student at Prof. Kay Smarsly’s Institute B-1 (IDAC), and his team won all three challenges – Sustainability, Technology and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) – at the 33rd “AEC Global Teamwork” competition at Stanford University in 2026.*
As part of the international project course “AEC Global Teamwork” at Stanford University, students from the TUHH and other universities develop their skills in digital construction planning and interdisciplinary collaboration. The course, organised by the Project-Based Learning Laboratory under the direction of Dr Renate Fruchter in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, brings together students from architecture, structural engineering, mechanical engineering and construction management in cross-national teams. Each team virtually plans and builds a university building as part of a campus expansion. In doing so, they take into account real-world constraints such as building requirements, local climatic factors and material availability. They are supported by experienced industry mentors and an owner team of alumni, who act as the client. The division into two on-campus phases at Stanford University, with a remote phase in between, encourages collaboration across different time zones and cultures and simulates real-world global project conditions. Initially, the teams develop various architectural and structural design alternatives, which are then consolidated into a final solution. The course concludes with a final Spring presentation and a 20-minute pitch presentation in front of mentors, students and guests. A key component of the course is the use of state-of-the-art digital tools such as BIM modelling, VR-supported coordination and AI-based applications. In Construction Management, methods such as construction scheduling, Target Value Design (TVD) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) are employed. In addition, the teams compete against one another in three annual challenges – Sustainability, Technology and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) – which are sponsored and supported by industry partners. The winning teams are thus recognised for their technical excellence and outstanding interdisciplinary teamwork. In 2026, the projects were assessed by an international panel of experts under the annual theme ‘Building Sustainable Tomorrow Byte-by-Byte Space-by-Space: a Blueprint for Transformative Education’. For a team to win all three challenges at once is an absolute rarity! The School for Civil and Environmental Engineering had provided financial support for Maximilian Nagel’s two stays at Stanford (California) and congratulates him on this outstanding success.
Further information on AEC Global Teamwork is available on the IDAC institute website.
*(AEC = Architecture, Engineering, Construction)
