On Tuesday, 10.06.2025, the master’s degree students of the Civil Engineering – Construction in Existing Contexts degree program organized the 5th Geotechnics Forum in the Mainz University of Applied Sciences auditorium as part of the Geotechnics 3 module under the direction of Prof. Dr. Kluge . A large audience listened to the introductory remarks by Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Lüer and Maike Feddern from the RLP Chamber of Engineers. The students arranged for three companies to give specialized lectures. The event was aimed at students, interested individuals and lecturers in the Department of Construction and Environment.
The first of the presentations was given by the company Frank GmbH with its two speakers Mr. Naumann and Mr. Steinbeck on the topic of Geotextile – Alternativen zu konventionellen Bauweisen (Geotextiles – alternatives to conventional construction methods). Using various experiments in soil stabilization measures, they demonstrated the different geo-construction materials to the students in a practical approach. The experiments were linked to regional real-life examples in the form of the soil reinforcement of the bridge structure at Frankfurt Airport.
In the second lecture, Mr. Caspers, Mr. Bucak, and Mr. Füll from Deutsche Schraubfundament GmbH presented the topic Das Schraubfundament: Geotechnische Innovationen für effiziente und nachhaltige Fundamentierung (Screw foundations: Geotechnical innovations for efficient and sustainable foundations). The screw foundation was presented to the students as an alternative to conventional concrete foundations and explained using the practical example of the Interim School in Mainz-Mombach.
The lectures were completed with a talk by the company Stapf und Sturny GmbH with lecturer Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. (FH) Christian Stapf on the subject of Kampfmittel und Geotechnik: Anforderungen und Vorgehen bei Baugrunduntersuchungen (Explosive ordnance and geotechnics: requirements and procedures for construction land investigations). In addition to a historical review of the city of Mainz, the procedure in the event of suspected explosive ordnance was explained and illustrated using practical examples. The highlight was an aerial bomb from World War II brought along by the speaker. The audience showed enormous interest and a lively round of questions followed.
Following the talks, the speakers and students had the opportunity to engage in conversation in the university auditorium. Ample food and drinks were provided. The Geotechnics 3 master’s class would like to thank the sponsors Gemünden, Sonntag, Karrié, Geolink, and the RLP Chamber of Engineers for making this event possible.
