This year’s student excursion organised by the KIT Timber Structures and Building Construction took us to the Hamburg metropolitan region. During the trip, we gained fascinating insights into a wide range of topics in structural engineering, as well as into current construction projects in the region.

The excursion kicked off on the day of arrival with a visit to WTM Engineers, who presented some of their projects in Hamburg’s HafenCity as well as the plans for the new U5 underground line. The following day, we were able to visit a section of the U5 construction site in person, gaining a practical insight into the implementation of one of Germany’s largest infrastructure projects.

The following items on the programme focused entirely on timber construction. First, we visited the Schütt factory, where we gained interesting insights into the manufacture and construction of modern timber structures.

On the third day of the excursion, the trip took us to Wismar to visit the EGGER factory. There, we learnt about the production and processing of modern wood-based materials. After returning to Hamburg, we visited the construction site of an innovative zero-emission building using a hybrid timber construction method in HafenCity.

The excursion concluded on the day of departure with a visit to the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). An exciting tour of the Port of Hamburg gave us the opportunity to gain a comprehensive insight into the infrastructure of one of Europe’s largest seaports.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the companies and staff who welcomed us and guided us through their facilities and projects. We would also like to thank all the participating students, whose motivation, interest and thirst for knowledge contributed significantly to the success of the excursion.

This year, KIT Timber Structures and Building Construction once again organised a student's excursion. We visited some fascinating companies and projects in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland:

• Factory tour at SWG Schraubenwerk Gaisbach
• Restoration of the historic roof structure at Neresheim Monastery
• Restoration of the King Ludwig Bridge in Kempten
• ReSidence Pavilion and viewing tower at the State Garden Show in Wangen
• LTW Intralogistics and Doppelmayr cable car systems in Wolfurt, Austria
• New riding hall in the mountain village of Ebnit, Austria
• Factory tour at Holzbau Blumer Lehmann in Gossau, Switzerland
• Site tour of the ‘Hortus’ construction project in Basel/Allschwil, Switzerland

We would like to thank all the companies and staff who welcomed us and showed us round, and all the students whose enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge played a key role in making the field trip a success.