On the second day of EXPO REAL, EBZ Business School (FH) honoured six of its graduates for outstanding academic achievements. This recognition underscores the relevance of academic engagement with current social, ecological and economic challenges facing the housing and real estate industry. The awarded Bachelor's and Master's theses analyse specific conflicts of objectives and offer well-founded practical solutions.
Young Talents Award for Bachelor's Theses
The Young Talents Award was presented to three graduates whose Bachelor's theses each received the top grade of 1.0. The works focus on issues of immediate importance for housing companies and cooperatives, ranging from aspects of energy consumption and user behaviour to financial risks and the development of cooperative housing. The awards were presented by prominent industry representatives, including Sun Jensch, Managing Director of DAPB, Franz-Bernd Große-Wilde, Managing Director of Aachener Siedlungs- und Wohnungsgesellschaft, and Alexander Rychter, President of the VdW Rheinland Westfalen association.
- —Sara Broß (Bauverein Wesel AG) examined the influence of resident behaviour on indoor climate and energy consumption, and the role of incentive systems in promoting energy-conscious behaviour, using over 200 datasets.
- —Leon-André Ahrens (Warener Wohnungsgenossenschaften eG) analysed savings institutions of housing cooperatives in the context of the conflict between the cooperative's promotional mandate and financial risks.
- —Robin Esser (Gemeinnütziger Spar- und Bauverein Friemersheim eG) dealt with the transformation of cooperative housing and the importance of co-determination and cooperative values for member loyalty.
Master's Honour with Industry Support
The Master's honour ceremony took place in the afternoon, supported by VIVAWEST for the 13th time. For many years, the housing company has thus contributed to highlighting the academic achievements of junior talent in the industry. The eulogies were delivered by Axel Gedaschko, President of GdW, Alexander Rychter, Association Director of VdW Rheinland Westfalen, and Dirk Salewski, President of BFW, who emphasised the importance of promoting young talent in the real estate sector.
The awarded Master's theses addressed topics such as subsidised housing construction, the energy transformation of commercially used properties, and the long-term cost development of logistics properties, considering increasing sustainability requirements and land scarcity. Svenja Becker (Metropole Immobiliengruppe), the top graduate of her year, analysed the approval processes in publicly subsidised housing construction in North Rhine-Westphalia. Theresa Schmid (Essen Wirtschaft / EWG) examined, using the example of cities in the Ruhr area, which factors make municipal consulting services for the energy transformation of commercially used properties successful. Caroline Keßel (Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben) shed light on the long-term cost development of logistics properties and their dependence on sustainability requirements and land scarcity.
Professor Dr. Daniel Kaltofen, Rector of EBZ Business School and moderator of the honours, highlighted that the topics of the theses reflect the current issues of the housing and real estate industry. He emphasised that the graduates are able to precisely analyse complex conflicts of objectives and derive concrete impulses for practical application, a connection between science and application that is crucial for the industry.
