Built on IT: These are this year's award winners

The annual competition "Built on IT – Construction Professions with a Future" honors digital and practical solutions from trainees, students, young professionals, and start-ups. The 2026 winners received their awards at digitalBAU in Cologne.

This article is part of the special topic Interesting competitions for craftsmen

For over 20 years the Competition: some RKW Competence Center credentials for digital solutions from trainees, students, young professionals and start-ups. The diversity of the projects demonstrated again this year how the up-and-coming talents from the construction industry the future of the industry with digital methods and artificial intelligence to shape decisively.

"The new award winners impress us with exceptional quality and visionary power in this groundbreaking competition. Their outstanding works provide impetus for Innovation, sustainability and digitalization and are an important engine for the future of the construction industry,” said Jens Nagel, Managing Director of the RKW Competence Center.

Award ceremony at digitalBAU

Cornelia Lutz, Senior Director Exhibitions and project leader is CONSTRUCTION is Messe München, presented the awards together with Ingo Reifgerste, Chairman of the Board of RKW eV, Chairman of the Advisory Board is RG-Bau and Managing Partner is Schleiff Bauflächentechnik GmbH & Co. KG, in front of approximately 220 guests at the digitalBAU – Trade fair for digital solutions in the construction industry – from.

These are the 2026 award winners

The awards were presented in the fields of architecture, civil engineering, construction process management, and crafts and technology. In addition, two special rates awarded: the "Special Start-up Prize" and the prize of Ed. Zueblin AG.

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Craftsmanship and technology
🥇 Annika Hartz, RWTH Aachen University of Technology
➡️ "Deep-learning-based detection of safety features in scaffolding - iPad on-site rule check"

🥈 Loreen Zeisberg, Jade University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg
➡️ "Immersive VR training for reinforcement inspections and multi-user interaction in a CAVE environment" 

🥉 Jonas Rosenow and Jochen Ströhle, Education Center for Timber Construction Baden-Württemberg 
➡️ "kursm.app - Your digital competence repository"

Construction process management
🥇 Eva Heinlein, RWTH Aachen University of Technology
➡️ "Use of Large Language Models using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) for optimized data availability in change order management of construction projects"

🥈 Chantal Michelle Ogrodowitz, Mainz University
➡️"Model-based process control in construction – potential of digitalization in construction project management"

🥉 Svenja Lauble, Karlsruher Institute for Technology (KIT)
➡️ "Evaluation of analytical planning methods to increase the forecast reliability of master schedules in construction projects"

Civil engineering 
🥇 Jascha Len Vent, Darmstadt University of Technology
➡️ "Federal Twin Platform - Holistic monitoring of rail infrastructure through networked digital twins, AI and Structural Health Monitoring (FTP4SHM)" 

🥈 Angelina Aziz, Ruhr-University Bochum
➡️ "Automation of fire protection inspections in buildings through machine learning and BIM integration"

🥉 Florian Noichl, Technical University of Munich
➡️ "Automated methods for creating the digital twin of industrial plants"

architecture
🥇 Juan David Frank and Alfiia Shakuryanova, University of Stuttgart
➡️ "Copilot for constraint-driven generation of architectural design evaluation and suggestions - Copilot für die zustandungsgesteuerte Generierung von Architekturentwurfsbewertungs und -sprüche"

🥈 Clara Blum, Laura Marsillo and Gonzalo Muñoz Guerrero, University of Stuttgart
➡️ "Reclaimed Design - An availability-oriented design methodology for reclaimed lumber" 

🥉 Regine Stammermann, Magnus Huber and Julius Hach, Technical University of Munich
➡️ "Next Use - Tooling Urban Futures: Data-driven tool for the reuse of department store properties" 

Special prize for start-ups
🏆 Lukas Geirhos and Lidia Grigoriev, kibaudi, Bobingen
➡️ "kibaudi - AI assistants for accelerating building permit processing in building authority offices"

Special prize Ed. Züblin AG
🏆 Yasmin Ragab, RWTH Aachen University of Technology
➡️ "AI-supported automation of cost group classification in BIM processes"

Further information about the outstanding young talents and their work can be found in a Brochure for the 2026 competition, which can be accessed or ordered via the RKW Competence Center. Click here for the award winners' brochure.

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About the competition and the RKW Competence CenterThe competition "Built on IT – Construction professions with a future" of the RKW Competence Center is under the patronage some Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and was Launched in 2002It is supported by the social partnerships of the construction industry and backed by numerous sponsors and media partners. The competition is organized and professionally supervised by RG-Bau at the RKW Competence Center.

All further information about the RKW Competence Center can be found here.Source: RKW Competence CenterDHB now also digital!Simply click here and register for the digital German Crafts Journal (DHB)!