The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded the 2023 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize to Prof. Achim Menges, head of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction at the University of Stuttgart. The award, which is endowed with EUR 2.5 million, is considered by many the most important research prize in Germany. Menges is being honored for his interdisciplinary research on digital planning methods and robotic manufacturing processes for construction, both of which make building more resource-efficient and sustainable.

“We warmly congratulate Professor Achim Menges on the prestigious Leibniz Prize and are quite proud to have such an outstanding pioneer of architecture at our university,” says Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Rectorate of the University of Stuttgart. “With his work, Achim Menges exemplifies our vision of ‘Intelligent Systems for a Sustainable Society’ in architecture and construction. He takes an interdisciplinary approach to researching novel and sustainable construction methods and has established numerous bridges to other departments. These are bundled in our Cluster of Excellence ‘Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture’ (IntCDC). Without Achim Menges, IntCDC would not exist.”

About the Leibniz Prize

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the most important research award in Germany. The aim of the Leibniz Program, which was established in 1985, is to improve the working conditions of outstanding scientists, to expand their research opportunities, and to relieve them of administrative workloads as well as to facilitate the employment of particularly qualified scientists. The award is endowed with up to EUR 2.5 million.