(L-R) Steffen Holzbau team; Thierry Flies, President of INGSCI; Credit: INGSCI

On Tuesday 21 October 2025, the Ingénieurs et Scientifiques du Luxembourg asbl (INGSCI) awarded the Grand Prix in Engineering Sciences / Prix Armand Delvaux to Steffen Holzbau from Grevenmacher for the development of a pre-stressed wood-concrete composite beam (HBV beam).

The aim of the project is to combine the advantages of timber construction, such as its sustainability, fast construction process and dry handling, with the strengths of other building materials, thereby optimising the load-bearing capacity and benefits of wooden construction.

The award-winning company was represented by its managing directors, Stephan Hostert and Mark Weber, as well as the development team consisting of Thomas Lambert, Marcel Burelbach, Timo Gansen and Dirk Berg.

The Prix Armand Delvaux carries an endowment of €10,000.

The jury was chaired by Pierre Seck and included Jacques Hoffmann, Jean-Marie Dubois and Matthias Brunner, under the supervision of Thierry Flies, who did not take part in the voting.

Thierry Flies, President of the INGSCI, commented: “The HBV concept is a fine illustration of what innovation can bring to construction: it combines technical performance and sustainability in an intelligent way. It’s an approach that shows that wood, when combined with concrete, can reach an impressive level of reliability and comfort. And ultimately, it’s proof that engineering and sustainability can go hand in hand, serving an architecture that is both modern and responsible.”

Other finalists for the 2025 edition included CRAB, Datathings, Fernand Scholzen and Luxscan.

The Prix Armand Delvaux is named after its benefactor, who passed away in 1998. His wife, Nicky Delvaux-Halbwild, wished to honour his memory through this donation. The INGSCI (non-profit organisation for engineers and scientists) is responsible for organising the competition.

The prize is awarded every two years. A new call for candidates will be launched at the end of next year.

EO

(Pictured: Steffen Holzbau HBV Beam)