A strong-as-steel collaboration between University and ArcelorMittal

Esch-sur-Alzette, February 13, 2023 – Building upon foundations forged more than 10 years ago, the University of Luxembourg and ArcelorMittal Foundation Luxembourg have agreed to extend their collaboration until 2025, through the ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction. A signature ceremony was organised on 13 February 2023 with Prof. Jens Kreisel, Rector of the University of Luxembourg, Prof. Christoph Odenbreit, holder of the ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction, Prof. Olivier Vassart, CEO Steligence©, Nicoleta Popa, Head of ArcelorMittal Global R&D Construction applications, Infrastructures and Long Products, and Pascal Moisy, Head of Communications & CSR of ArcelorMittal.

The ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction was created in 2010 by ArcelorMittal and the University of Luxembourg for education, research. The Chair is held by Prof. Christoph Odenbreit, Professor in Steel and Composite Structures at the University of Luxembourg. Its focus is to investigate the steel construction of tomorrow for high-performance buildings and construction techniques, developing new structures and design rules for innovative steel and steel composite construction. A strong emphasis lies on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by means of circular economy in construction and improvement of sustainability with the development of green solutions.

Over the past decade, the Chair of Steel Construction has achieved numerous successes. At the FNR Awards 2022, Prof. Christoph Odenbreit received an Outstanding Mentor award. In 2020, Dr. Maciej Chrzanowski received an FNR Award for his outstanding PhD thesis ‘Shear Transfer in Heavy Steel-Concrete Composite Columns with Multiple Encased Steel Profiles’. In 2019, Dr. Valentino Vigneri was recognised with an award for his paper ‘Different load bearing mechanisms in headed stud shear connections for composite beams with profiled steel sheeting’ during the Nordic Steel Construction Conference, and Dr. Andras Kozma presented his findings on circular construction in a TEDx talk of University of Luxembourg. At the Luxembourg’s Pavillon of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Chair promoted a future vision of modular, circular, standardised steel solutions leveraging Digital Twin technologies. These scientific findings have recently been applied in the Pavilion “Petite Maison” (https://petitemaison.lu/), which is a University of Luxembourg contribution to Esch2022 - European Capital of Culture initiative, and which can still be visited at the Campus Belval.

The Chair has also substantially contributed towards the elaboration of European standards in the field of steel and composite structures. In particular, the team, which consists of four senior researchers since the Chair was established (Oliver Hechler, Renata Obiala, Matthias Braun and Jie Yang) and 14 doctoral researchers, has been actively involved in the revision of Eurocode 4 ‘Design of composite steel and concrete structure’.

“This third extension of the collaboration between ArcelorMittal and the University will empower the Chair to bind research and real-world solutions in three axis: a further development of constructional steel solutions towards sustainability and zero carbon emission by circular economy, an exploration of timber as a partner for efficient and green steel structures, and further committee work and involvement in the European standards development in the European Committees like CEN and ECCS - especially at the intersection between constructional and environmental concerns”, said Prof. Christoph Odenbreit.

For Mr Michel Wurth, Chairman of ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, "the proximity between the academic and business worlds is a source of mutual enrichment. The fruitful cooperation between ArcelorMittal, through the ArcelorMittal Foundation Luxembourg, and the University for more than 10 years illustrates this perfectly. The exchanges between the ArcelorMittal and Prof. Odenbreit's teams allow us to imagine the buildings of tomorrow, that steel will help to make more efficient in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability.

"Over the last decade, the collaboration between ArcelorMittal and the University of Luxembourg has been very valuable, both on the scientific level, with numerous research projects that have led to new solutions in construction and new European regulations, and on the human level with intense exchanges between our research teams and those of the University. Five doctors and post-doctoral students from the Chair are currently working in various departments of the ArcelorMittal group, a fine illustration of the links that unite us”, explained Prof. Olivier Vassart, CEO Steligence©.

“I wish to thank ArcelorMittal for their continued commitment to the research and teaching activities of the ArcelorMittal Chair of Steel Construction”, said Prof. Jens Kreisel, the Rector of the University of Luxembourg. “The Chair reflects the vision of the University of Luxembourg: to respond to the needs of society by contributing to the societal, cultural, technological, and economic development. We are proud of the achievements of the Chair, whose cutting-edge research contributes to make steel construction ever more re-usable and sustainable.”

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Copyright : © University of Luxembourg

Contact University of Luxembourg : Raphaël CAYROL, Communication Officer – Press Relations, T. (+352) 46 66 44 9451, E. raphael.cayrol@uni.lu

Contact ArcelorMittal : Pascal MOISY, Head of Communications & CR, T. (+352) 47 92 28 59, E. Pascal.Moisy@arcelormittal.com