Prof. Hermann Kaufmann began teaching in the 1995/96 winter semester as a lecturer in timber construction at the Liechtenstein Engineering School, the predecessor institution of the University of Liechtenstein. In 1998 and 2000, he held guest professorships at Graz University of Technology and the University of Ljubljana. In April 2002 he was appointed a full professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Munich, where he was in charge of the newly established department “Design and Timber Construction” at the “Institute for Building Technology and Design”.
His professorship was considered to be one of the first scientific research and training institutions on the subject of timber construction and timber architecture at a university worldwide. Hermann Kaufmann led and shaped the department for over 20 years. In addition to teaching and the TUM.wood association founded in 2013, he and his team were also responsible for relevant research projects and publications. The central topic of his work has always been surrounding what contributions can the biogenic building material timber make in resource optimisation in construction and also the creation of healthy living environments with high architectural and building culture qualities.
The ‘TUM DesignBuild’ project was a particular interest of his. It offers students the opportunity to act in a global context and to design, plan and implement socially committed projects in cooperation with the department’s team. So far, 14 projects with a focus in Africa have already been implemented.
In April 2021, the ‘Design and Timber Construction’ department will be superseded by the ‘Architecture and Timber Construction’ department, headed by Prof. Stephan Birk.