Prof. Dr. Dr. E.h. Dr. h.c. Werner Sobek studied architecture and structural engineering at the University of Stuttgart where he also received his doctoral degree in 1987. Since 1994 he is professor at the University of Stuttgart, where he founded the ILEK in 2000. From 2017 until 2020 he was chairman of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1244 on “Adaptive Building Skins and Structures”. His research encompasses all aspects of a sustainable built environment: build emission-free for more people and with less material. Werner Sobek initiated and headed several non-profit initiatives such as the aed e.V. and is the founder of a globally active planning office with more than 350 employees. The company processes all types of buildings and materials. Werner Sobek was awarded several prizes for his work such as the Fritz-Leonhardt-Prize. He also received an honorary doctorate from the Universities of Technology of Dresden and Graz.