10 Quick Questions for Bastian Kuhn | Support Engineer

1. Who are you?

My name is Bastian Kuhn.

2. What education do you have, and how did you come to Dlubal Software?

After graduating from high school, I did an apprenticeship as a carpenter. During my apprenticeship, I realized that I would like to continue my academic education, so I started studying timber engineering in 2004. I completed it in 2008. Before I started to work at Dlubal Software, I worked for a company near Stuttgart, where I also wrote my graduation thesis. My task was calculating punched metal plate fasteners; that is, long-span structures.

I joined Dlubal Software in March 2008. While working at Dlubal Software, I realized that my studies in timber construction were a good foundation, but the work for Dlubal Software requires a higher theoretical approach. Therefore, I started my Master's degree in structural engineering at the University of Hannover in 2013, which I completed in 2017.

3. What are your tasks?

I am mainly responsible for customer support at Dlubal Software and am currently doing many presentations, training sessions, and demonstrations of our new program, RFEM 6. I also perform checks and tests for timber structures; for example, for our new Multi-Layer Surfaces add-on and the brand new Building Model add-on.

The Multi-Layer Surfaces add-on is intended for multilayer surfaces, meaning primarily for cross-laminated timber structures. In the past 10 to 15 years, this has revolutionized timber construction. We have had a lot of work with it and developed a lot for this program. This is a very exciting task.

I am also involved in the development of the RX‑TIMBER programs. Just yesterday, I had a consultation with an English office. They use RX‑TIMBER to calculate not only simple, but also complex structures. I check these structures together with our programmers and analysts in development, for example.

4. What do you look forward to when you come into work in the morning?

When you come here, it is never the same. Especially when working in the support area, I receive, for example, the question "How do I calculate the foundation for a strip foundation of spring XY?" I'm not 100 percent involved in that either, so I have to think about it again for a while. This is an example of how it is never the same.

At the same time, if I do anything in the field of timber construction, I can completely sink my teeth into it and fully immerse myself in the subject matter. Therefore, the work is varied, but I can still go into a theoretical depth that I would not often have been able to do in the engineering office before.

5. What excites you about construction/BIM/structural engineering in general?

Here, we are again in the realm of practice. I think it's good that I come up with a structure where I calculate, for example, a composite timber‑concrete floor, and there I have different stress states and then the structure is built. That it fits, for example, with regard to vibrations, and so on.

Or you've developed a program and then you see that it's being used successfully in complex projects.

6. What has been your best experience so far?

I have to say that when looking back over the last year or two, it is definitely the development of the training courses for timber structures together with my colleague, Gerhard Rehm, which were mostly accepted very well.

There were one or two training sessions that went really well. Everyone was impressed. There were many questions. There were several nice experiences, but this was the best I have experienced lately.

7. What is your hobby? How can it be combined with your job?

Woodworking. Carpentry may be an exaggeration, but I have a small hobby workshop where I do both larger and smaller woodworking projects. It's easy to combine with my job, but these are things I do completely in my free time. It has nothing to do with my job, except that both have something to do with wood.

8. What advice would you give to young people for the future?

What I also found later during my studies is that you'd better set yourself up broadly while you're studying. Don't get too specific, because that will come later in the job anyway, so you'll be more enthusiastic about it.

It was clear to me even during my studies that I was more interested in structural/mechanical engineering and that building physics was not as interesting to me now. Hydraulic engineering and foundation engineering are also subjects that just didn't interest me as much. I would have preferred to be a bit more broadly based and be able to take myself along a bit more.

You should definitely try to get a lot of insight into practice during your studies and afterwards, of course. We often have young colleagues here on the hotline who are relatively fresh from their studies. At that point, they don't even understand what structures really mean. I didn't know that either, after graduation. That's very clear, that's why you also learn that.

I would compare it to a driver's license. If you have a driver's license, it doesn't mean you can drive a car. So you also have to get started first and disassemble a structure and pick it to pieces. That's something you should definitely work on. Then the circle is closed again. You should look broadly, so you don't just see an individual area, but the whole structure or whatever you're planning.

9. What is your favorite building?

It is the Kilden Performing Arts Center in Norway. In terms of load-bearing capacity, this is not as spectacular as in terms of timber construction. There is a steel/concrete cantilever behind it. But the entire structure is so complex in the preliminary design and prefabrication.

It was also calculated by our software at Blumer Lehmann in Switzerland. That's where I was able to follow it a little. I didn't do any planning for it, but look at how it all works. The Design to Production office also participated in the planning at that time. You have a straight edge at the top and then it unwinds to make it a much larger shape. Each board had to be tapered and milled. I think it's absolutely fascinating to get something like that done in prefabrication. That's why it's my favorite structure, even though it's not that demanding in terms of structural analysis.