Floating structures for climate change

Dr. Thi Thu Trang Nguyen often visited the floating villages near her Vietnamese hometown of Hai Phong as a child. The unique architecture of the floating houses, the lifestyle of the water dwellers and the peaceful life in nature formed a harmonious image that has remained in her mind ever since. In 2014, when it was decided by the Vietnamese government that the floating villages in Vietnam's famous Halong Bay would be demolished, she was dismayed. "As an architect, I wanted to help protect and develop the floating villages. So I decided to study floating architecture in Vietnam as the topic of my doctoral thesis," Thu Trang recalls. She found a suitable partner in the Institute for Floating Structures at the BTU and committed advisors for her project in Prof. Ilija Vukorep and Prof. Horst Stopp.

Thi Thu Trang came to Cottbus with her husband and child in 2015 on a scholarship. During the early days, it wasn't always easy: "My daughter was six months old when I started my dissertation at the BTU. She was often sick at first, and then it was difficult for me to work," Thi Thu Trang recalls. One of the things that helped her was the support program for foreign female doctoral students. "The BTU's equal opportunities office gave me a lot of support, not only financially but also mentally. They helped me overcome many problems that arose during my doctorate."

After successfully completing her doctorate, Thi Thu Trang was awarded the Max Grünebaum Prize 2021 for her outstanding scientific achievements. Today, she is working on a joint research project between Vietnam and Germany to develop and manufacture hybrid floating platforms consisting of wood-concrete composite structures. She would like to continue working on research topics on architectural and technical innovations for climate change adaptation. Thi Thu Trang believes that floating architecture can play an important role worldwide as an alternative form of housing to adapt to climate change and social change: "Instead of tearing down, we should continue to develop floating architecture based on the potential it has."