• Since 2024, a cooperation between the City of Aachen and Aachen University of Applied Sciences has been providing architecture students with a practical experience of the professional field of "building supervision".
• During the two-week elective module, students accompany construction supervision staff and get to know their day-to-day tasks.
• The practical phase in building supervision imparts specialist knowledge of building law, approval procedures and urban development.

Making the professional field of "building supervision" visible and tangible for architecture students: This is the aim of a practical module offered by FH Aachen together with the building inspectorate of the city of Aachen. In this elective module, Bachelor students are given the opportunity to spend two weeks getting to know the work of a building inspector. For the municipal department, it is also an opportunity to present itself to future specialists: a win-win project that will be continued in the coming years.

Architecture studies meet building supervision
Frauke Burgdorff, Head of Urban Development, Construction and Mobility, emphasizes the advantages of the elective module: "A fast, smooth approval process requires two partners: the applicants and the approvers. This training module helps budding architects to understand in practice that a solid building application is the best basis for a safe and swiftly built house." Michael Klee, Head of Building Supervision, adds: "The exchange was extremely valuable for my colleagues and me. The young trainees raised open questions and suggestions that show us how we can make our work more effective and easier to understand."

A varied program
Last year, Lea Frantzen was one of the participants in the first elective module. She gained valuable practical experience at the end of her architecture studies at FH Aachen. She accompanied the work of the building inspectorate, worked on case studies in groups and took part in an excursion to the university hospital. The two weeks gave her the perspective that a degree in architecture also offers a wide range of career prospects within the city administration.

FH Aachen sees the internship as a supplement to teaching, offering students valuable content, particularly on the subject of building law, as well as experience and contacts. The elective module sharpens the future architects' understanding of the processes involved in building supervision, as Professor Stine Kolbert, module supervisor at FH Aachen, explains. The participants present their experiences to their fellow students at the end of the practical period, who are often amazed at the wide range of tasks involved in building supervision. At the end, reflection discussions take place between the students, the city administration and FH Aachen. These form the basis on which the program is improved each year.

The work of the building inspectorate
Is a building still stable? Is fire protection guaranteed, for example, are there escape stairs? Have any unauthorized buildings been built? The building inspectorate takes care of this and much more. It monitors compliance with public regulations during the construction, modification, demolition, change of use, utilization and maintenance of structural facilities. It checks the legal planning requirements of a building project. The prevention of threats to public safety and order is also a major part of its work. Cooperation between the individual specialist departments also plays a major role. The so-called ancillary building law places further requirements on construction, such as monument and immission protection and road and environmental law.

The day-to-day work of the building inspectorate is characterized by a wide variety of applications that have to be carefully examined and processed. The employees of the building inspectorate process 800 to 1,000 applications per year in the area of approvals for the construction and/or use of buildings; this does not include other (approval) procedures. This makes the recruitment of young specialists all the more important.

Lea Frantzen is convinced that the practical module is of great benefit to all architecture students. "I would also recommend it to students who want to work in an architecture firm after graduation, for example. The module strengthens their understanding of the processes within building supervision and at the same time gives them the opportunity to gain insights behind the scenes. This made it clear how complex certain application procedures are and which aspects are also important for architects." She enjoyed her time at the building inspectorate so much that she subsequently took up a part-time job there and began the course to become a senior building inspector in May 2025. Over the course of 14 months, she received practical training and additional theoretical instruction at the Düsseldorf Study Institute - primarily on topics relating to construction and administrative law. Why did she stay in construction supervision? "I particularly liked the unexpected variety of the job. You constantly have to adapt to new situations and at the same time gain direct insights into the development of a city."

Further information: www.aachen.de/bauaufsicht

Training and career opportunities at the City of Aachen, including in the area of building supervision: https://karriere.aachen.de