Aalborg University (AAU)
Civil Engineering, Thomas Manns Vej 23, Building: 1-343
9220 Aalborg Ø
Denmark
Aalborg University (AAU) is a Danish university located mainly in Aalborg, Denmark with campuses also in Esbjerg and Copenhagen. Currently, AAU has approximately 21,606 students and 3,479 employees. AAU focus on an experimental curriculum based on an interdisciplinary basic course with subsequent specialisation; a pedagogical structure based on problem-centred, real-life projects of educational and research relevance – which internationally has become known and recognised as The Aalborg Model. With the problem-based, project-organised model, semesters at AAU are centred around complex real-life problems which students attempt to find answers to in a scientific manner while working together in groups. In February 2007, the foundation of the UICEE Centre for Problem Based Learning (UCPBL) paid recognition to AAU, which subsequently led to the appointment of AAU as UNESCO Chair in problem-based learning.
The laboratories at the Civil Engineering Department in AUU have facilities for static and dynamic tests with structures and structural members; measurement and study of basic properties of concrete constituent materials and fresh, hardening and hardened concrete; geotechnical classification experiments, consolidation and triaxial experiments, test setup with pressure tank for offshore measurements, experiments with bucket foundations and monopiles, geological classification; wave basins and wave and current flumes for coastal engineering and hydraulics research; a sewer monitoring system; examination of air flow and tracer gas distribution in rooms for environmental indoor engineering; various field and laboratory experiments on physical geography, e.g. soil chemical analyses; and equipment and special programmes for collection and processing of traffic data supporting the research areas of the Traffic Research Group.
Prof. Faber has a very valuable industrial experience that mostly originates from participating in projects with COWI (Denmark) and Det Norske Veritas (Norway) and on-going consultancy work through the specialist consulting company Matrisk GmbH of which he is a founding partner since 2001. He has participated in research projects such as KIC RAW MATERIALS (coordinator), Erasmus program ANDROID (international network on disaster resilience) (WP leader), COST actions including E24 (reliability of timber structures), E53, E55 (modelling of the performance of timber structures), C26 (Urban habitat constructions under catastrophic event), TU0601 (robustness of structures) and TU1402, EU-network SAFERELNET (safety and reliability of industrial products, system and structures), and FP7 collaboration project SAFELAND (Living with landslide risk in Europe: assessment, effects of global change, and risk management strategies).
- Baker, J.W., Schubert, M. and Faber, M.H. (2008), ‘On the assessment of robustness’, Structural Safety, 30(3):253-267. [DOI]
- Faber, M.H., and Stewart, M.G. (2003), ‘Risk assessment for civil engineering facilities: critical overview and discussion’, Reliability engineering & system safety, 80(2):173-184. [DOI]
- Straub, D. and Faber, M.H. (2005), ‘Risk based inspection planning for structural systems’, Structural safety, 27(4):335-355. [DOI]
- Schall, G., Faber, M.H. and Rackwitz, R. (1991), ‘The ergodicity assumption for sea states in the reliability estimation of offshore structures’, Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, 113(3):241-246. [DOI]