For over 65 years, Weimar has been a centre for building materials research and teaching in Germany. The foundation for this was laid by the civil engineer Friedrich August Finger, who became Professor of "Building Materials Science, Civil Engineering and Statics" at the former college in Weimar in 1944. It is thanks to him that a Faculty of Building Materials Science and Technology was founded in 1953. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Friedrich-August-Finger-Bau was erected for the faculty at Coudraystraße 11.
Building materials teaching and research at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar are currently represented by the F. A. Finger Institute for Building Materials Science, which was founded in 1995 by Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Jochen Stark and, under his significant influence, has developed into one of the most nationally and internationally renowned institutes for building materials. In 2012, together with Bernd Wicht, he traced the history of building materials engineering in Weimar.
Following Professor Stark’s retirement, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Horst-Michael Ludwig took over as Head of the Institute on 1 November 2009 and, at the same time, as Head of the Chair of Construction Materials. Since 1 April 2026, Dr Alexander Flohr has been acting head of the Chair of Construction Chemistry and Polymer Materials, which is also based at the FIB. Since 1 January 2024, the Junior Professorship in Materials Mechanics, headed by Junior Professor Luise Göbel, has been part of the Institute.
At the FIB, basic research as well as applied research and development are carried out in the fields of building materials, refurbishment and recycling, with a focus on cement, mortar, concrete, gypsum, polymers and timber.
The high scientific calibre of the research findings is evident in hundreds of publications and the International Conference on Building Materials (ibausil), which takes place every three years. As currently the largest institute at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, the FIB employs around 70 staff members.
