Axel Paulus

Axel Paulus, born 1971, is senior scientist at the Chair of Architecture and the Building Process at ETH Zurich. In his role as director, he is combining and integration research, teaching and practice with the aim of allowing each of these aspects to inform each other, thus creating a holistic feedback cycle which aims result in new insight. Axel has studied architecture twice: at ETH Zurich’s Department of Architecture (dipl. Arch. ETH, Switzerland 2002) and at the University of Applied Sciences’ Faculty of Building and Design in Kaiserslautern (Dipl.-Ing. FH, Germany 1998).

Axel pays attention to the attitude and skills of all major stakeholders involved in the design and building process who are in the construction and the real estate sectors. Organisational forms, socio-economic perspectives, service models and consultants’ fees are his primary research interests. Additionally, he incorporates leadership theory and futurology into his academic world view. Axel teaches students of architecture and civil engineering in several courses which are directly dealing with the design and building process and leads continuing education programmes (Master of Advanced Studies as well as Certificate of Advanced Studies) in the fields of leadership, entrepreneurship, (post-) digitalisation, strategy planning, and the real estate market. He supervises students and PhD candidates in their academic work, promotes engagement and partnership with third parties, and adjudicates in mandates, reports, workshops and mediation processes, particular converning issuesrelated to architecture, the construction sector, design quality, competition, consultants’ fees, and organisational forms.

His academic advisory council mandate at the University of Stuttgart (Germany), his lectureships Leadership in Architecture at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio (Switzerland), Attitude and Practice at the University of Stuttgart (Germany), and Leadership, Processes and Entrepreneurship at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (Spain) are extra-curricular activities. He also gave annuall lectures at the Southeast University in Nanjing (China).

Axel is a registered member of the Foundation of the Swiss Registers of the Professionals in the Subjects of Engineering, Architecture and Environment (REG A) and the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA). He was president of the Society of Management and Building Economy (maneco), formerly known as the Association suisse pour l'Economie de la Construction (AEC). He is also a member of several think tanks and regulatory commissions.