Area 5
Corporate Citizenship
- Sponsoring Bauhaus and modern architecture
- Systematically promoting education and supporting young talent
- Assuming social responsibility
As a corporate citizen, HOCHTIEF not only promotes environmental sustainability but also embraces social and community responsibility wherever we are at work. In line with the sponsoring directive we developed in 2007, our efforts focus chiefly on Bauhaus and modern architecture. Our second focal point in this directive is promoting education and training initiatives for teens and adults. We normally concentrate on locations where the company is doing business. If emergency help is required after a disaster or other unforeseen event, we are there to lend a hand. It also goes without saying that we choose local subcontractors and staff for our projects.
We are proud that many of our employees share HOCHTIEF’s convictions and act accordingly. They actively support social, community and charity issues outside the workplace and take responsibility—a mindset that carries over into the company and enriches our corporate culture.
Sponsoring Bauhaus and modern architecture
The Bauhaus school of art and architecture, to which HOCHTIEF has always felt a connection, is the focus of our sponsorship.*
HOCHTIEF’s sponsorship of modern architecture doesn’t stop at Germany’s borders. Our American subsidiary Turner, for example, endows the annual Henry C. Turner Prize. Named after the company’s founder, this prize has been awarded by the National Building Museum in Washington since 2002 to recognize outstanding innovations in construction technology. The 2008 recipient was Charles H. Thornton, founder of the ACE Mentor Program** and cofounder of the international engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti.
Commitment to the 2010 European Capital of Culture
Essen and the Ruhr region have been selected as the RUHR.2010 European Capital of Culture. A wealth of initiatives, projects and events throughout the cultural capital year are designed to make the Ruhr region better known and illustrate how the structural change in the region was successfully managed. Our company’s headquarters have been in Essen since the 1930s. We have joined many other German companies in supporting the cultural capital initiative. HOCHTIEF is a sponsor and technical manager of the RUHR.2010 European Capital of Culture. As such, we have allocated the services of two HOCHTIEF Facility Management project managers to the organizational team for over a year, to contribute their event-related technical expertise. We also support individual projects such as the medieval exhibition “AufRuhr 1225!” in Herne, where we will help recreate a medieval motte. Another project sponsored by HOCHTIEF is the innovative paper house at the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, the hub of the many RUHR.2010 events. Constructed mainly of recovered paper, this house has already won the “mobile working spaces” architectural competition. In the cultural capital year, one of its uses will be as an event location. What’s more, our airport holding Düsseldorf International is the airport of the RUHR.2010 European Capital of Culture. As the attractive gateway to the Ruhr region, the airport is also backing the year’s events as a sponsoring partner.
Systematic support for education and young talent
One of the cornerstones of our social and community involvement is helping young people prepare for their careers, honing both hard and soft skills. That is why we fund educational institutions and initiatives, and launch programs of our own at the same time. HOCHTIEF focuses chiefly on technical professions and courses of study.
Cooperating with universities around the globe
As an innovative, forward-looking company, we work closely on research and development with prestigious German and international colleges and universities. Students reap the benefits of this cooperation as well. Our experts share their knowledge with students during specialist events and lectures. And HOCHTIEF benefits by fostering early relationships with interested candidates.***
