Press release

First Gottfried Böhm scholarship holder comes from Italy

Ermelinda Di Chiara is the first winner of the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship.

Cologne 27th September 2023 - The new Gottfried Böhm Scholarship has its first scholarship holder: the thirty-year-old Italian Ermelinda Di Chiara prevailed against 41 applicants from 23 countries. The jury's decision in favor of the architect with a doctorate, who comes from near Naples, was unanimous.

The postgraduate scholarship, which was launched by Cologne's Lord Mayor Henriette Reker on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Gottfried Böhm's birth, started for the first time in May 2023. "The many international applications for the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship show that the metropolis of Cologne and the reputation of Gottfried Böhm are highly attractive," says Lord Mayor Henriette Reker. "I hope the fresh input provided by the scholarship will enrich discussions on Cologne's urban development." As part of the well-funded residency scholarship, Dr. Chiara can now work on her creative and visionary urban development project for Cologne and the region for one year from the beginning of October. At the end of October, the scholarship holder will present her project idea, on which she will work for the next twelve months, to the public in the Forum of the Foundation for Art and Building Culture. She will also spend most of the time of her residency there.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Herzig, President of TH Köln, is particularly pleased about the winner Ermelinda Di Chiara because of her high academic qualities: "Ermelinda Di Chiara's excellent academic work gives us a taste of what we can look forward to in terms of a high-class, well thought-out and purposeful project for the city of Cologne and the region." In May 2023, the Italian completed her doctorate at the Sapienza University of Rome with the highest possible grade of summa cum laude. Her final thesis for her Masters in "architectural and urban design" at the University of Naples Federico II already received the highest possible grade. Di Chiara's path also led her to Germany during her studies. The architect studied with Prof. Wolfgang Sonne at the Technical University of Dortmund and with Prof. Uwe Schröder at the RWTH Aachen University.

Susanne Fabry, Chairwoman of the Association of Friends and Sponsors of the TH Köln e.V., is very satisfied with the first round of the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship. "The number and quality of the applications were already exceptional for this first round of applications. We can look forward to seeing how the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship will develop in the coming years."

During her scholarship, the 30-year-old will be mentored by architect Prof. Paul Böhm, among others. "My father would have had great fun working with young architects to develop ideas for creative and social urban planning that can improve the lives of the people of Cologne," says Böhm. "With this scholarship, we hope to pass on his visionary and holistic thinking to the younger generations of architects."

You can download the pictures here: Gottfried Böhm Scholarship

About the scholarship

The scholarship holder will receive free accommodation for one year, a workplace in a creative environment in the middle of the city - in 2023/2024, for example, in the Forum of the Foundation for Art and Architecture - and a monthly grant of 2,500 euros. The scholarship is offered and supervised by the Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Technischen Hochschule Köln e.V. (Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences).

The results of the work produced as part of the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship will be presented at the end of the scholarship at a reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of Cologne and then exhibited for a fortnight in the Spanish Building. With the scholarship, the City of Cologne and the sponsors of the scholarship want to honor the Pritzker Prize winner, who died in 2021. The start of the scholarship is planned for the beginning of October 2023.

About the jury

The following jurors will decide in mid-September who will be the first recipient of the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship:

  • Prof. Paul Böhm, architect BDA, Faculty of Architecture at the Cologne University of Technology
  • Christl Drey, architect and urban planner, Chairwoman of the House of Architecture Cologne
  • Susanne Fabry, Chairwoman of the Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Technischen Hochschule Köln e.V. (Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Cologne University of Technology e.V.)
  • Bernadette Heiermann, architect BDA, research assistant at RWTH Aachen University
  • Eva Herr, Head of the City Planning Office of the City of Cologne
  • Prof. Dr. Stefan Herzig, President of the Cologne University of Technology
  • Kaspar Kraemer, architect BDA, member of the Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Technischen Hochschule Köln e.V. (Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Cologne University of Technology e.V.)
  • Klaus Küppers, NRW Branch Manager of PANDION Real Estate GmbH
  • Jürgen Minkus, Architect BDA, Chairman of the Cologne Design Advisory Board
  • Claire Verroul, Office of the Lord Mayor of Cologne, Planning and Building Officer
  • Prof. Carola Wiese, Architect BDA, Faculty of Architecture, Cologne University of Applied Sciences

The jury of the Gottfried Böhm Scholarship: left to right Paul Böhm, Jürgen Minkus, Susanne Fabry, Claire Verroul, Eva Herr, Christl Drey, Stefan Herzig, Klaus Küppers, Kaspar Kraemer, und Carola Wiese. Not in the picture: Bernadette Heiermann.

The following sponsors support the scholarship:

  • Architekturbüro Paul Böhm
  • Friedrich Wassermann Bauunternehmung für Hoch- & Tiefbauten GmbH &
    Co. KG, vertreten durch den GF Anton Bausinger
  • HECKER WERNER HIMMELREICH Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB
  • PANDION AG
  • Stadt Köln
  • Stiftung für Kunst und Baukultur Britta und Ulrich Findeisen
  • Wolf Immobilien Gruppe

Press contact: Thomas Müller, mueller@dieprberater.de, 0049 151 629 09973