Stanford University engineering professor and consultant Paul C. Teicholz is the fifth winner of the Henry C. Turner Prize. The honor, announced Nov. 20 by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., is given annually for Innovation in construction technology. Teicholz is being cited for "carrying the architecture, construction, and engineering fields into the information age through his development and integration of information technology into the building and design industries," according to the museum's release.

Photo: Teicholz

Teicholz started more than 40 years ago at San Francisco-based consultant Jacobs Associates devloping computer applications for the construction industry. Later at another San Francisco conpany, conststruction giant Guy F. Atkinson Co., he worked as the information technology manager for more than 20 years, concieing and overseeing systems for integrated accounting, manufacturing, cost and engineering. In 1988, he moved to Stanford to found the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering. CIFE is a center for Architecture Engineering Construction computer applications and architectural research.

"Since the 1960s, Paul has influenced an entire industry and economy with his research and applications," said Chase Rynd, president and executive director of the Museum. "Paul's achievements prove him an innovator in construction technology and an ideal recipient for the Turner Prize."

"Paul's unique understanding of design and construction practices, coupled with his vision, intellectual ability, and commitment to advancing integration needs, sets him apart," said Bob Tatum, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and a member of the Turner Prize jury. "His leadership of CIFE resulted in a highly effective joint effort by industry professionals and researchers to develop and apply information technology."

The award carries a $25,000 honorarium. Teicholz will be honored Feb. 1, 2007, in a ceremony on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, Calif. Tatum will lead Teicholz in a discussion of his research and career, and the future of the engineering industry. The event is free; registration is required at www.nbm.org.

Past winners of the award include structural engineer Leslie E. Robertson, architect I.M Pei, engineer and builder Charles A. DeBenedittis, and the U.S. Green Building Council. Jurors this year, in addition to Tatum, included J. Robert Hillier, founding partner of The Hillier Group, an architecture firm in Princeton, N.J.; Thomas R. Turner, vice president, national sales, Turner Construction Co., New York, N.Y.; Scott Kratz, vice president for education, National Building Museum; and Norbert W. Young, Jr., president, McGraw-Hill Construction, New York, N.Y. MHC and Engineering News-Record are both properties of the McGraw-Hill Cos.