The winner impressed the jury with his master's thesis “Form Follows Automation: Partially automated determination of the densification potential of inner-city properties as a basis for scalable planning processes”. The work develops an innovative solution for one of the central challenges of the construction industry: the automation of planning processes. It pursues the goal of realizing construction projects faster, more efficiently and at a lower cost while preserving architectural diversity. With the help of algorithms and artificial intelligence, automated design processes can be completed within minutes – a revolutionary approach that has the potential to fundamentally transform the planning and construction processes of the future. The focus of the work is on the question of how decisions in the architectural process – from site analysis to design – can be automated. This includes, among other things, the use of official geodata sets for site analysis and the algorithm-supported creation of floor plans and building cubatures. The work shows that automation can not only significantly reduce planning time, but also increase the efficiency and sustainability of construction projects. The Bavarian Construction Industry University Award is presented annually in three categories: innovative materials and constructions, computer-aided modeling and manufacturing, and circular and regenerative construction. With this award, the Bavarian Construction Industry Association honors research approaches that make a decisive contribution to the development of the construction industry. The chair of Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design and Building congratulates all the winners on this outstanding achievement and sees the success as an inspiration for future research and teaching projects. The award highlights the high quality of teaching and research at TUM and shows how innovative ideas from science can have a positive influence on practice. We wish Paul Metzger continued success on his path to sustainably changing the built environment!