On Wednesday 1st February, Dr. Gerhard Sauer was recognised in New York for his exceptional contribution to the industry when he received The Moles' 2023 Non-Member Award for Outstanding Achievement in Construction alongside Kiewit's Hank Adams, who was presented with the Moles Member's Award.
Dr. Sauer, founder and principal of the Dr. Sauer Group of companies was an early advocate of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) and was involved in its first application in soft ground in an urban environment (Frankfurt, 1970). Enabled by Gerhard’s deep understanding of soil mechanics and drive toward practical solutions he introduced rebar-spilling as tunnel pre-support replacing metal–sheeting in sandy layers on this project. This simple yet effective solution is now considered standard tunnelling practice around the world.
Dr. Sauer is highly regarded among professionals as an outstanding tunnelling expert and has earned a global reputation for delivering practical, cost-effective, and innovative design and construction management services for increasingly challenging underground structures. Today, the Dr. Sauer Group under Gerhard’s guidance, still strives to be at the forefront of implementing cost-effective solutions for challenging underground projects worldwide.
About Moles
The Moles organisation was established in 1936 when a small group that had worked on engineering projects under Newark Bay and on the waterfront of Port Newark met for a reunion in Jersey City. Reminiscing about their experiences in previous heavy construction projects (tunnels, dams, highways and bridges) they resolved to form a permanent organisation – The Moles.
This organisation held its first annual dinner in 1938, with the tradition of presenting two awards each year to outstanding construction individuals commencing in 1941. This has continued to this day at the Annual Awards Dinner held each year in New York City, where the giants of the U.S. construction industry have been and continue to be honoured.
We are delighted that Dr. Sauer has been chosen as the recipient of the 2023 Non-Member Award for Outstanding Achievement in Construction, recognising and celebrating his significant contribution to the industry and the projects around the world in which he has been instrumental. Congratulations Gerhard!
Read more about the Moles organisation by following this link.
Past recipients of the award are listed here.
