Oskari Vilamo Fund prize awarded to Matti Alahuhta, Chairman of the Board

OSKARI VILAMO FUND     PRESS RELEASE     11 NOVEMBER 2014   AT NOON

OSKARI VILAMO FUND PRIZE AWARDED TO MATTI ALAHUHTA, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Oskari Vilamo Fund, the remit of which is to promote higher research into construction, awards an annual prize for merit in the field of construction. The Oskari Vilamo Fund has conferred this year’s award for merit, a total of EUR 5,000, to Matti Alahuhta, D.Sc., Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Matti Alahuhta (b. 1952) took his Master of Science (Tech.) degree in 1976, followed by a doctorate in 1990 from Helsinki University of Technology. Alahuhta served as the President and CEO of KONE Corporation from 2005 until 2014. Prior to that he served for 26 years with Nokia, the last twelve years as a Member of the Executive Board.

Currently, Alahuhta is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of DevCo Partners Oy, Outotec Oyj and Aalto University Foundation as well as a Vice-Chairman for the Confederation of Finnish Industries. He is also a Member of the Board at KONE Corporation, UPM, ABB and Volvo Ab. His life-long interest in strategic thinking and management led him to write his doctoral dissertation in 1990 on “Global growth strategies for high technology challengers”.

Thesis awards for three doctoral dissertations and eight Master's theses

In addition to the prize awarded for merit, Oskari Vilamo Fund also awards the best academic dissertation in the field of construction based on a proposal of university professors. This year’s doctoral dissertation prizes have been awarded to Fahim Al-Neshawy, Doctor of Science (Technology), Antero Kukko, Doctor of Science (Technology) and Kristo Mela. The doctoral dissertation prize is EUR 3,500.

Fahim Al-Neshawy’s dissertation ”Computerised prediction of the deterioration of concrete building facades caused by moisture and changes in temperature” investigates problems in building construction technology, with special emphasis on moisture and temperature control. For the research, Al-Neshawy developed a monitoring and predictive measuring system (RHT-MAPS), which includes several moisture and temperature sensors collecting data for analysis. The results bring significant benefits to, for example, the quality assurance of new build and renovation projects. 

Antero Kukko developed mobile laser scanning systems for his dissertation entitled ”Mobile Laser Scanning – System Development, Performance and Applications”. Laser scanning is a surveying technique used for mapping topography, vegetation, urban areas and infrastructure, ice, and other targets of interest. Its application on a terrestrial mobile platform is a promising method for effectively collecting three-dimensional data for complex environments and for producing model information for location-based services necessitating rapidly collected and up-to-date data.

Kristo Mela has developed for his doctoral dissertation ”Mixed Variable Formulations for Truss Topology Optimization” optimization models for truss designs. The aim of the optimization problems considered is to find economical truss designs. The mathematical optimization theory provides a tool for the designer to find the most economical alternative in a given timeframe. By applying an optimization model, the design process can be automated as the different structural solutions need not be tested one at a time. This leads to more economical structures in a shorter time.

The fund's Master's thesis prizes have been awarded to Kersti Haahti, M.Sc. (Tech.); Anna-Mikaela Kaila, architect; Panu Laurell, M.Sc. (Tech.); Jarkko Luntta, M.Sc. (Tech.); Elina Manelius, M.Sc. (Tech.); Lauri Metsovuori, M.Sc. (Tech.); Eero Valtonen, M.Sc. (Tech.); and Tero Wéman, architect. The Master's thesis prize is EUR 2,000.
   

Oskari Vilamo Fund – Promoting Construction

The fund, named after Economic Counsellor Oskari Vilamo, is presided over by the Foundation for Economic Education and aims to promote higher-level research into construction. The fund was founded by Lemminkäinen in 1985. This year marks the 29th year an annual award for merit has been made since the awards began in 1986. Master's thesis awards have been granted since 1993. The fund has issued the award to a total of 44 doctoral dissertations, 20 licentiate theses and 99 Master's theses, including this year's prizes.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

OSKARI VILAMO FUND
Secretary to the Advisory Committee
Matti Aalto
Tel. +358 400 408 173
matti.aalto@oskarivilamo.fi                  
www.lemminkainen.fi/oskarivilamo  
www.lsr.fi