Knowledge as a collective resource
4. August 2026
Since 2016, “Tauschzeit” has been an integral part of ASTOC. What began a decade ago as an experiment has evolved into a central pillar of our internal knowledge management. Once a month, we take a one-hour break from our day-to-day project work to share expertise and broaden our perspectives.
The format is as simple as it is effective: professional exchange over a shared meal. Whether it’s updates on ongoing projects, insights from external guest speakers, or field trips directly to the construction site – the goal remains the same: to share specialized knowledge across all teams. With over 100 events to date, we’ve built up a wealth of knowledge that shapes our daily work at all our locations.
The anniversary event addressed a key question regarding our cross-regional activities: Are fires in Cologne different from those in Karlsruhe?
Behind this provocative question lies the daily challenge of realizing architectural projects within different legal frameworks. Cologne and Karlsruhe represent not only two of our office locations, but also exemplify the distinct requirements of the state building codes of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg.
Our colleague Philip Pannier, an architect and holder of an M.Eng. in Structural Fire Protection, drew on his 40 years of experience in the fire service, teaching, and professional practice to precisely analyze these complex fundamentals. It is precisely this depth of in-house expertise that has made Tauschzeit an indispensable tool for quality assurance at ASTOC for the past ten years.
Credits: ASTOC