In 2014 Waltraud Fischer moved into Ismaning’s town hall, almost simultaneously with the then newly elected mayor Alexander Greulich (SPD). Since then, the head of the building administration – since 2020 she has mainly been responsible for the technical part – has hardly been able to rest. One construction project followed the next, from the conversion of a conference hotel into a grammar school to the construction of new day-care centers and new residential areas to roundabouts and a new administration building. Fischer is now retiring and can look back on seven and a half intensive years.
SZ: You are an architect and urban planner. What made you choose a career in local government?
Waltraud Fischer: Originally that was actually a no-go for me. After my studies, I founded my own architecture office together with partners. We were active nationwide, with interesting projects and numerous competitions – exactly the right thing for me, who needs action and challenges. I was mostly responsible for the creative, laws and norms weren’t my thing back then. In 2002 I got the call as a city architect in Ebersberg by chance. Because of my daughter, I wanted more regular working hours, no longer ten-hour days. The job advertisement was looking for me exactly. But then I was surprised when the city took me (laughs). After twelve exciting years of lively construction activity, the main projects were completed or initiated. In 2014, again by chance, I came across the advertisement from Ismaning and made a spontaneous application, following my motto: The most interesting project is always the next. At the time, my daughter was also studying at Ismaning University and recommended the community to me. Yes, and then it really started.
During your tenure there was a real construction boom in Ismaning.
The then newly elected mayor Alexander Greulich initially had residential construction on the agenda. But the circumstances initially thwarted our plans. The high school followed, followed by five daycare centers, the renovation of the middle and secondary school and the expansion of the elementary school on Camerloher Strasse as an additional mammoth task. Not to forget the new sports halls for the grammar school and the ball sports hall for TSV Ismaning, the Osterfeldhalle on top and the many “smaller” projects, such as the renovation of the public hall. We then followed up with the residential construction with the local model in fishermen’s houses, the construction area on Seidl-Kreuz-Weg and the new residential area on the former Durach site. In addition, there was the noise protection wall on the A 99 as well as three roundabouts and, of course, open space and green space measures for all projects. In total, we have built around 200 million euros in the past seven and a half years – without disasters or scandals. Last year we initiated the renovation of the through-town and a new bridge over the Isar near Fischerhäuser.
Waltraud Fischer has been in charge of the construction management of the Ismaning town hall since 2014, most recently with 29 employees.
(Photo: Stephan Rumpf)
On this long list, which one was the biggest challenge?
That was probably the high school. We were under immense time pressure because of the previous classes, which had already started school in Garching and were waiting for the new school building. There were some nasty surprises at the construction site; we were actually always in reaction mode. At that time, the mayor always swallowed when I made an appointment with him because he knew: something was coming again! But we did it in the end, in two years of construction at a cost of almost 50 million euros. The grammar school is still a success story for Ismaning and his children to this day. I am also pleased that during my time we put the new Technical Town Hall on the track, senior citizens’ living quarters and a third elementary school.
Where would you have liked to have done more?
Urban planning and municipal housing construction unfortunately fell short in the end. So far we have only been able to complete the 30 new apartments on Grabenanger. But there are some promising projects. It was important, for example, to begin expanding Ismaning to the east beyond the B 471; the procedure is as good as through. In addition, the town center is to be redesigned or redesigned. It will also be very exciting. So my successor will definitely not get bored.
If you look back on your entire working hours, almost 20 years in the construction management: How has building changed for municipalities during this time?
The individual responsibility for the municipalities has expanded significantly. The requirements for fire protection as well as the requirements for statics and technical building equipment have increased dramatically, award procedures have become more international and more complex. Due to countless pitfalls, everything has to be legally secured to avoid unpleasant surprises. In addition, climate change has an extreme effect on building with the energy requirements: We have to ask ourselves how we want to build in the future, how we can include options such as recycling or upcycling of building materials. Of course, all of this runs counter to the goal of building as quickly as possible. We are also seeing a tendency for building to become more and more expensive, partly due to a shortage of skilled workers and delivery bottlenecks. Overall, there is less and less leeway. However, it will always be elementary that the chemistry between the parties involved in a construction project is right.
Why are swimming pools so often a problem for municipalities? Both in Ebersberg and here in Ismaning you had to deal intensively with the indoor swimming pool …
You have to consider: indoor swimming pools are not buildings in the traditional sense. Indoor swimming pools are machines, apart from the architecture. An indoor swimming pool is an extreme challenge from a technical, physical and chemical point of view. A simple example: If the water is too alkaline, it attacks concrete, screed and other components, and if it is too acidic, too. Particular attention is also paid to the statics and climatic conditions. That makes construction and operation extremely challenging. The permanent construction site in the Ismaninger indoor swimming pool is a tiresome affair that has not yet been completed – but we are now on the right track. I hope I can jump from the three-meter board into the water there next spring.
How do you feel about saying goodbye to Ismaning?
With a little sadness. I had a great team in the town hall, super exciting projects. Mayor Greulich and the Ismaning municipal council always accompanied and supported the projects constructively and made the right decisions for Ismaning. During my tenure, for example, the number of employees in the construction department almost doubled. The job was and remains a Herculean task, but I like it when things stir. That’s why I’m currently training to be a coach, and I’m already a mediator. Here, too, my particular concern is to bring people together. But I will always remain connected to architecture and urban planning. But now I need a break first. After that? Let’s see where the journey is going.