Christoph Paar studied for a Bachelor's degree in Building and Energy Technology at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland and works in Sales & Calculation in Tunnel and Traffic Safety Technology at SPIE Dürr Austria.

His education initially took him to the HTL Weiz, where he specialised in electrical engineering with automation and control technology. Christoph Paar started his career in technical planning and processing at his current employer. After a phase in building technology planning, during which he also worked as a project manager, he returned to the world of tunnelling around a year ago. Today he works in sales: he calculates and negotiates projects and enjoys the variety of topics: "Almost all trades are represented - from ventilation and electrical engineering to extinguishing water, traffic control and programming. This breadth of content is exactly what drives me. Bringing everything together, from air conditioning systems to steel construction, and being responsible for large budgets is exciting."

The company is organised into project management, control and network technology and installation. Execution is carried out together with partners and subcontractors; Christoph and his colleagues take care of coordination and planning in-house. Around 150 employees manage projects that often run into the tens of millions.

The first milestones in his career were the Wald and Pretallerkogel tunnels as well as the Unzmarkt underground route, which noticeably relieves local traffic. In his job, Christoph Paar combines an enthusiasm for technology with structured project thinking - and ensures that complex tunnelling systems function safely, efficiently and reliably.

Christoph gained a higher technical qualification on a part-time Bachelor's degree programme at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. "You underestimate the amount of technology behind a building - and even a tunnel." He particularly remembers the lively atmosphere between students and lecturers and the laboratory exercises in which theory could be applied directly.