The second edition of the student Construction Hackathon, held at the Brno Building Fair and as part of the Architecture Festival, expanded its reach beyond the Czech Republic this year. The entire event was organized under the leadership of the National Centre for Construction 4.0. In addition to six Czech technical universities – Czech Technical University in Prague, Brno University of Technology, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Mendel University in Brno, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen – the Technical University of Košice joined this year, giving the competition an international dimension. Students in mixed teams searched for solutions in modular and serial housing that is affordable, technologically advanced, and sustainable.
The hackathon brief was announced during the opening ceremony by Radoslav Sovják, Director of the National Centre for Construction 4.0 and professor at the Czech Technical University in Prague, together with David Bečkovský from the Czech Chamber of Architects and Construction Technicians. The task was to design a residential building with four to five floors, located on a specific plot within the town of Moravský Krumlov.
This year’s hackathon brought several key changes. Students were given twice as much time to prepare their proposals, and the brief was made more concrete with the exact location in Moravský Krumlov. A major innovation was the connection between students and mentors from across the construction industry – covering steel and concrete structures, masonry technologies, and timber construction. Projects were judged based on five key criteria: adherence to the brief, structural design, aesthetics and architecture, housing affordability, and innovation.
Mentors from all seven competing teams also presented on stage – experts from companies specializing in various structural and material technologies, from steel and concrete to bricks and timber. An eighth, cross-cutting mentor representing the development sector summarized the key steps to achieving more affordable housing. He emphasized the need for digitalization and cutting bureaucracy in the permitting process, reducing overregulation, speeding up spatial planning, and supporting the development of affordable rental housing.
The second year of the Construction Hackathon aims not only to inspire solutions to specific challenges in Czech construction but also to promote innovative technological approaches. Competing projects were judged according to five main criteria: concept and adherence to the brief, structural solution, aesthetics and architecture, housing affordability, and innovation.
“The work of all university teams exceeded expectations and integrated excellently with our modular housing exhibition at the Building Fair, organized as part of our OBEC ON project,” said Daniel Ryšávka, Director of the State Investment Support Fund (SFPI), adding: “With our new system for financing and advisory support of affordable rental housing, we’ve kickstarted a change – and today, all the young participants in the Construction Hackathon became part of it. Our colleagues from SFPI, who served as mentors and helped select specific municipal project ideas, spent three days full of creative energy with students and technology partners. I believe these student team members will continue to contribute to improving housing accessibility as future designers.”
Participants were also welcomed by Lukáš Helan, Sales Director of Veletrhy Brno, who highlighted the importance of fairs not only as platforms for showcasing exhibits but also as places for companies, professionals, and visionaries to meet and push the construction industry forward. He praised the students for their innovative thinking and their ability to bring fresh perspectives to current challenges.
“This year’s student Hackathon surprised us with the exceptional performances of all students, who showed incredible creativity, skills, and teamwork. We want to highlight their ability to instantly apply insights from consultations with expert mentors into their visions and designs, as well as their positive attitude towards solving a complex challenge in such a short time. Choosing the best team was extremely difficult because they all deserved recognition for their effort. We look forward to continuing to support young talent.” – Jiří Štěpka, Technical Director at CENTRAL GROUP.
“I was impressed by the students’ engagement and how they tackled the brief, which demanded both high sustainability and financial affordability. They explored different heating systems and energy-saving measures. They also had to consider that while certain conditions exist today, the situation may change in the future. It was also interesting to see how naturally they incorporated photovoltaics and green spaces into their designs. That’s something we as a society could benefit from right now,” said Jiří Španihel, Technical Director at energy consultancy firm PKV.
Students were also supported by Brno city councilor Anna Putnová and the Architecture Festival’s expert guarantor Petr Selník. Petr Ondrášek, Communications Manager at SFPI, praised the hackathon’s focus, noting that the lack of affordable housing is a major issue not only in the Czech Republic.
“Watching the students’ passion as they designed and presented their affordable rental housing projects was fantastic. They are the ones who will shape the future of housing. Judging was tough, partly because we had to evaluate team outputs separately from the advantages or disadvantages of the modular systems they were assigned. What stood out in the winning project was the use of open corridors (pavlače) for community interaction, integration of greenery, and a thoughtful connection to the site,” said Barbora Špicarová Stašková, Deputy Minister for Regional Development.
The Construction Hackathon was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Regional Development, which awarded the development prize, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which presented the award for the construction industry.
The main OBEC ON Mayors’ Award went to Mendel University in Brno, recognized for its original use of open corridors that foster community life, while also successfully tying the design to the town’s identity. The Development Award went to Brno University of Technology for making the most of the assigned structural system. The Construction Industry Award was given to VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, praised for its approach to functionality, sustainability, and life-cycle evaluation of the assigned system.
