The third meeting of innovators, representatives of the state and companies in the field of construction took place on November 14, 2023 in the premises of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics of the Czech Technical University under the guidance of the National Center for Construction 4.0. The topics of the strategic discussion within the Construction 4.0 Forum included not only the transformation of the construction industry in the field of technology, but also, for example, in the field of law. Company representatives presented successful implementations and trends for the future.
In the first section of the discussion, called Fabrication as part of the Czech construction industry, the representatives of the government, Filip Žežulka from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and Leona Gergelová Šteigrová, representative of the Ministry for Regional Development (MfRD), spoke.
„It is clear that two areas are key for the construction industry these days, namely digitization and sustainability. Our ability to respond to these two challenges will impact our country’s competitiveness. And it is the cooperation of the public and private sectors together with the potential of universities that is key to this development,“ said the senior director of the public investment, construction and social inclusion section, Leona Gergelová Šteigrová, MfRD.
Even for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, cooperation with the National Center for Construction 4.0 (NCS 4.0) represents a significant step towards the modernization of the construction industry in accordance with current global trends. „The integration of digital technologies and the concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM) into construction practice, supported by research and innovations in NCS 4.0, strengthens the effectiveness of projects and enables the full use of the potential of digitization to improve the quality, safety and sustainability of construction works,“ explains Filip Žežulka, MIT and adds: “Together with NCS 4.0. we want to move the Czech construction industry into a new phase of innovation and excellence.“
The second part of the Forum focused primarily on practical aspects and presentations of already existing implementations in the field of digital fabrication and additive technologies in the field of various building materials (concrete, wood, brick), including aspects of sustainability. They were presented by representatives of the companies Autodesk, Kuka, VCES, Wienerberger, VESPER Homes, So Concrete and the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics at CTU.
For example, robotic bricklaying is currently experiencing a rocket rise in the Czech Republic, when more than 40,000 m2 of housing will be built next year alone, and within three years we will see the growth of robotic bricklaying to a dizzying level of three quarters of a million square meters. This is a trend that should definitely not be overlooked.
The discussion was summarized by the director of the National Center for Construction 4.0, prof. Radoslav Sovják: „Tomorrow’s panorama requires not only bricks and mortar, but also the integration of minds and machines. Achieving this synergy will not be possible without a long-term strategy with a clear goal: to build a sustainable legacy for future generations.“
