News

We have just been presented Polish finalists of the international competition The Trail - imagine the future of the construction industry whose idea is to promote best students from technical universities. The competition chapter was made of Prof. Andrzej Garbacz, PhD, Eng. - dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Technical University of Warsaw, Mr. Jerzy Werle – Warbud S.A. President and CEO and Mr. Jacek Boruc - Deputy Director of the Warbud’s Technical Office, Ms. Malgorzata Kowalczyk - Director of Human Resources Department and the organizer of the competition, and Mr. Michal Werle - Head of Research, Development and Innovation Department.

Given the circumstances, the Jury sessions took place on-line. ‘Discussions and analyses were conducted using the ZOOM app. It was very efficiently and professional,’ said Ms. Małgorzata Kowalczyk. ‘We started with the presentation of Warbud as it is today and our actions in the area of innovation. Then each participant presented his/her 15-minute speech or a short presentation. The last phase were questions asked by us - the jury,’ she adds. ‘It was not easy to make decisions as the professional level of the projects and their technical advancement were high. We were quite surprised, but very positively,’ reports Jacek Boruc. ‘We even had to re-evaluate the initial assessment made in the earlier electronic voting,’ he said.

The final winner was the Hybrid Earthship project which was created at the West Pomerania University of Technology in Szczecin. ‘It is an idea which is unique in many respects. Its strength is the combination of the existing sustainable technologies used in the phases of building construction and operation (i.e. energy, recycling) and the re-forging of those solutions into business and environmental benefits. Those benefits will be achievable both for the general contractor and the future user,’ explains Michal Werle. ‘The solution also refers to the VINCI Construction strategy. It is a tangible proposal which may be offered to a potential client who is becoming more and more demanding these days. Innovation is not always something new which was made from scratch. Effective implementation of the solutions used in other industries, country or institutions, but tailored to our needs, deserves to be called an innovation,’ he adds.

The jury also appreciated two other projects developed at Warsaw University of Technology - Extensioners and Social Hub. The first presents modular, prefabricated houses made of environmentally friendly materials which are easy to assemble and disassemble. The authors used the changing approach of the society to the definition of an accommodation and a home. The team presented a complete solution along with the choice of technologies and explanation of the technical details. A high-quality visualization and the substantively prepared team were highly appreciated by the jury.

The second project is a communication platform for a citizen, the general contractor, investor and institutions managing cities. The intention if the project is to provide all the above parties with the most current data about a development project, i.e. facility data or scheduled dates of completion of the work as well as information about renovation works, noise and air pollution. ‘The authors prepared a trial version, during the presentation we could also see the already existing product which was also polished visually,’ says Malgorzata Kowalczyk expressing her appreciation.

The world finals or the Trail competition are scheduled for May 2020. Using television broadcasting directly from the headquarters of the French Leonard project the gala will be led by Guillaume Malochet - Communication Director at VINCI Construction.