The Czech Transportation Structure competition has a winner

Guests of the evening included Zdeněk Škromach, Vicemayor of the Senate of the Czech Republic, Tomáš Čoček, State Secretary and the 1st Deputy Minister of Transport, Petr Konvalinka, Rector of Czech Technical University Prague and others. The aim of the competition is a professional presentation to Czech transport engineering and engineering professions to the public as well as political representation. Works that could enter the competition included transport construction, their sections, individual structures, technology and innovations that haven’t yet been introduced within this competition since 2008 and have been put through final building approval or put into operation within the territory of the Czech Republic before the end of last year. The committee assessed a record breaking number of 46 applications that met the competition’s terms and conditions. They awarded a total of seven titles whereby five of them were in the category of Structure, one in Technologies and one in Innovations. The awards are traditionally awarded without any determined order. The Jury Award is also equivalent to the other awards. CZECH TRANSPORTATION STRUCTURE / TECHNOLOGY / INNOVATION 2014 AWARD In the A – Structure category there were awarded five prizes: • The 1/35 road Bílý Kostel – Hrádek nad Nisou • Bus Station Náchod • Drive through Plzeň junction in the direction of the III. TŽK • Křižany – remediation of large slipping of the Liberec – Česká Lípa line with reinforced ground structure • Construction of a footbridge for pedestrians across the Elbe River, including the connection to a cycleway, Čelákovice In the B – Technology category there was awarded one prize: • Increased safety on the railway section Číčenice – Volary In the C – Innovation category there was awarded one prize: • Interoperable engine Vectron The Jury Award was awarded to the reconstruction of the Národní třída underground station RED This year fulfilled our expectations We asked Ing. Miloslava Veselá, director of. TOP EXPO CZ, to assess the whole event.. * What was the standard of this year’s 12th year of the Czech Transportation Structure in comparison with previous ones? Twelve years in existence establishes quite a nice tradition. Materials for 584 competing works have so far been through the committee’s hands. The diploma for the ‘Title of ČDS&T of the Year’ also has a special place in offices and websites of many building and planning companies and investors. This year of the competition also fulfilled our expectations with regards to both the number and quality of competing works. We are immensely happy about increasing interest from applicants and the media. That is certainly an assurance for us in the coming years. * There were several nice sounding ‘bests’ heard at the gala evening. The committees of both categories that is the nationwide competition of the Czech Transportation Structure, Technology and Innovation of the Year 2014 and the ‘student’ part of the competition For the Best Doctoral or Bachelor Thesis from the Area of Transport and Transport Engineering, assessed a record breaking number of 93 applications. This year of the competition was the most successful one in the competition’s history from this point of view! We are particularly happy about the increasing prestige of the ‘student’ competition, which demonstrates the serious interest of competitors who are recruited from the specialised faculties of six universities as well as the interest of guarantors from commercial companies. Thanks to them, we were able to hand over CZK 209,000 in prizes from the rectors, deans and patrons this year. According to the specialist committee, the quality of entered students’ works has also increased considerably over the latter years. It is evident that this category is fulfilling its main objective in practice, this being a support of interest in study at technical universities and student’s contact with future employers. * What would you like to appraise or emphasise as director and organiser of the whole event? Our company, TOP EXPO CZ, is proud to hold the role of both organiser and promoter of the competition. However, in order to retain the high specialist status of the event, we must co-operate closely with professionals from the area of transportation, building industry and transport telematics. Therefore, I would like to thank all those colleagues who help us to present the competition: the consultancy team of TOP TRANSPORT, specialist guarantors from universities, professional organisations and members of the committees of both competitions. The aforementioned colleagues have been profiled during the history of the competition as a really well co-ordinated team, which now comprises more than two dozen names. This team bestows the competition with logical regulations, sets of rules and last but not least first class specialist prestige. * Similar events require significant effort and skills to put together a considerable financial amount for its organisation. One can say that the crisis in the segment of transport construction is over and companies understand the positive contribution of similar presentations and gatherings. The competition is not just about transport construction. As is also evident from its title, applicants also compete in the category of TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION. I believe that it is these two categories where we can help a lot in their subsequent realisation and greater expansion with good publicizing of the projects. Václav Matyáš, President of the Association of Building Entrepreneurs of the Czech Republic, spoke knowledgeably at the gala evening of competition in development of the building industry segment. The building industry as a whole shows certain positive trend but the big problem that seems to be there for the future is in the small preparedness of new constructions. We give broader space to causes at our other specialist events – we can mention the international conference Trends of European Transport that we organised at the premises of the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic just before the gala evening. I would like to end optimistically. We generally note increasing interest as well as support by commercial companies, which shows that these segments of our partners also look to the future with positive expectations. We have no other choice but to believe that this development trend will also be supported by the relevant decisions of responsible state organisations and decision making investors in transport construction. I believe it will move that way and that we will be able to look forward to interesting transport construction and to utilise the improving transport infrastructure of the Czech Republic. AW Development News asked representatives of some of the awarded participants for their opinions * 1. How do you assess the ČDS&T 2014 competition? * 2. How do you see the opportunity in presenting your projects this way and how do you appreciate the award you received? * 3. How do you see the future for transportation constructions? Ing. Václav Hořejší, MBA, Director of the Geo-technology Division, ARCADIS CZ a.s., member of the Board 1. I consider this competition to be very beneficial. This event is, in a deluge of negative news from the building industry, one of the few opportunities as to how to inform the general public from another viewpoint. 2. Our company deals annually with about a thousand larger as well as smaller procurements. Only a close circle of the professional public is informed about the results of our work and therefore we welcome the opportunity to acquaint a broader public with one of the projects as a demonstration of our activity for the client. We naturally appreciate the award considerably. But it is also an award for our field of business. Geo-technology is not often seen by many people as a part of the building industry. 3. If the Czech Republic is to continue to develop, it cannot do so without transportation constructions. It is up to the state administration as to how many obstacles will be put forward within the total process. So far there are plenty of these in an imaginary way. Preparation time for those individual buildings and after all also the realisation of many only proves it is so. Still, I remain an optimist and believe that we will become closer to for example the British way of preparation and management of large projects. I tell each potential client that our services only have a meaningful point for him if we can reduce the risks for his project or to solve an already existing one. Both are also connected with the price that the client eventually pays for the construction. The long term relationship we have with many of our client’s only shows that they are aware of that. The situation with public procurements where, in every competition we de facto hold the position of a ‘no name’ company, seems to be from another world. The cheapest services are not subsequently the most suitable ones. (ARCADIS CZ, a. s., Geo-technology division orchestrated the planning for the construction Křižany – remediation on the Liberec – Česká Lípa line with reinforced ground structure, which was awarded one of the five titles in the A – Structure category.) Ing. David Krása, Managing Director, METROPROJEKT Praha a.s. 1. Successful meeting, traditionally good organisation – I like going to Bethlehem Chapel, I like jazz. There were interesting projects introduced. Myself, I was mainly attracted by those that were done in co-operation between planning engineers and architects. 2. Everybody is happy to show off with an award from a competition that has prestige and tradition. 3. That is really a broad question. I see it optimistically. Progress cannot be stopped in transport either. I would welcome continual sustainable development in Czech. The leaps when there is an effort to build everything immediately (Spain, Greece for EU founds) will cause a short term effort followed by hard fall back to reality. (Metroprojekt Praha a.s. was awarded the Jury Award for the reconstruction of the Národní třída underground station.) Oto Hejmala, Camea, spol. s. o. 1. We really do esteem the competition and hope that we will have the opportunity to take part over the next years. 2. We consider the option to present projects via a prestigious competition significant appreciation of our work. We are glad that we managed to succeed in this really competitive environment. 3. Transportation constructions are one of the large topics of the future. With regards to quick technology development and a constant increasing of the number of cars on the roads mainly increases the importance of intelligent transport systems (ITS) and mainly those systems that provide road safety. (CAMEA was presented with the Award of the Company for the Development of Road Transport for the project of a Comprehensive System of Travel Times within the Area of the Capital City of Prague.). Dana Crkvová, Communications and Promotions Manager, Eltodo, a.s. 1. The competition was well organised and we were given all the information necessary for our participation. The final social event that covered the evaluation was also at an exceedingly good level. 2. This competition provides companies with abundant space for presenting their activities and it is also good to get to know other inspirational projects. We are really pleased that it was our project that was awarded. A large team of specialists from our company worked on it and the award really pleased them. It might also be good to include a ‘press conference’ in the programme so that the awarded companies could answer the audience’s answers regarding technical solutions within the framework of the entered work etc. (ELTODO, a. s., was presented with the Jury Award in the B – Technology category for their mobile radar with detection of speed and registration plates.) Ing. arch. Aleš Krtička, Company Director, ATELIER TSUNAMI 1. The competition registered almost 50 entered constructions of all types and categories. That meant that the competition was hard and equal and that the committee had a difficult task. The entered constructions have confirmed increasing standards of transport constructions and technologies in the Czech Republic. A significant contribution represented the competition of student work, which shows increased interest in this important building segment as well as the fact that there is a new generation of erudite specialists thanks to excellent pedagogues. 2. I consider the presentation of our projects through the competition to be a great opportunity for introducing results of work from our project studio to both a professional as well as laic public. Measuring our strengths in a quality competition allows us to compare as well as to look a little bit ‘under the lid’ of our colleagues from other offices. Interest shown by journalists and representatives of building companies and investors in progress and results of the competition becomes a unique platform for presenting our work. Awarding our project is a significant reference of unique cooperation of an enlightened investor – the town of Náchod, in particular its Mayor Jan Birke –, quality and qualified supplier – M-silnice a. s. – and the whole team of our planning engineers – Atelier Tsunami s. r. o. The awarded construction of the Bus Station Náchod shows the co-operation of architects, building engineers and structural engineers and, of course, transport specialists. 3. Transport construction will, in future, no doubt form a significant building segment, whether it will be about the new construction of motorways, roads, railway lines and bridges or quality maintenance of the existing operated infrastructure. I expect new technologies and improved work organisation and effectiveness at building sites in order to reduce the impact of building work on the public. From us architects and planning engineers, I expect a conceptual and innovative approach leading to economy of the planned constructions that wouldn’t be to the detriment of their technical solution nor visual qualities. (ATELIÉR TSUNAMI is the planning studio for the bus station Náchod, which was awarded with one of five titles in the A – Structure category and the Award of Transport Union.). Eduard Palíšek, Managing Director, Siemens Czech Republic. 1. The competition already enjoys a high level. Quality of the awarded participants is guaranteed by a qualified and independent committee. 2. Siemens considered innovation as one of their key values. That’s why I am glad that we can introduce our innovative project this way to both a professional and laic public. We really appreciate the award for our multi-system universal engine Vectron. The committee appraised its innovative modular concept that predestines it for a highly effective operation in local as well as international railway lines. 3. Transport constructions and with them associated technologies are the backbone of every economy. Therefore, it is really good that this area is also being revived after the recession period. This will, no doubt, have a positive influence on other areas of the Czech economy. (Siemens was awarded the title in the C – Innovations category for their interoperable engine Vectron.) Ing. František Fryš, Director of a branch plant Dopravní stavby JIH, SWIETELSKY stavební s.r.o. 1. I assess the competition very positively. Everything that presents the building industry positively needs to be appreciated and appraised. 2. It is one of very few opportunities to introduce work results within the building industry. It is not so common today that someone would be praised (the media prefers choosing negative news and expects that they are what the public requires…). So, it is necessary to present positively in front of a professional public that can certainly assess the quality of projects and constructions as well as in front of a so called laic public. We really appreciate the award. 3. After several years I see the future of transport constructions in a hopeful light again. We need them and after all we do need to get the quality of the infrastructure on the level with the ‘advanced world’ one day, don’t we? (SWIETELSKY stavební s. r. o., o. z. Dopravní stavby JIH, was awarded with the Award of the Association of Building Entrepreneurs of the Czech Republic for the relocation of the II/156 and II/157 roads – IV. stage.) Ing. Milan Veselský, Business Manager, Metrostav a. s. 1. Metrostav is a traditional participant in this competition, whose standards keep increasing. Not only the parameters of the entered works but also the expert competence of the committee. Respectability of the event is, last but not least, also contributed to by the Bethlehem Chapel environment where the awards are handed out. We are pleased that the increasing reputation of the competition also increases the prestige of the awarded projects and interest from a broader public and the media. 2. We entered five constructions in this last year of competition that was crowned by a dozen successful sequels and another one, where we participated as members of the realisation association, was designed by a planning engineer. In the ČDS&T 2014 competition there was awarded the construction of a footbridge for pedestrians over the Elbe River, including a connection to the cycleway Čelákovice, which can also ‘show off’ with the SFDI 2014 Award and an award from the Road Railway magazine for structural detail. The assessors also assessed the way of dealing with the wide riverbed of the Elbe River and connecting the town of Čelákovice with a recreational area and the innovative utilisation of high strength concrete. 3. We were also pleased that four of our other projects were awarded in specialist categories. It is a positive assessment of work done by us, contractors, as well as other participants to a construction, the entitled planning engineers and investor/s. It is also a significant reference for Metrostav with regards to future tenders. Smart investors don’t choose a contractor just by price but want to know what the applicant for the job has already built and to what quality and standard. And the award in the ČDS&T competition is one of the proofs of their building abilities and indirectly also a guarantee that the constructed work will serve its users reliably and for a long time to come. (Metrostav was, amongst others, awarded with one of the five titles in the A – Structure category for a footbridge for pedestrians over the Elbe River, including connection to a cycleway, Čelákovice, and others.)