What we face
The building sector is one of the largest
energy consumers in Europe, responsible for more than one third of the EU's
emissions and that is the reason we shall deal with that fact responsibly. Thanks
to the effective renovation and improved building stock in Slovakia, as well as
in the whole EU, we will support the initiative
for decarbonisation and development of clean energy system.
Strategic
goals, set by national authorities of Slovakia following the European union
decision to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050, are rather ambitious, but to
reach them, steps need to be taken, as today, only 1% of buildings undergo energy
efficient renovation every year. Currently, roughly 75% of the building stock is energy inefficient,
yet almost 85-95% of today’s buildings will still be in use in 2050.
According
to this situation, renovation of both public and private buildings is an
essential measure in this context, highlighted and strongly supported within
the main strategic frameworks, like e.g. the European Green Deal as a key initiative to drive energy
efficiency in the sector and deliver on objectives. Moreover, given the
labour-intensive nature of the building sector, which is largely dominated by
SMEs providing jobs for local inhabitants, the Commission’s post-COVID 19
recovery plan identified doubling the rate of renovation as a specific aim for
kick-starting the European recovery.
How we act
The overall
strategic framework for adaptation to the climate change following the Green
Deal initiative of EC, was presented in The Strategy of Adaptation of the Slovak
Republic to the Adverse Consequences of Climate Change, released in 2014 and updated in
2018.
According
to the analysis as the base for this strategy, serious consequences are expected also in the region of Kosice for
the built-up area (building structures, monuments, settlement infrastructure,
public spaces) while they will vary depending on the geographical location,
size and type of settlement.
The
strategy proposed several concrete activities leading to the supporting
measures to ensure a healthy environment in spatial planning and construction,
and in the management of protected and natural areas accessible for the
implementation of healthy activities.
Even the
more specialized and regional-targeted actions for the further development can
be found within the Integrated Territorial Strategy for
Sustainable Development of the Urban Functional Area of the City of Košice 2015
- 2020 (2023) defining the steps of territorial development and sustainable functional
relations between settlements.
What we do
Within Technical University of Kosice can be
found several expert teams focusing on the topc of building and reconstructions
within their educational as well as research activities while they are mainly
operated under the The Faculty of Civil
Engineering which was founded in 1977. Over the 43 years, more than 8,000
graduates in all three levels of study have left the gateway to various
positions, such as civil engineers and designers, structural engineers, site
managers, CEOs, researchers, and teaching staff.
The students interested in the topic can choose
from a wide variety of study programs, focused on the general engineering or
more specific regarding the green technologies, like e.g. environmental engineering. Thanks to
the skilled lectors participating on the national and international research
projects they are informed about the new
trends and technologies which are often presented by their direct authors.
Several
project were implemented with the primary aim to transfer the new knowledge
into education process, supported by ERASMUS+ like e.g. Occupational Safety and Risk Control in Construction and Metal
Industry Sectors or Housing Policies for Sustainable Construction (PAES).
The strong
expertize of our teams are applied also in the research of new materials
(especially under the Material Engineering Department) supported by
international and national grant schemes, as e.g. project Sustainable building materials based on quick-renewable and recycled
raw materials or Study of selected environmental impacts of building
materials.
These activities are strongly supported also by
our international partners thanks to our membership in the EIT Raw Materials Platform, initiated and funded by the EIT (European
Institute of Innovation and Technology), a body of the European Union, which is the largest consortium in the raw
materials sector worldwide, with the vision to develop raw materials into a
major strength for Europe.
Opportunities
Would
you like to support transition to the Green Economy?
Let´s find an opportunity for cooperation within open calls under Horizon Europe, Interreg Europe, Interreg Central Europe, or Interreg Danube for the topic of Building
& Renovating.
Would you
like to cooperate with us in the joint project development?
Do not hesitate and
click on the button below to meet with us!