Salzburg, 8-9 November: last CraftEdu project meeting 

The last CraftEdu project meeting is scheduled on 8 - 9 November - we are heading towards the end of a long but fruitful and very positive journey! Project partners will gather up in Salzburg, Austria and online, to overview all the work done so far, as well as to discuss the sustainability beyond the project. Talso here are two guided tours scheduled - plus energy building “Kulturkraftwerk oh 456” and to the #Slim2Sim – research building of the FH Salzburg University of Applied Sciences.​ Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates!

Parkview Prague Building awarded by CraftEdu prize

The prestigious Building of the Year 2021 competition knows its winners this year. The ten best buildings were awarded. This year, the prize of the international CraftEdu project was also awarded to the Parkview Prague building. The Building of the Year competition is traditionally organized by the Architecture and Buildings Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction, the Association of Entrepreneurs in Construction and the international CraftEdu project. The awards ceremony took place on October 18, 2021 in the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague.
Information about Parkview building (only in Czech): www.stavbaroku.cz/Parkview 
More about Building of the Year 2021 (only in Czech): www.stavbaroku.cz

Renovation wave approaches Czechia and Slovakia

Picture
The construction sector is an industry that consumes substantial amount of material sources and energy and produces significant volume of waste. It nevertheless also carries innovation: digital product passports and building certificates are being introduced; Building Information Modelling (BIM) is applied into big public procurement projects, 3D printing emerges as a feasible construction technology, and the industry considers robotization and automation as a huge labour productivity boost. Energy savings and improvements of indoor environment are a part of ongoing transformation of the construction sector. Deep renovation (at least 60% energy savings) is pushed while nearly zero energy building standard has been introduced.
The international conference Requirements for Construction Professions in the Implementation of a Carbon-free Europe Strategy focused on supporting construction craftsmen professions and preparing them for emerging changes of construction sector and ongoing technological change of design, construction and use of buildings. The conference was introduced by deputy minister for industry, materials and construction sector of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade Eduard Muřický and state secretary of the Slovakian Minsitry of Economy Karol Galek. Seven Czech new training courses created within the international CraftEdu project were presented along with five Slovak, two Bulgarian and one Austrian. The conference confirmed the need for education of construction craftsmen and the benefits of cooperation between EU member states and joint initiatives in construction sector.
More info on:
Contact:

Requirements For Construction Professions ​In The Implementation Of A Carbon-free Europe Strategy

Picture
Not merely wind, solar and nuclear power plants and electric cars are essential for the road to a carbon-free Europe. An equally important task is the ongoing transformation of the construction industry, energy savings in the building materials production, during construction, but especially in the process of their use. Construction 4.0 will require significant changes in the knowledge and skills of most of the craft professions involved in new energy-efficient houses and a new approach to renovations. As part of the European H2020 program, a joint project of four European countries - CraftEdu - has been underway on this topic, which the conference will present.

Date: February 18, 2021 from 9:00 to 15:30
​
Registration: Conference registration
Agenda: Agenda of Conference 

The future of construction professions and crafts
More than 300 students of the Secondary School of Civil Engineering participated in an online webinar focused on artificial intelligence, digitization and the future of the construction professions and crafts. The webinar was organized by the ABF Foundation on November 12 and was streamed live on YouTube. E-learning prepared within the project CraftEdu, BIM and modernization of teaching and Construction Strategy until 2040 and Construction 4.0 was presented.
​
The webinar record is available (only in Czech) here: https://youtu.be/uo3fqyZ4HBg

CraftEdu at the Nomination Evening Building of the Year 2020

Picture
​On 10 September 2020, the Nomination Evening of the 28th Building of the Year 2020 took place in the Transport Hall of the National Technical Museum in Prague. The coordinator of the CraftEdu project, Mr. Jiří Karásek, handed over one of the nominations for the main award. The ABF Foundation organizes the Building of the Year award annually and is also a partner of the CraftEdu project.

CraftEdu Training the Trainers in the Czech Republic

Picture
​Around 40 participants completed the online training the trainers of CraftEdu project at the end of May. The project is focused on improving practical skills in selected craft professions. The participants of the training were introduced to training and teaching materials, which can still be supplemented and commented on. Modern buildings are demanding on the accuracy and quality of construction. The new building materials and technologies are a new challenge not only for young future craftsmen, but also for today's experienced workers, who have to adapt to new trends in construction. Training materials will not only be available to secondary professional schools, but also for craftsmen as a part of lifelong education.

Professional training are moving to online space

Picture
​The current situation and the resulting constraints are changing the way vocational training is done. Many training courses have been cancelled, but many are now moving to online space and turning into webinars. Online training cannot replace practical training, but will at least help in sharing knowledge and examples of good practice.

The draft Bulgarian LTRS highlights skills development

Picture
A webinar organized by CraftEdu partner EnEffect on the Bulgarian draft Long-term Renovation Strategy developed under Art. 2a of Directive 2018/844 confirmed the intention of the Bulgarian government, represented by the Ministry of Energy and the Sustainable Energy Development Agency, to invest in developing professional skills and capacity. A special technical assistance component is included in the proposed Decarbonization Fund, which is expected to support the deep energy retrofit of nearly 20 million sq.m. of residential area until 2030. 

Requirements for nZEB from 2022 are preparing

Picture
​The prepared amendment to Czech Decree No. 78/2013 Coll. on the energy performance of buildings was created on the basis of the need to implement the European Directive 2018/844, which amends Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency into Czech law. The amendment to the decree sets reference requirements for nearly Zero Energy Buildings from 2022 and adjusts the values of primary energy factors.

New building energy performance certificates are prepared

Picture
​An amendment to Czech Act No. 406/2000 Coll. on energy management was issued on 25 January 2020. The amendment to the Act changes the requirements and conditions for energy audits and energy specialists. Building energy performance certificates must also be visibly displayed for private buildings such as apartment buildings. The law now enshrines support for Energy Performance Contracting and simplifies energy labelling.

Czech Minister of Industry and Trade visited the training centre 

On 17 December 2019, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Karel Havlíček, ​attended Building Knowledge Hub in Prague, which is used to the education of construction workers. Within the CraftEdu project practical training courses will be organized. The courses aim at improving the skills of construction craftsmen. Currently, the training programmes for 7 professions are in preparation.

iBROAD meeting supports professional capacity building 

Picture
The final stakeholders' meeting on the iBROAD H2020 project in Bulgaria with participation of EnEffect was largely focused on the need for professional training and education in order to facilitate the introduction of innovative building renovation approaches and stimulate the introduction of internationally recognized instruments as building renovation roadmaps and building logbooks. It was confirmed that further efforts will be taken to support activities for improvement of the national qualification system in order to provide better representation of the skills and knowledge needed for the successful roll-out of the ambitious national building renovation policies. 

Training for professional high schools in Bulgaria

Picture
In recent months, EnEffect made a lot of efforts to help the Professional High School for Construction and Architecture in the city of Pazardzhik upgrade its facilities and equipment for energy efficiency training under a project supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science. On 29th November, a demonstration training course run by EnEffect experts took place in the training laboratory of the schools. The program of the course included a lot of interactive sessions, games and hands-on training on innovative concepts as airtightness, high-efficiency mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and infrared imaging. The most important however was the happiness and active engagement of the students, which makes all efforts - and even tough administration - worthwhile!

CraftEdu at Construction Maeconomics Conference 2019

Picture
On Tuesday, November 5th, the CraftEdu project was introduced at the scientific “Construction maeconomics conference 2019” held at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The main topic of the conference was the introduction to current and upcoming research activities in the field of construction economy provided or supported by the Department of Economics and Management in Construction.

CraftEdu on workshop “Architecture and Climate change”

​The international project CraftEdu was presented on Tuesday, November 5, at a discussion workshop entitled "Architecture and Climate Change - How Architects Can Help to Resolve the Climate Crisis", organized under the auspices of the Society for Sustainable Development and the Charles University Environmental Center in Prague.

CraftEdu introduced at the Building of the Year 2019 awards

Picture
​The CraftEdu project was introduced at the Building of the Year 2019 awards. The project is focused on improving the skills of construction craft professions. The results of the 27th year of the competition were announced by Architecture and Building Foundation on Monday evening. The awards were handed down traditionally in the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague in the presence of the Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček and many other prominent personalities of the Czech construction industry. A total of 53 projects entered the competition this year.

CraftEdu project introduced to Czech professionals

On 23 January 2019, CraftEdu project has been officially launched at the ABF Foundation, Prague, Czech Republic. More than 30 professionals listened to presentations about construction crafts, energy efficiency of buildings and Czech energy-efficiency policy in general. Thanks to participation of many organizations – ranging from guilds, trade associations, professional organizations, energy and education specialists to public authorities – the topic was discussed thoroughly from different viewpoints including foreign approaches and experience (Austria and Slovakia).
Parallel with presentations, lively discussion proceeded. Participants agreed that the key trend of decreasing enrolment of youth in construction crafts education occurs in all three countries. They all also face increasing pressure to deliver energy efficiency of buildings. Impact and coaction of these trends was discussed in detail with some important outcomes important for further shaping the project. Indeed, relevance of CraftEdu has been confirmed.

CraftEdu is going to help training construction craftsmen 

On Wednesday January 16, the project initial national event took place and the project has been officially launched at the Association of Construction Entrepreneurs of Slovakia headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia. Up to 30 training and high school education professionals participated. Following discussion focused on related topics: causes and effects of pupils’ low enrolment rates in craftsmen training; nearly zero energy building (nZEB) education quality; general quality of education and lastly the level of building realizations. The outcome of CraftEdu project will be creation of curricula and then training courses focused on nZEB construction technologies designated for blue collars in construction industry.

CraftEdu 2nd Project Meeting, Langenlois, 04-05 Dec 2018

The second CraftEdu project meeting took place on 4-5 December 2018 in Langenlois, Austria, at Bauakademie Niederösterreich, under the motto "Setting up the national qualification and training scheme for craftsmen and on-site workers". It was be combined with a public event on Quality Assurance & Moisture Monitoring of Building Envelope (see below), organized together with the  Bau.Energie.Umwelt Cluster Lower Austria, BAUAKademie Niederösterreich and the NEWCOM H2020 project. The joint learning outcomes and the quality of implementation on site , which can only be achieved by competent and qualified executors were the major points of discussion, as the event was combined with a study tour of the nearby practical VET center.

Agenda 

Quality Assurance & Moisture Monitoring of Building Envelope

nZEB standard requires highest quality in both new construction and refurbishment - in planning as well as execution. Suitable concepts in planning, reviews and continuous control of complex and exposed components contribute to the quality and optimal function of the building envelope over its entire life cycle. The Bau.Energie.Umwelt Cluster Lower Austria is jointly providing with the BAUAKademie Niederösterreich, the klima:active educational coordinator, and the Horizon 2020 projects CraftEdu and NEWCOM findings from innovation projects regarding quality assurance of building envelopes and invites the public for discussion.
Date and place: 04 December 2018, 17:00 - 19:00, 3550 LANGENLOIS, Bauakademie NÖ, Krumpöckallee 21, Saal „Waldviertel“
Target audience: All trades of the building industry, which are planning, checking or are working on the building envelope
More information (in German): https://www.ecoplus.at/newsroom/fachveranstaltung-schuetzt-die-gebaeudehuelle

CraftEdu introduced at the Building of the Year 2018 awards

Picture
The international project CraftEdu was introduced at the Building of the Year 2018 ceremony awards at Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. There were more than 250 invited guests at the event, headed by Mr. Milan Štěch, chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. This was 26th year of this prestigious competition. Every year, the best buildings are evaluated based on quality of construction works, architectural design and users´ comfort. The quality of the buildings make the connection between CraftEdu project and Building of the year award, because the CraftEdu project specifically aims at increasing of construction craftsmen’s skills to higher quality of the buildings.

CraftEdu Kick-Off Meeting, Telc, 02-03 July 2018

Getting off to a good start: the first meeting of the CraftEdu consortium took place on 02 – 03 July 2018 in the training center of the Czech Technical University in the historical city of Telč, a UNESCO world heritage centre and a focal point of Czech construction craft during the centuries.