Wood is an organic material and therefore often considered to have a short lifetime. However, in the past, people did not distinguish between durability of wood and durability of masonry, proof of which is the existence of constructions that combine the use of both. In fact, the lifetime of wood can be high if specific rules are followed when designing the construction.

This paper describes the method for calculating the amplification of curved brick construction with composite reinforcement and compares this procedure with reinforcement made by conventional methods to gain a practical demonstration of the bent beam.

This paper presents an analysis of the behaviour of wood when using the diagnostic tool for "in-situ" assessment of wood based on the principle of mechanical resistance to penetration tool (mandrel) into the wood. The aim was to describe the degree of deformation and failure mode during penetration (diameter 2.5 mm) into wood in a purely radial direction and to compare the tool with a standard measurement unit testing on samples.

Benchmarking is a continuous and systematic comparison of own performance in productivity, quality, and manufacturing process, with enterprises and organizations representing excellence. "Benchmarking is the process of identifying best practices in other organizations and learning from them."

To calculate the fastening plan of mechanically fastened waterproofing roof sheet (MEFAWAME) it is necessary in addition to the correct wind suction procedure also determine by the corresponding way the resistance (allowable stress) of the fasten system.

Wood-destroying insects is one of the biological wood pests. Attacks the wood material, both individually and also in parallel with other decaying biological pests. Knowledge of principles for the design and implementation of a hot air disposal of wood-destroying insects is necessary for the reconstruction of historic buildings. Carefull consider from a conceptual point of view is necessary for the design for redevelopment of wooden elements affected by wood-destroying insects.

The paper deals with structural and humidity survey of the timber-framed building of Rowing Centre from the 19^th century in Brno. The building is one of the last surviving buildings of its kind in the city. The results of the survey of wooden structures, including windows, doors, and other construction, can be summed up in a statement that the construction is in relatively good condition adequate to its age. Proposal of preventive and remedial actions aims at maintaining of the traditional timber-framed system with the supporting structure visible from the outside.

The paper describes the circumstances that often lead to disputes about result quality of industrial floors. In addition to quantitative parameters, such as flexural rigidity of plate, coating adhesion to the surface layer and local flatness, attention has always focused on the appearance of the visible surface. The paper proposed assessment methodology that would allow at least partly quality assessment of the coating as a whole objectify and create all interested parties basis for fair negotiations.

This paper deals with the influence of addition of fine-grained ceramic body which was added to the lime mortars in the amount of 0–50 % of the binder weight. The addition effect of the fine-grained ceramic body on the properties of the modified lime mortars was evaluated on base of the strength and absorbency characteristics of the modified lime plasters. The ceramic body was analyzed prior to its use in the mortars. Pozzolanic activity and mineralogical composition were determined. The results showed that the addition of the ceramic body in the modified lime plasters had positive influence on their properties. The strenghts of the modified lime plasters were increased and the absorbency was reduced.

The CE mark indicates only that the specified product properties were tested in accordance with specified regulation, in the case of windows, the type test was performed for 1 pcs of the product. Subject to the same quality parameters, ie same values ​​of air permeability, watertightness, etc. for the entire manufacturing production is the only producer responsibility.

The paper focuses on analyzing the basic parameters of fly ash, a by-product of the cement chipboards. Furthermore, the comparison with selected types of energy by-products. Specifically, the testing of these alternative materials in terms of selected parameters, which is essential for subsequent use in cementitious composites with organic reinforcement.

The paper presents examples of defects that are associated with application of finishes impervious for diffusion to damp concrete, or concrete, which water in liquid or gaseous phase can migrate through. Described are the possible mechanisms of failure.

In two volumes we present a modern large format tiles. In the first part it will be the possibility of their use, including methods of laying, in the second part of the expansion issue, adhesives and grouts. Traditional ceramic tiles have changed significantly. Rapid technological development has enabled to provide users a completely new format tiles. The dimensional changes can be observed in both directions. Mosaics have been reduced to the size less than 10 mm of the edge and paving and tilesgrow to impressive sizes.

External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) are commonly used in the Czech Republic for thermo-retrofitting of old multifamily buildings as well as for proper insulation of new buildings constructed presently. Additional insulating layer radically improves thermal performance of a wall but at same time reduces its sound insulation in certain frequency range depending on the resonance frequency of the system. This problem becomes important in the case of noisy locations. This contribution presents a revision of the European Technical Approval Guideline No. 004 and describes suitable test methods and single value characteristic ΔR_w including relevant national requirements.

Relatively frequent request when conducting construction surveys of historical constructions is to determine the origin and age of bricks as well as their physico-mechanical properties in the context of a static evaluation of the brickwork. This article addresses this issue using an example of historic brickwork in a bridge construction.

In two volumes we present a modern large format tiles. In the first part it will be the possibility of their use, including methods of laying, in the second part of the expansion issue, adhesives and grouts. Traditional ceramic tiles have changed significantly. Rapid technological development has enabled to provide users a completely new format tiles. The dimensional changes can be observed in both directions. Mosaics have been reduced to the size less than 10 mm of the edge and paving and tilesgrow to impressive sizes.

An amendment of the Building Act will bring many changes to developers and building offices. Procedures of the Building Act will be simplified in a lot of cases. Some parts of the Building Act are modified in detail. This amendment has been published in the Collection of Laws under No. 350/2012 Coll .. and it will be effective from January 1, 2013.

This paper deals with predictions of reverberation time of sports buildings in the phase of project preparation. On the set of nine buildings, the comparison of calculated results with in-situ measured data is done. Different prediction methods and computer simulations have been included in this work.

The article describes unbiased comparison between two different methods of building protection against subsurface water and moisture – the foundation structure of waterproof concrete and waterproofing envelope based on the bitumen or plastic continuous sheet water proofing. The confrontation of properties and risk factors of the methods is made from the perspective of waterproof concrete structure which is the main content of the article. The comparative analysis is supplemented with the photos from field surveys and the results of independent laboratory tests.