The article discusses the history of sanitation installation, i.e. water installation, drainage systems inside buildings and gas installation pipework for buildings from the earliest times to 1948 and is primarily focused on the history of this field in the territory of the former Czechoslovakia. It also deals with the history of the plumbing trade, contemporary legal regulations, technical standards and professional literature on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia.

The paper discusses the possibilities of diagnosing historical masonry structures by using non-destructive and destructive testing methods. First, the compressive strength of the masonry elements and the compressive strength of the mortar are determined, then the characteristic compressive strength of the masonry is calculated. It is important to assess the bond of the masonry and determine the presence of cracks. Finally, the moisture content and salinity of the masonry shall be determined.

The contribution focuses on the current topic of the replacement of historical burnt bricks in heritage-protected buildings. It presents the possibilities of selecting an adequate replacement by recycling historical masonry elements taken from demolished buildings while meeting the requirements placed on current masonry elements with an emphasis on their durability. A resonance method for classifying bricks into quality groups is presented here, along with basic aspects characterizing bricks from different historical periods, which represent another criterion for assessing their suitability for use in historical constructions.

In our practice, we often face the question of building stone provenance on historic buildings. However, methods providing relevant answers to this question are mostly of a destructive character requiring sampling. Therefore, our research has focused on the use of reflectance spectrometry, which is a very promising and effective non-destructive method. This paper discusses the basic principles and possibilities of this method with regard to its application to historic buildings and decorative stone.

This article focuses on the renovation and densification of existing single-family homes in the suburbs of larger cities in the Czech republic, built between 1996-2005. After defining the current issues and summarizing the theoretical approaches of sustainable suburban development, it discusses examples of suburban renewal from European countries and suggests possible applications and further research of these strategies in Czech conditions.

The preserved detailed data on the consumption of fuel (coke) for heating and hot water preparation in functionalist apartment building from the 1930s led to the idea to compare the energy consumption of these buildings at the time of their construction with the present day and to observe how the modernization interventions in both the heating system and the actual construction of the building are manifested and to quantify these modernization interventions.

PV systems are gaining ground as a standard for family homes. Apartment buildings are lagging behind, but design optimization and community energy bring new possibilities.

The paper presents the original condition of the castle in Nemyšl near Tábor together with the subsequent process of its rehabilitation. This requires a careful evaluation of its condition, determination of the remediation procedure along with condition monitoring to ensure safety on the construction site. To accomplish this task - the abbreviation SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) is used abroad - the available possibilities of current information technologies have been used.

The paper deals with the role of engineers in the contemporary world. In particular, it is focused on presenting the current possibilities in preserving historical monuments and their maintenance. In two case studies, point out the new possibilities offered by computer technology and connecting the involved actors through the web. It also mentions the WEC 2023 World Engineering Convention in a certain way. Due to the scale, the first, general part is presented first, which is supplemented by the concept verification while monitoring the retaining wall of St. James Church in Nepomuk. In the following separate paper, an example of the use of these technologies in the rehabilitation of the castle in Nemyšl is presented in more detail.

As a consequence of the growing production and use of asbestos and inorganic fibres, measurement of their concentration in indoor air is of great importance. The relevant legal regulations require the measurement. Various methods were developed for the purpose, based on collecting airborne particles in capillary membrane filters and subsequent determination of their number concentration. Remediation of buildings with fiber-containing construction elements is an essential part of any reconstruction.

The article is focused on the issue of traditional timber joist floor structures and floor compositions from the period up to the first half of the 20^th century. In building practice, we very often encounter these structures in residential buildings that are the subject of structural changes. During these interventions, the basic ideas of the original technical solution are not always respected and some physical parameters of building are degraded. The article describes the principles that were devoted to these types of structures in historical legislative and standard regulations and further in professional literature. The original historical solutions are presented on a practical example. In relation to building interventions in historic timber joist floor structures, current legislative and standard regulations are described, as well as examples of modern solutions and their limitations.

The article is focused on the issue of traditional timber joist floor structures and floor compositions from the period up to the first half of the 20^th century. In building practice, we very often encounter these structures in residential buildings that are the subject of structural changes. During these interventions, the basic ideas of the original technical solution are not always respected and some physical parameters of building are degraded. The article describes the principles that were devoted to these types of structures in historical legislative and standard regulations and further in professional literature. The original historical solutions are presented on a practical example. In relation to building interventions in historic timber joist floor structures, current legislative and standard regulations are described, as well as examples of modern solutions and their limitations.

Textile and leather wallpapers are an integral part of the interior of historic buildings. These types of wallpaper are specific in their construction, where they are stretched on wooden frames and form a membrane in front of the wall. Verification of diffusion properties is one of the steps to elucidate the thermal-humidity behaviour of these historical structures. Knowledge of diffuse properties is important for architectural and historical surveys and for the reconstruction of historical buildings. Based on this knowledge, we can assess other properties of wallpaper construction, such as moisture and microbial climate.

The standard “ČSN 73 0527 Acoustics – Acoustical design of rooms – Rooms for cultural uses – Rooms in schools – Rooms for public purposes” was revised after 18 years. In the framework of this revision, the regulations for determining the optimum reverberation time were updated, especially in relation to commonly used technologies and trends in the use of the spaces in question. A new methodology for determining the standard of acoustic treatment for spaces with lower acoustic requirements was developed and, last but not least, a code for occupancy calculations for measuring reverberation time in unoccupied spaces was defined.

Modifications of a large number of older family houses to classification class E or class D energy efficiency can be implemented by measures on the side of the building envelope even without changes to heat sources, if this obligation is introduced. Roughly, it is expected after 2030.

In the past, natural stone was among the most used building materials in the Renaissance and Gothic periods. On the territory of the Slovak Republic, sandstone was used for its suitable properties, good compressive strength, appearance, and good machinability. Sandstones still form the supporting elements of sacral and public historical buildings. These building structures are exposed to the weather because the surface finish consists of capillary-active materials or none. From the point of view of monument protection, it is not possible to propose hydrophobic modifications and therefore water coming from driving rain can be absorbed into these structures of historical buildings. This article describes the absorption and redistribution of water in structures using one-dimensional computational simulations of liquid water transfer in selected sandstones from eastern Slovakia using a simulation tool. The results are compared with German sandstones.

Regulation of heating system must be made in two steps. The first step is temperature regulation which is related to central management of heat supply to the building. The second step is hydraulic (flow) regulation which is related to local management of heat supply to the room.

In connection with the natural disaster that hit the Břeclav and Hodonín regions in June last year, more than a thousand houses, buildings, halls and other structures were damaged or completely destroyed. Real estate was owned by both natural and legal persons, as well as by cities, municipalities and state institutions. Several state and non-state, for-profit and non-profit organizations came with financial help. To determine the amount of support, subsidy or loan, it was required to document the estimated costs of compensation. The estimated costs were determined on the basis of several methods, taking into account the type and type of real estate, ownership, and the extent of damage. The methods used to determine the estimated costs of compensation are described below.

Producers and suppliers of construction materials are dealing with rising prices of raw materials, semi-finished products and lots of different types of products. Insecurity of input raw material supplies for production is on the rise as well. This is due to the concurrence of many unfavourable circumstances.

Plastics are now being directed primarily to healthcare, mainly for the production of protective aids against virus transmission. A large amount of plastics is used for disposable food containers or packaging of goods, which is now more than ever ordered online. The outage of production capacity of global plastics producers in the USA has the biggest impact on plastics prices. Lack of plastics in the US influences significantly the quantity of plastics available on European markets. The subsequent withdrawal of plastics from China and Europe significantly contributes to logistics complications. Insufficient capacity of transport ships, aircraft and rail transport makes delivery times longer.

Reduction or termination of production of some smelters in Europe, rising emission allowance prices, tariff restrictions and a shortage of metals from Asia are contributing to raise metal prices. It is seen on the London Metal Exchange.

Although the long-term bark beetle calamity is not at its end yet, foresters have succeeded in stopping it in many places in the Czech Republic. Logging of bark beetle timber is decreasing and its price increases. The increase is caused not only by the decrease in logging, but also by export of this timber abroad, particularly to China, which is a phenomenon of the last two years.

Pandemic restrictions have impact on availability of workers for materials production, products logistics, sale and on-site assembly. There was a slowdown in construction output in spring and summer 2020. However, a recovery phase has been seen recently and demand for many materials exceeds supply.

The article presents a structural survey of the historic building of the Imperial Hospital at Prague Castle. The aim of the survey was to determine the functional capability and durability of the building, including an assessment of its usability and evaluation of the condition of historical materials. The research was focused mainly on the issue of inappropriate interventions performed in the past and the associated increased moisture of structures.