SUMMARY 3 - 4/2003
Eliminating the Faults in the Roof of the Boiler House of the Opatovice Power Plant
Roughly three months ago - on Saturday November 9 - the roof of the boiler house in the production block of the Opatovice power plant collapsed. Directly following this occurrence, under the professional supervision of a team of statics experts removal and destruction work was initiated, the gable walls of the cladding were stabilised, and extensive technical-structure investigations were initiated to trace the extent of damage to the other load-bearing structures of the building.
At first glance it was clear that a complete destruction of the membrane roofing of the boiler house had occurred - the entire structure of the membrane roofing, including all the girders, frames, and binders had completely collapsed. There was visible damage also to other structural parts of the building - especially the shanks of the steel columns of the supporting frame of the hall in the area over the crane runway, the cladding including the attic gables, the crane runway, and the bridge crane
Renewable, Alternative, and Non-traditional Sources of Energy and Low Energy Consumption Structures
The expansion of the opportunities for supplying alternative and renewable sources of energy has proven to be essential for the support of economic development worldwide. Today's conventional energy systems, relying on the use of fossil fuels, provide no long-term perspective and do not offer conditions for their intense and future long-term use. Alternative and renewable energy can be used in various forms anywhere on the planet and they offer the opportunity to supply energy to meet the energy needs in the following forms:
- Electricity generated from solar radiation, wind, biomasses, geothermal energy, hydraulic energy and energy sources drawn from the world's oceans
- Heat generated from warm solar radiation, geothermal energy and biomasses
- Biological fuels and hydrogen gained from renewable sources
Structural Repairs to the Karlštejn Castle after 1997 - From the perspective of carpentry work
In the repairs to the ceiling constructions, the inner contrasting aspects of the technological concept were of particular interest. Although this is essentially an engineering project, and for the woodworking modern electrical hand tools were employed, we were - and essentially still are - forced to use old, non-engineering technological approaches and the traditional techniques of craftsmen.
The places we were forced to diverge can be summarised into three groups:
- Measuring during the jointing of old elements with new ones,
- Transportation and handling of large wooden elements,
- Working with wood-worked elements in places inaccessible to machines and refining the machine woodworking.
The experiences we gained from this work again confirm the fact that engineering (industrial) technology can be completely used wherever we are working in a geometrically integral space. But when we are working with a living material, such as wood, or in historical buildings, it is more appropriate to turn to older craftsmanship, as we are then not only able to achieve better results but also to save time and by extension also costs.
