The Gen. Elzbieta Zawacka road bridge,  brought into use on the 9th of December 2013, is one of the most important projects carried out in Poland in recent years, and – above all – a significant investment for Toruń. Not only does it solve such a big problem of road transport, improve road safety, enhance driving comfort, but it also increases the tourist and economic attractiveness of the city.

In fact, there is nothing new about the concept of harnessing the heat trapped underground. Naturally occurring hot water has been known for thousands of years. Even the ancient Romans and Chinese as well as native Americans used them for bathing and healthcare. Today, geothermal energy seems a very promising solution among the renewable energy sources and, therefore, has been getting more and more attention worldwide.

Autoclavedaerated concrete, usually used as blocks, is a versatile, lightweight and, most importantly, cheap building material. Depending on its density and, consequently, compressive strength, it is suitable for a wide range of applications, such as load-bearing and partition walls, single-leaf and cavity walls, infill walls, which is both for internal and external use.

Now that the winter weather is really setting in, coming back to a warm home is all we want after a long and cold day out. The investment in your home heating system is thus an especially important decision, usually taken every few years or even less frequently. A good system should not only provide thermal comfort for occupants, but also be durable, reliable, energy-efficient as well as easy to use and maintain. Among a whole range of options available, it is worth taking into account an underfloor heating system that has recently gained in popularity. We can choose from two types of underfloor heating – electric or wet.

It is estimated that the construction industry in Europe creates over 400 million tonnes of waste per year. It includes unused or damaged materials, off-cuts, packaging and other waste produced in the course of construction, modernization and, in particular, demolitionof buildings. An ever increasing amount of waste, a shortage of landfill sites, environmental pollution, depletionof natural resources, energy consumption, as well as economic factors – all of these impel us to look for solutions that would enable better management of construction waste. So, where to start then?

Vinyl, acrylic, latex, polyurethane, silicate,structural, or maybe ceramic paint – which is best to use on internal walls and ceilings? Recently I was faced with such a choice myself and realised that, despite appearances, it is not an easy decision. One needs to take into consideration a whole range of brands, types, colours, textures and finishes(like matt, gloss,semi-matt, silk or satin). In addition, paints differ from each other in terms of durability, VOCcontent, resistance todirt, abrasionor mildewand other key characteristics. Therefore, it is so important to select them carefully for each application and performance requirements.

Choosing the heating method for your home is one of the key factors affecting your future comfort and building maintenance costs. Thus you should think about this as early as at the stage of preparing the building permit design. With a range of possibilities and different types of heating systems you need to select the one that suits both your home and budget best.

Building a high-speed rail network, providing for speeds of 200 to 350kph, is a great technological leap forward that can revolutionise the transport system and consequently improve the way we travel. At the same time, it is a considerable organizational and financial challenge. Let’s take a look around the world, how other countries have managed to implement similar systems.

In today’s world, construction machines are the backbone of every construction site. Their strength and versatility are useful while building roads, bridges, tunnels, underground stations and various types of buildings and building structures. The use of machinery at particular stages of the construction project, from earthwork to foundation work to above ground construction works and finally to finishing works, significantly speeds up the investment process and sometimes allows to reduce the overall cost. The main thing, however, is to select the appropriate equipment, taking into account the type and size of the work as well as machine efficiency.

In the light of the rapid development of urban and transport infrastructure, it is worth considering ways to mitigate the negative impact of roads on wildlife and natural environment. It is all about the heightened mortality of animals, barrier effect, pollution from exhaust fumes and noise. Especially the two first ones seem very alarming. Each year, tens of thousands of animals are killed as a result of collisions with cars. Moreover, roads threaten the continuity of wildlife passages and lead to habitat fragmentation, thereby impeding animal migration.