In the Czech Republic, unauthorized interventions in the structures of panel houses are increasing

Brno - In the Czech Republic, there is an increasing number of unprofessional interventions in the structures of panel buildings. Their owners are trying to improve them. However, the modifications are assessed by engineers who have no experience with panel buildings. This was stated today by Alois Materna, the vice-chairman of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction (ČKAIT), at the construction trade fairs in Brno. According to him, some erroneous structural interventions could lead to the collapse of the buildings.
    People are, according to Materna, mainly changing the apartment cores to brick or drywall, which changes the load on the building. "Owners are also trying to connect the apartments. Some would like to remove the load-bearing panels entirely, but this leads to serious problems," said Materna. He added that unprofessional modifications to balconies also cause problems. Replacing floors causes less concern. "Problems arise with acoustics. Many modifications are amateurish and done by incompetent companies," said Materna.
    ČKAIT is organizing training for structural engineers in the regions, which it is organizing together with universities. According to Materna, panel buildings differ in individual regions. "Part of the projects was also destroyed in the past," he said.
    The Chamber is preparing a manual for building authorities, which aims to clarify the rules for modifying panel buildings. According to Materna, builders today face differing requirements from building authorities. The new manual is supposed to clarify what can be permitted through building procedures, what through notification, and what requirements builders must obtain for assessment.
    The first attempts with panel buildings in the country date back to the 1940s. Their construction is particularly associated with the period of socialist Czechoslovakia. Panel houses even flooded the historical centers of some cities, with the central Bohemian town of Benešov being a particularly discouraging example.
    By 1990, approximately 62,500 panel buildings had been constructed in the Czech Republic. More than half of them were built in the 1970s; between 1971 and 1980 alone, around 33,000 panel buildings were erected. There are nearly 1.2 million apartments in panel buildings, which constitutes more than a quarter of all apartments (including those in family houses) in the Czech Republic.