Bratislava, March 30, 2019
Current trends in construction, architecture and design; materials and components for construction, reconstruction and furnishing, as well as building mechanisms and commercial vehicles – all this was part of the offering at the 40th International Construction Fair CONECO, which took place on March 27 – 30 in Incheba in Bratislava, together with the Energy Efficiency Fair RACIOENERGY, 6th edition of the WATER exhibition and sections dedicated to wooden and passive houses. The offer of nearly 450 exhibitors from Slovakia and other seven countries was viewed by 81,826 visitors from Wednesday to Saturday.
This year, the fairs were influenced by healthy living and housing, energy efficiency and savings and design solutions and presented a comprehensive cross-section of materials and components for construction and renovation. Bricks, building materials, panels, coatings, floor and roof coverings, windows, doors, boilers, fireplaces, garden pergolas and shading mechanisms, swimming pools and their overlays, but also design luminaires, technologies for intelligent and wireless home control, interior as well as exterior furniture – therefore, visitors could get inspired by a full-scale offer for dream housing, including hot news such as solar tiles, designer washable paints, a safety window that can withstand hurricanes and thieves, and a retractable and tilting laminated pergola for the exterior.
Wooden houses and passive houses
An absolute novelty for this year was the so-called modular wooden house – a completely furnished wooden construction that has been pre-assembled in the factory. Visitors could not only look closely at the exterior, but also the interior of such houses and compare them with classic brick houses. In addition, thanks to the rich presence of companies engaged in the field of wooden houses and passive houses, the visitors have been able to discuss with experts the possibilities of such constructions from design to implementation and furnishing.
The best of the best, professional topics and valuable advice
On the first day of the event, awards were given in the prestigious competition Construction of the Year 2018, which is synergistically linked to the fair already for the fourth time. Just like CONECO brings the best of the construction industry, the competition introduces the most remarkable constructions from the previous year to the public. The best exhibits of the fair, which excel in processing, technology or a progressive approach, were awarded the prestigious Golden Plaquette CONECO 2019 and the Golden Plaquette RACIOENERGY 2019. Similarly, the most creative and architecturally best-built exhibition stands of exhibitors earned the Golden Leonardo Award 2019.
Also thanks to the auspices of the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic and cooperation with professional associations, chambers, guilds and other partners, the fair was accompanied by a rich professional program focused on current topics in the construction and sustainability segment. Those interested in building or reconstruction could learn about trends in the development of windows, proper thermal insulation or energy self-sufficiency of buildings and energy savings. In addition, students of vocational schools measured their power and skills in the Slovak Championship of Roofing Crafts or the Slovak Championship of Painting Crafts. Last but not least, the fairs also included presentations of construction designs and implementations in the inspiring section called Architects’ Salon.