Latest technological innovations may cut time and cost significantly in preparing real estate projects. Property Forum asked Béla Markovich, CEO of construction giant Mapei’s Hungarian subsidiary about the ways the company uses VR and AI to reach higher efficiency and about R+D activity to produce eco-friendly construction materials.

Construction is one of the riskiest industries in terms of payment morale. According to data from Coface, the number of insolvencies in the Czech construction industry is growing, reaching its peak only in the second half of the year 2024.

UBM Development Czechia announced a significant milestone in sustainable construction in the Czech Republic, allowing the construction of wooden buildings up to 22.5 meters using the engineering method.

The alliance aims to combine the decades of construction experience of the DVM Group and the extensive industrial general contracting experience of Greenfield Development. However, the new partnership does not represent a merger.

In 2023, 18,647 new dwellings were built, 9.2% fewer than a year earlier. The number of dwellings to be built under construction permits and simple declarations issued was 21,501, 39% fewer than in 2022, Hungary’s Central Statistical Office reports.

In less than five months, the new building code for common buildings in the Czech Republic is going to enter into force. However, clouds are gathering around it. Builders are afraid of the shortcomings they have encountered recently when familiarizing themselves with the new requirements of the legislation, reports Seznamzpravy.cz.

Revenue generated by the top 40 construction companies operating in Poland grew in double digits in 2023, in nominal terms, for the third straight year, and it was mostly the effect of the overall substantial growth of construction costs. For these companies to continue to thrive, it is necessary to disburse the EU funding for Poland promptly, including all the funds available under the National Recovery Scheme and the cohesion policy budget for 2021-2027, says Spectis.

The Construction Act in Slovakia has been in force for half a century, and this year will probably not be its last either. The new Construction Act, or the Construction Act and Spatial Planning Act, was supposed to enter into force in Slovakia on 1st April 2024. The validity of part of the new legislation will be postponed, reports yimba.sk.

Mota-Engil has reached an agreement with Hungarian company Duna Aszfalt for the sale of Mota-Engil Central Europe (MECE) and its subsidiaries. MECE is an active player in the construction industry and real estate development market in Poland.

2024 is foreseen to experience a decline in SEE construction markets but a comeback is the projected current scenario for 2025. Romania is expected to contribute most negatively to the shrinkage of the SEE region in 2024. The rest of the countries is forecast to perform better. Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia could end up at higher level in 2025 than what was experienced in 2023. The EECFA (Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association) released its 2023 winter construction forecast.