introduction

The idea to establish the Research and Innovation Centre for the Moravian-Silesian Wood-Processing Cluster was initiated by its members and representatives of the Technical University of Ostrava, VŠB-TUO. The aim of the project was to create a research centre, in the grounds of VŠB-TUO, based on light timber prefabrication, the purpose of which would be its long-term analysis and monitoring. The project for the construction of this building was subsequently extended by a systém of intelligent control with the option to test the building even further.

The building of the research and innovation centre has three fundamental functions:
• long-term analysis and monitoring of the building
• unique teaching aid built in the scale of 1:1 which will serve the needs of secondary and university students and their teachers,
• training centre where both specialist and laymen public could be educated in the field of building structures and insulation materials.

The total cost on the construction of the building and its equipment was CZK 8,339,000 without VAT. The costs of the construction reached CZK 5.54mil. and the expenditures on the equipment including machinery and measuring tools were approx. CZK 2.8mil. A subsidy from the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation, Programme for Training Centres of CZK 5mil. partly funded the construction. The remaining funding was covered from special contributions donated by members of the cluster.

The building itself is situated on a plot located on the grounds of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Ostrava, VŠB-TUO.

In 2013 the building was given the Specialist Committee Award for Contribution towards the Connection between Science and Research within the contest ‘Stavba Moravskoslezského kraje 2012’.