Another important segment of development is industrial and logistics centres. It is known that the demand for these properties is still high and developers often fail to supply enough square metres of these areas. What is your view?

I think that this segment also has prospects and will continue to develop. Of course, today there are some concerns that with the changes that are taking place in the automotive industry, the position of the logistics and industrial segment will be threatened. However, I do not share these concerns. There will certainly be many new opportunities. Of course, the key constraint, or if you like, the obstacle to development, is the availability of labour.  I believe that this problem will diminish as automation and the involvement of artificial intelligence progress. We can see this today in the US or in Western Europe, where these centres are increasing, while the demand for labour is decreasing. Another significant limiting factor is the general lack of ready industrial zones and the reluctance of municipalities and the population to accept new industrial and logistics buildings on their territory. It is obvious that the state has overslept in preparing industrial areas and private investors and developers are reluctant to build new logistics or industrial areas in the cadastre of municipalities. Even if these would bring jobs and investment that would boost the area.

But let’s be optimistic, some new complexes will surely be built. If we stop at current trends such as the automation and robotics just mentioned, how do they translate into the requirements for designing new industrial halls?

Significantly. There have been a lot of demands recently. As society keeps a close eye on industrial and logistics buildings, it is placing more and more demands on them in terms of environmental protection, sustainability and the quality of life in their surroundings. Naturally, these requirements must be reflected in the design process, and we want to push the quality of this construction to a higher level.  We see that these sectors, which we cannot do without as a human society, are among the main consumers of energy. And that is a fact that we have to perceive and work with. It starts at the concept stage of a project. For example, when designing logistics facilities, we need to think about how to reduce unnecessary mileage, not to create unnecessary queuing of trucks, etc. The first priority is therefore the appropriate location of the project, its concept and the traffic solution. Sometimes people do not realise that this is also part of environmental measures. Another aspect for logistics and industrial sites should be to try to reduce the huge paved areas that are created. This is not perceived optimally by the public, and we at Obermeyer Helika always say in every project that we need to increase the green space. It is a wonder why some industrial sites have only halls, then paved areas and nothing else. The trend should be to plant trees, create ponds and green belts. Areas should be separated from villages and smaller towns by roads. There used to be a sort of trend of visibility of these campuses, but that is a long outdated concept because, as we can see, that very visibility can be rather detrimental to the local community.

Energy solutions are also a big issue for these facilities. There are major consumers of electricity here, so the energy supply is very important, both economically and environmentally.

No doubt. In this context, I would definitely single out solar energy. Industrial and logistics sites in particular are absolutely ideal for it. They have a huge proportion of roof space and this ‚lost area‘ can be fully utilised. This is something that we support as much as possible in our company and consider an absolute necessity for the future. With a large photovoltaic installation, an industrial site can ultimately make a positive contribution to the energy balance of the surrounding villages or an entire larger site.

Speaking of this solar solution, what do you think about the idea of so-called carports, since we already have paved areas such as parking lots?

Carports are a significant opportunity in all large car parks here too, although they originated further south where they are still much more common. I’m a fan of them because it’s another potential to put solar panels in places that would otherwise have no use. For me, it’s definitely a smart solution. To mention other environmental aspects, I would like to add that rainwater management is important for industrial and logistics sites. This is something that has been neglected in the past and that environmentalists have rightly criticised these sites for. The collection of grey water and its reuse, whether for irrigation, for staff toilets or even for industrial use, will also become a necessity in the future. We at Obermeyer Helika also strongly support this direction.

Can you introduce some interesting projects in this area that Obermeyer Helika has been involved in?

We work with the best in the industry. We have cooperated and are still cooperating a lot with the development company CTP, where I would like to mention in particular the Brno construction project on the site of the former ZETOR Brno factory. Here we are involved in the design of halls, whether logistics or light manufacturing. We also cooperate with VGP, which is also one of the leaders in the field. These are companies with whom it is beneficial for us to talk about the ecological aspects of this construction, because they are very much in favour of it and directly demand it from us.

So what is in store for us in the near future? Will we manage the difficulties with the placement of buildings and achieve the desired development in this segment?

I would like it very much, but at the moment I am rather pessimistic. I don’t think the situation will change quickly and radically. We can see this in a case we have recently experienced. We worked with Daimler on their central warehouse project for Central Europe. After previous experience, Daimler was preparing this project in parallel in the Czech Republic and Germany. In the end, they decided to build in Germany. This was despite the fact that it was not economically viable for them. The reason for this was the time limits for the planning permission and the building permit. In the Czech Republic, this is such an opaque and lengthy process that we are no longer an interesting partner for many investors. This is really worrying for us, it makes life difficult for us and it brings great damage to the economy of the Czech Republic.

We have successfully completed the project for the extension of the magnetic resonance imaging in the Pelhřimov Hospital. The construction is approved and nothing prevents the commissioning of this necessary diagnostic equipment. The main investor of the project was the Vysočina Region, and the cost, excluding medical equipment, amounted to CZK 25.5 million. This implementation will enable the Pelhřimov Hospital to further improve the quality of diagnostic medical services for patients in its region.

As part of this project, Obermeyer Helika acted as the general designer and was responsible for the complete preparation of the project documentation, including technological specifications and equipment, occupational health and safety (OHS) planning. The company also participated in the selection of the construction contractor and performed author’s supervision throughout the construction period.

„Overall, the construction of the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility was a complex process that required careful planning, coordination and collaboration between architects, engineers and medical staff. By taking the right approach to the technical challenges and being sensitive to the needs of patients and staff, an environment was created that maximizes the efficiency of MR diagnostics while providing comfort and safety for all parties involved,“ says project chief engineer Ing. Jiří Houda of Obermeyer Helika adds: „This specific construction will allow the expansion of the hospital’s diagnostic capabilities. The new imagingfacility has been created using magnetic resonance technology with a field strength of 1.5 Tesla.“

Technical details and specifications of the MR extension

After the decision was made to build the new MR department as an extension to the existing main pavilion building of Pelhřimov Hospital, it was necessary not only to design and build the new premises, but also to modify the existing premises. This was done in order to ensure smooth operation of the new additional section, while meeting the requirements of the medical staff and the expectations of the patients. In the new extension, space was created for a modern diagnostic MRI machine, a control room and related technical facilities. The adjacent ground floor of the existing imaging section was partially modified to accommodate a waiting room, preparation room, labeling room and other necessary operational areas for MRI.

One of the main tasks was to ensure the isolation of the new MR department from the rest of the hospital. The electromagnetic field generated by the MR equipment is sensitive to external interference, which can adversely affect the quality of the images. Therefore, specific building materials and construction techniques were used by the technology supplier to minimize electromagnetic interference and ensure an optimal working environment for diagnostics.

Another aspect was the design of the MR technology cooling. The cooling system keeps the magnet at a stable temperature, minimizing the effect of temperature fluctuations on the performance and accuracy of diagnostic results. At the same time, it protects the magnet from overheating.

The project also included the replacement of the HVAC and cooling systems for the adjacent CT site. During the CT shutdown for a predefined period, it was necessary to ensure adequate medical service in cooperation with the surrounding hospitals and the health and emergency services system.

„The construction of a new MRI workplace is a challenge that requires not only technical expertise but also an empathetic approach to the needs of patients and medical staff,“ says the project’s chief engineer Ing. Jiří Houda, the chief engineer of the project, adds: „We are pleased that we were able to contribute to expanding the diagnostic capabilities of the Pelhřimov Hospital and that, thanks to close cooperation with the hospital and the contractor and technology supplier, the construction work was carried out with minimal disruption to the hospital’s normal operations.“