Király Krisztián, a structural engineer at bim.GROUP Kft., received a Special Award at the world-renowned 10th EUROSTEEL Conference in Amsterdam for his PhD research entitled “Sustainable Composite Floor and Frame Structures – Structural Behaviour and Design”, developed through a collaboration between KÉSZ Group and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

Outstanding papers submitted to the conference were recognised in four categories, with Király Krisztián receiving the Special Award in the “New Technologies for Design and Fabrication” category.

The prestigious conference attracted 450 presenters across 19 subject areas. Key themes this year included sustainability in the construction industry, the recycling of construction materials and, most importantly, the reuse of existing structural components. Particular attention was also given to the design of demountable structures.

One of the most effective ways to achieve carbon neutrality is to use demountable structures that align with the principles of the circular economy. These load-bearing systems are designed to be dismantled without damage at the end of a building’s lifecycle, transported to a new location and reassembled to meet new requirements.

Achieving this requires new structural, technological and economic solutions, making openness and commitment from both industry and the wider economy essential. Király Krisztián and his research team are working to develop such a sustainable, demountable composite structural system.

In collaboration with the university and KÉSZ Group, Király Krisztián is developing a demountable composite floor system that follows international sustainability trends while also responding to the specific characteristics of the Hungarian construction industry. The system consists of precast reinforced concrete panels connected to steel beams using detachable shear connectors in the form of threaded rods. Its first experimental programme was completed in spring 2023, and the results were presented at the conference.