Seven-storey building completed in 60 days - Belgrade-based Quattro Construction's patent worth €1.2 billion

Jovan Nikolic from Belgrade got the idea for one of the best ecological construction projects in Europe in 2010 (2010 Lafarge Invention Awards) back in 1992 in Florida, while Hurricane Andrew was demolishing houses.

- Then I asked myself: How can quality, ecological and maximally resistant buildings be quickly and cheaply built. After seven years of work, we have managed to find a solution to avoid so-called thermal bridges, which consume too much energy and cause dampness, condensing and mold. The inventiveness of our technology lies in the use of a system of concrete panels with internal, that is, continuous insulation. Multi-functional tools are used to produce pre-fabricated panels of various dimensions, according to the building design, before installation on-site. Thanks to such system, a seven-storey turnkey building can be finished in only 60 days, instead of 365 days. Owing to numerous savings, the price of square meter of an apartment in Belgrade and Novi Sad may amount to EUR 550 - Jovan Nikolic, the owner of the company Quattro Construction, one of the three winners of 2010 Lafarge Invention Awards, says at the beginning of an interview for eKapija.

Nikolic's concrete panels make it possible for premises to stay warm regardless of weather conditions, they save 80% of energy and reduce the emission of harmful gases caused by heating, and they are excellent insulators as well.

- We have not invented concrete panels since construction with the use of such panels is well known all around the world for years now. We have just offered a solution for making thermal insulation in blocks continuous. Concrete is sensitive and easily let dampness into rooms, while insulation in our panels is hermetically closed so that, even when the outside temperature is 20 degrees below zero, it will be spring inside the building. There will be no need for you to turn on air conditioning or heating, which means you will save electricity and prevent emission of harmful gases. Presented in numbers, if your electricity bills amount to RSD 10,000, they will drop to RSD 2,000 thanks to our building system - says our interlocutor, adding that innovation is based on the principle of an old Serbian system of building with the use of slab.

According to Mr. Nikolic, the system of building is such that it utilizes double time, that is, two things can be done at the same time.

- For example: while a foundation is being prepared, we get all the panels ready. Once the foundation is finished, we fit panels like domino pieces and when all blocks on one floor are in their places, we turn them into a homogeneous whole by covering them with concrete. As soon as one floor is finished, we automatically start working on another floor, without vocational works. Such method makes it possible for us to build 1,000 square meters in 7 days because everything is prepared by means of specific, multi-functional tools, which are used to determine height, thickness, etc. You go to a vacation and your new home will wait for you to return.

This innovative solution developed by the company Quattro Construction enables construction of all types of facilities and there are no limits regarding the number of floors, type of the building, or energy that will be used - solar sources, geothermal pumps, crude oil, coal, etc.

(Jovan Nikolic)

Tesla for high-rise building

Mr. Nikolic received the greatest compliment for his technology at a recent presentation of the solution in Lyon when one of competitors told him: "What Tesla was for electricity is what Quattro Construction's solution is for the high-rise building".

In addition to a cash prize of EUR 20,000, Mr. Nikolic will also receive all the necessary expert support from the world's leading manufacturer of building materials for development of his project.

- Construction of an experimental building with the use of our panels is in the pipeline, and it may be built either in Belgrade or in Novi Sad - says Mr. Nikolic.

The company will also invest in the construction of a tools production unit, but it has not been specified yet what the capacity of the future unit will be, Nikolic explains and adds that Lafarge will take part in implementation of that project.

- With 1,000 tools, we can build 50,000 apartments a year. We would hire domestic building companies. Training is not complicated, but it is very precise. Once made, tools are permanent, they are not disposable and can be used in construction of anything - residential and business facilities, hospitals, hotels... Production units can be built in several locations in Serbia, ready-made elements would be delivered from these locations to building companies, while materials for production of concrete panels would be procured in Serbia.

- CNIC Institute was delighted with our project. Algeria has a project that should enable construction of 2 million apartments. With the construction of only 100,000 apartments per year in that African country, Serbia would export products worth about 500 million euros - says Mr. Nikolic, adding that the contact in Algeria was established thanks to the Serbian Ministry of Economy, especially Jelena Marjanovic, an assistant to the Minister of Bilateral and Economic Cooperation.

Quattro Construction was registered last year because of the Lafarge Inventive Awards.

- There was a little confusion on the occasion of the company's registration since it is now worth 1.25 billion euros because of the patent. That seemed odd to many at the first sight, but the calculation is as follows: It is realistic that a country builds 500 apartments a year. Therefore, 500 apartments times 75 square meters times EUR 100 worth of profit times 10 years times 35 countries of Europe. I think in this way. We have introduced the patent into the company and we want Serbia to become the leading country in the high-rise building sector.

Lafarge Invention Awards

This year's competition organized by the company Lafarge attracted more than thousand projects, 104 of which were selected to compete for the awards, while three projects from Serbia were among ten finalists. The authors of these projects attended the Awards Ceremony at the Lafarge Technology Center near Lyon. In addition to Jovan Nikolic who won the third prize, other two finalists will also continue to cooperate with Lafarge Group, each in accordance with his needs.

The project Buildings of Specially Prefabricated Ferrocement Elements developed by Milenko Milinkovic, the owner of Milinkovic Company - MC Sistem, is already in the phase of commercial exploitation.

The project Shaped Building Block developed by Srecko Stefanovic, the owner of Hemi Eco, is still in the initial phase, but it was attractive enough for Lafarge experts to make Stefanovic a finalist.

T.S.