Czechs and Slovaks build Europe’s tallest skyscraper out of cardboard

14 February 2023

The 15th anniversary edition of the international competition for secondary schools called HSF System Modelium 2023 has started. 33 secondary schools with a focus on construction from the Czech Republic and Slovakia will compete for the best building made of corrugated cardboard. Talented students will create models on the theme “Europe’s tallest skyscraper”. The best contestants will share prizes worth CZK 134,000. The competition is organised by the international construction group HSF System.

The traditional HSF System Modelium 2023 competition (formerly called Corrugated Cardboard Buildings) is entering its 15th year with an international scope. This year, young builders and young female builders from both the Czech Republic and Slovakia will compete with each other in the design and creation of corrugated cardboard models. A total of 24 schools (35 teams) from the Czech Republic and 9 schools (13 teams) from Slovakia have entered the competition.

“The world of sports or music has its stars. We think that the traditional construction field also deserves such stars. That’s why we want to find them and introduce them to the world through our competition,” says Jan Hasík, CEO and Chairman of the Board of HSF System, about the mission and focus of the competition. “We mainly want to promote and deepen the relationship to the building trade among high school students, develop their creativity and mutual cooperation,” adds Tomáš Kosa, Managing Director of HSF System SK.

In this year’s competition, talented students will design and create models of buildings made of corrugated cardboard on the theme “Europe’s tallest skyscraper”. The model of the high-rise building must be created exclusively from corrugated cardboard, as an ecological, sustainable and malleable material, and must also show the internal layout of the building. The expert jury will judge the competition buildings primarily on their originality, novelty, inventiveness and modern approach.

Other innovations in the 15th anniversary edition of the competition include two separate national final rounds to be held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The top eight will advance to the international superfinals in Ostrava. The best competitors or teams will share the prizes worth CZK 134,000. The winner of the superfinal will receive CZK 25,000. A new feature will also be the People’s Choice Award.

The popular competition is intended for students of vocational secondary schools with a focus on construction. The organiser and general partner of the competition is the international construction group HSF System, based in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The new main partner of the competition is the development group ANTRACIT. The product partner is the Czech Association of Corrugated Board Manufacturers.

In the history of previous years, approximately 60 different secondary construction schools participated in the competition, whose students built over 300 models of corrugated board buildings. The final rounds were held at interesting locations such as the main railway station in Prague, Štefánik Observatory, Dolní Vítkovice, Šance Waterworks or Klementinum.

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