S p r i n g 201 3 ( 3 ) / S u m m a r y
ENGINEERING
INFRASTRUCTURE
Lithuanian peculiarities of compliance with building technical regulations According to the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania even up to 90 various building technical regulations and 77 annexes to the regulations are currently in force in Lithuania. It is no doubt that making sense of such a vast number of documents and managing to comply with all the requirements set forth by them is quite difficult. However, to a number of building business participants requirements of building technical regulations (BTR) are part of their everyday work. These are architects, designers, building engineers and other specialists related to construction or exploitation of buildings. STRUCTUM talked to architect Rytis Mažuolis from Kaunas about practical appliance of BTR in everyday work.
Will we be able to attract more investments? Investments is a necessary condition for economic grow. Every country that purposefully sets requirements for its growing economics should be concerned with investments. Lithuania is concerned with investments of a larger scale, which are expected to allow economic growth, new jobs and creation of a comfortable living environment. However, the investment statistics does not look promising. By issue of building permits Lithuania moved up by one position to the 48th place in 2012. However, this index does not assess spatial planning processes. Even though the new Spatial planning draft law should simplify spatial planning processes, it has a clear discrepancy between limitations on access to property and the possibility to influence planning process granted to owners.
RENOVATION AND CLADDING OF OBSOLETE PARTS Durability and reliability of parts of machines depend on the structure and characteristics of the surface. They can be altered using various surface treatment technologies. During the exploitation various parts of machines and mechanisms become unsatisfactory due to attrition therefore the problem of their renovation and surface consolidation comes into the foreground. A surface can be consolidated by cladding coatings. Cladding is one of the most economical ways of increasing resistance to attrition of various parts. Saving raw materials is one of the most topical issues nowadays. Using secondary raw materials instead of the usual ones solves not only economic but ecological problems as well. What is crucial is searching for new ways how and where secondary raw materials can be applied.
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spring 2013 (3)
The RAIL BALTIKA railway helps Lithuania move closer to the European standards The ‘Rail Baltica’ project has been recognised as a priority project at the EU level and is part of the European transportation network development plan. Works began in 2010 on the dual gauge (1435 mm. Western and 1520 mm Eastern) section between Šeštokai and Mockava. The section’s reconstruction was completed by UAB ‘Geležinkelio tiesimo centras’ (‘Railway Construction Centre’), abbreviated as GTC. The many works carried out required engineering brilliance and a high level of professionalism. AB ‘Lietuvos geležinkeliai’ has recently signed a contract with GTC, once more a winner of the competition, which will complete another section from the Lithuanian-Polish border to Mockava and will reconstruct the existing Marijampolė-Šeštokai track. The contact is estimated to be worth 85.3 mln. Lt.