Two days packed with knowledge, debates, and engineering excitement are now behind us

On May 8–9, 2026, the 6th National Student Conference “A Window on Construction” was held at the Drutex headquarters, organized by DRUTEX S.A. in cooperation with the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Gdańsk University of Technology and the “KOBRa” Student Research Club for Construction Technology and Organization. 

This year’s edition brought together construction students from leading technical universities across Poland. Over the course of two intensive days, participants presented their original research, took part in Oxford-style debates, and exchanged experiences and ideas regarding modern construction, technology, and the future of the industry.

The “Window on Construction” conference is a project that DRUTEX S.A. has been consistently organizing for six editions, creating a space for students, experts, and business representatives to meet. The event serves as an example of genuine cooperation between industry and academia, as well as an investment in the development of young engineers.

Every year in Bytów, something happens that seemed almost unimaginable just a few years ago—students from Poland’s top technical universities come to my hometown to present their research, ideas, and the results of their hard work. All of this takes place at DRUTEX, a local brand that has become a global player, under the auspices of Gdańsk University of Technology, the Faculty of Civil Engineering (WILiŚ), and the KOBRa research club, which I have the pleasure of leading. It’s hard for me to even describe what I feel when I look at it from the outside. Pride, satisfaction, and immense gratitude that we’ve managed to create a place where science, ambitious people, and business come together right here—in Bytów. It’s simply a great time and one of those things that give you tremendous energy to keep going - says Dr. Marcin Szczepański, co-organizer.

Twelve teams representing Polish technical universities took part in the conference. Following the research presentation stage, the four best teams were selected to compete in the semifinal Oxford-style debates. The grand finale featured an exciting showdown between teams from the Wrocław University of Technology and the Gdańsk University of Technology. The finalists tackled an extremely timely and inspiring topic, naturally related to Drutex: if the Allianz Arena were to be designed from scratch today, would the technology of facades, joinery, and smart glazing be just as important as the stadium’s structure itself?

After an extremely close debate, the team from Wrocław emerged victorious; they had traveled to Bytów with a presentation titled “Analysis of End Connections in Precast Reinforced Concrete Elements.”

The grand prize for the winners was a trip to an FC Bayern match.

One of the most memorable moments of the event was also the Q&A session with Uwe Stadler, the technical director of the Allianz Arena. Participants had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of one of the world’s most modern stadiums and discuss the technology, organization, and challenges involved in managing a facility of this scale.

The 6th edition of “Window on Construction” once again demonstrated the immense potential of the younger generation of engineers. Two days filled with substantive discussions, ambitious projects, inspiring conversations, and healthy competition created an event that will long remain in the participants’ memories.

We would like to thank all the teams, the jury, partners, guests, and everyone involved in organizing the conference for creating a unique atmosphere and two days full of knowledge and inspiration. In the coming days, we will revisit the most interesting moments of the event on our social media and share behind-the-scenes insights from the 6th edition of the “Window on Construction” conference.