The new premises were acquired by CTU by reconstruction and completion of the former Technical Cantina hall. The building will be used as a seat of CTU´s high institute, which brings together excellent science across computer sciences - the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC), also the offices of the Rectorate, several departments of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and part of the CTU Computer and Information Center. The construction cost raised to 1.4 billion crowns, of which one billion was paid from the state budget, 220 million formed the refundable amount of VAT, and nearly 200 million came from CTU´s budget. Overally, the new building will provide a usable area of about 34,000 m² and workplace for up to 1,650 people.
The field of professional interest of the youngest university institute is broad: it includes automated management and optimization, robotics, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, computer vision and machine learning, design of software systems and computing resources, design of decision and diagnostic systems and their applications in medicine, distributed decision making systems, industrial diagnostics, telematics and the design of user-friendly and beneficial solutions for citizens and residents (including smart homes, smart cities). The CIIRC can already boast on cooperation with leading research centers abroad, it has become the ERC grant center, started three projects of Excellent team of OP VVV and successfully applied to four Horizon 2020 projects. It significantly supports the transfer of know-how towards the industry and cooperates with dozens of companies like Rockwell Automation, Eaton, Siemens, Škoda Auto, Honeywell and Airbus. It is currently building the first testbed for Industry 4.0 in the Czech Republic under massive support from Siemens and Škoda Auto, as well as Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic. Cooperation happens also at the university level, but the strongest partner of CIIRC projects is VUT in Brno, and intensive cooperation is also taking place with VŠB-TU Ostrava or the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
The new building consists of a ten-storey building with three underground floors and parking stacker for 188 parking spaces. The five-storey building of the Technical Hall was rebuilt into a seven-storey building with extended floor area. The building houses offices, laboratories, lecture and presentation spaces, computer labs and a dining table. Buildings are connected above ground by two bridging corridors. An interesting architectural feature is the use of transparent ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene) membrane, fixed to a separate steel structure. It is used on the facade of the new building from fifth to ninth floor.
The ceremonial opening of the ČVUT - CIIRC building was attended by important representatives of political, scientific and cultural life, including representatives of industrial partners of CTU, academic staff, foreign hosts and the media. The YuMi robot which introduced lead-through programming, assisted as well. It can put into real-life technologies like RobotStudio from ABB and the new real-time headset for Microsoft HoloLens-operated by voice or gestures. There was a demonstration of implementation of Industry 4.0 in production at Škoda Auto car manufacturing.
The opening ceremony was captured by Czech Television. Other media reported about the event as well: ČTK, iDnes.cz, aktualne.cz, and lidovky.cz.
You can view video from the event here.
