The engineering and construction company Rauta has published a guide titled “Fastening Cantilevered Structures to Sandwich Panels,” intended for designers and specialists working with building envelopes.
According to the company’s website, the guide will be useful when calculating loads on Ruukki sandwich panel cladding caused by suspended elements. The guide contains recommendations on the level of utilization of the panels’ load-bearing capacity, requirements for calculating fasteners for suspended elements, as well as specifics for determining loads from vertically installed U- and Ω-profiles or cantilever supports for cable ladders.
The document also specifically addresses point loads from through-fasteners. This is important for industrial, warehouse, logistics, and commercial facilities where engineering components, cable trays, additional structures, cladding, or auxiliary equipment may be attached to facades or wall panels.
For the construction market, these guidelines are of practical importance, as sandwich panels are widely used in prefabricated buildings, industrial facilities, cold storage warehouses, agricultural infrastructure, and retail and logistics complexes. Errors in the design of fasteners can lead to improper load distribution, damage to the cladding, compromised airtightness, or reduced durability of the building envelope.
Rauta operates in the engineering and construction solutions sector and offers building design, the supply of frames, sandwich panels, ventilated facades, and prefabricated buildings, as well as structural installation, general contracting, client services, building commissioning, and maintenance.
The company positions itself as a provider of reliable construction solutions in Ukraine and European Union countries. Rauta uses certified European-manufactured products and is the exclusive supplier in Ukraine of commercial products from the Finnish Ruukki Group.
One of Rauta’s key areas of activity is Ruukki sandwich panels. According to the company, these panels are manufactured using Finnish technologies at Ruukki’s European plants and comply with the European standard EN 14509. The supply of panels is accompanied by consultations on selection, the design of building envelopes, technical solutions, components, panel layout on facades and roofs, as well as calculations of the structures’ load-bearing capacity.
Rauta also develops its own engineering solutions. These include a patented frameless building design using sandwich panels, a construction technology for multi-story buildings that uses sandwich panels as walls, solutions to improve building airtightness, and technologies for renovating structures using energy-efficient sandwich panels.
In 2024, the company received a patent from the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation for a technical solution for a frameless building made of sandwich panels. According to Rauta, this technology can be applied to single-family homes, cottage communities, cold storage rooms, refrigerated warehouses, and other single-story residential or commercial buildings.
In addition, Rauta is a member of relevant business and industry associations. The company is part of the Ukrainian Center for Steel Construction, the Finnish Business Group, the Finnish-Ukrainian association UkraineOffice, and the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Ukraine).
The release of the new guidelines indicates that the company is focusing not only on the supply of materials but also on providing engineering support for projects. For clients, this can reduce risks during the design and operation phases of buildings, and for the market, it can raise standards for working with sandwich panels and cantilevered structures.
According to The Serbian Economist, a contract has been signed in neighboring Romania for the design and construction of a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Rebra River valley near the commune of Parva in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania.
The future bridge will be approximately 620 m long. It will span the Rebra Valley and connect two mountain slopes near the entrance to the Rodna Mountains National Park. According to Romanian media reports, the bridge will be 200–300 m above the valley.
The project could become one of the highest pedestrian suspension bridges in Europe and one of Romania’s new tourist attractions.
The project is funded, in part, by European funds under the Nord-Vest 2021–2027 regional program.
In addition to the bridge itself, the project includes the development of tourism infrastructure, specifically access to the site and landscaping of the surrounding area. In particular, Romanian publications mention the reconstruction of Dealul Tisei Street.
https://t.me/relocationrs/3055
The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine is developing a project for the construction of an ice arena in Kyiv on the grounds of the Ivan Poddubny Olympic Professional College—a separate structural unit of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine.
“Equipment salvaged from Kherson, which was previously purchased with 70 million hryvnias from the state budget, has already been transferred for the future arena. It has been preserved, is in working condition, and can be used once the necessary infrastructure is in place. The next step should be the construction of a frame-type arena. The relevant project has already been developed and is currently undergoing expert review, which is scheduled to be completed by August 1 of this year,” the ministry stated in a report following a visit to the college by representatives of the Ministry of Sports and the State Agency “Ukrsportobezpechennia.”
It is noted that the launch of the ice arena will allow the college to open two new winter sports departments—short track and figure skating.
“This approach will improve the training of winter sports athletes, taking into account, in particular, the lessons learned from the current Winter Olympic Games,” the ministry noted.
The ministry notes that this is not just about a single facility, but about introducing a more systematic approach to restoring sports infrastructure in Ukraine.
In particular, a mechanism for attracting additional funding through the Sports Recovery Foundation is being developed for this purpose.
Prices for construction and installation work (CIW) in Ukraine rose by 19.9% in April 2026 compared to April 2025, according to the State Statistics Service (SSS).
According to the statistics agency, prices rose in all segments of construction from April 2025 to April 2026: in residential construction by 16.7% (up 2.1% from the previous month), in non-residential construction by 20.8% (2.9%), and in civil engineering by 20.5% (3.5%).
From January to April of this year compared to the same period last year, construction material prices rose by 12.4%, specifically in the residential sector by 11.1%, in the non-residential sector by 13%, and in civil engineering by 12.4%.
As reported, in 2025, construction material prices rose by 5.8% compared to the previous year, in 2024 by 7.9%, and in 2023 by 15.8%.
CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, PRICES, State Statistics Service, UKRAINE
According to Serbian Economist, a project to build a large resort on the Albanian coast linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump has faced protests and environmental criticism due to its proximity to protected natural areas inhabited by flamingos, sea turtles, and other species.
The project in question is a tourism development on Albania’s Adriatic coast, in the area of Vlorë, Sazan Island, and the Vjosa-Narta zone. Thousands of Albanian residents took to the streets in Tirana to protest against a resort complex worth approximately EUR 1.4 billion linked to Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners. The project involves the creation of a luxury tourist complex on one of the most valuable stretches of the Albanian coast.
Environmentalists’ main concerns stem from the fact that construction could impact natural areas near the Narta Lagoon and the Vjosa-Narta region, which is considered a critical habitat for migratory birds and other species. Activists point out that the region is home to pink flamingos, seals, and sea turtles, and that large-scale development could damage coastal ecosystems.
BirdLife International stated that work related to the resort threatens one of Europe’s most important coastal habitats. The organization claims that construction and preparatory work could damage areas critical for biodiversity and migratory birds.
The protests have been dubbed the “flamingo revolution” by Albanian and international media. Protesters are using flamingos as a symbol of the protection of the natural area. According to media reports, the protests intensified after fences and construction equipment appeared on part of the site, as well as following reports of clashes between activists and security guards.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama defends the project, stating that it is important for the development of high-end tourism and attracting foreign investment. According to Reuters and AP, authorities view the development as part of a strategy to transform Albania into a more prominent destination for premium tourism on the Adriatic.
Critics, for their part, point to the need for greater transparency, environmental impact assessments, and public debate. At the heart of the controversy are not only flamingos and sea turtles, but also a broader question: can Albania develop luxury tourism without losing natural areas that are themselves part of the country’s tourist appeal?
The project has also taken on a political dimension due to its connection to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump. Jared Kushner is his son-in-law, and Ivanka Trump has publicly supported the idea of developing a tourism project in Albania. At the same time, international media emphasize that this is a private development project linked to Kushner’s investment firm, not a U.S. government project.
For Albania, the conflict surrounding the resort has become a test for its entire model of tourism development. The country is actively promoting the Adriatic and Ionian coasts as an alternative to the more expensive Mediterranean markets, but the growth in investment is increasing pressure on natural areas, infrastructure, and local communities.
Saudi Arabia has suspended large-scale work on the construction of The Line—a key component of the futuristic city of NEOM—until at least 2030.
The Line was conceived as one of the most ambitious urban development projects in the world: a linear city 170 km long and up to 500 m high, free of cars and traditional streets, designed to accommodate millions of residents. The project was intended to become a symbol of the Saudi Vision 2030 program and Saudi Arabia’s economic transition from oil dependence to technology, tourism, logistics, and innovative infrastructure.
According to Semafor, NEOM has postponed further major work on The Line until after 2030. Investments in a number of other project areas have also been postponed or frozen, including some tourist facilities on the Red Sea coast and the Trojena mountain resort, which was previously planned as a venue for the 2029 Winter Asian Games.
The reasons for the revision include rising costs, the need to reallocate resources, and a more pragmatic approach to implementing Saudi Vision 2030 projects. Instead of the most complex and expensive futuristic facilities, the priority may shift toward ports, logistics, industrial infrastructure, data centers, and facilities that yield economic benefits more quickly.
The Line and the entire NEOM project have been controversial from the start due to their scale, cost, technical complexity, and environmental risks. It was initially stated that the city would be able to accommodate up to 9 million residents, but the plans were later revised several times. In 2024, The Guardian reported that by 2030, only a small section is actually planned to be built instead of the originally announced 170 km.
The suspension of The Line is part of a broader review of Saudi megaprojects. Reuters previously reported on the suspension of work on Mukaab—a giant cubic skyscraper in Riyadh costing about $50 billion, which is also part of the Vision 2030 portfolio.
For the real estate and construction market, the decision regarding The Line is an important signal: even the largest state-backed projects in the Gulf countries are facing funding constraints, a shortage of investors, rising construction costs, and the need to demonstrate economic viability.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is not abandoning NEOM entirely. The project will likely develop in a more realistic format, with a focus on individual functional zones, industry, logistics, maritime infrastructure, digital services, and energy projects.
NEOM is a megaproject in northwestern Saudi Arabia, announced in 2017.
It includes The Line, the Oxagon industrial cluster, the Trojena mountain resort, the Sindalah island tourism project, and other zones. The project is funded with the participation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, and is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy.
