As 2025 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the year. As a tradition and according to our rules, the first event this year was the Annual Conference in May. And for the first time, IPHA held the conference in Poland, more precisely in the capital, Warsaw.
The 29th Annual Conference took place in the Sofitel Victoria Hotel, from 22nd to 25th May, close to the “Old City” of Warsaw. In attendance at the conference were 74 delegates and 16 partners from 20 different countries. This included 28 representatives from full-member companies, 42 from associate-member companies, 3 invited guests, and 1 honorary member.
The theme of the conference this year was “Hollowcore in Poland – What Can We Learn?” Friday, the “Host-Day,” was dedicated to this year’s host company, Pekabex. The conference was opened by IPHA president Seamus McKeague, and practical information was given by Executive Director Kjell-Ole Gjestemoen. Then it was time for the introduction of the company Pekabex, conducted by Szymon Wojciechowski (Head of R&D) and Bartosz Dąbrowski (Sales Director); all delegates then headed to the Pekabex factory in Mszczonów by bus, where they were given a tour of the hollowcore production line in their factory.
The conference commenced on Saturday with a welcome from Kjell-Ole Gjestemoen. This was followed by an update on IPHA Vision 2030 from Thomas Goosey, including planned improvements to the IPHA website, as well as the introduction of an event app, used for the first time during the Annual Conference. Then the conference continued with many good and intriguing speeches from keynote speakers: Józef M. Kostrzewski, Director of the Polish Concrete Producers Association; Piotr Dauksza, CEO of H+H; Mateusz Moczko, Investment Manager at Betard; Professor Wit Derkowski, Cracow University of Technology and Linnaeus University Sweden; and Linnaeus University Sweden. The final keynote speaker was Sergio Tortelli, Product Director for Heidelberg Materials.
The 2025 IPHA Technical Seminar took place in Krakow, Poland, from 23rd to 24th October, hosted at the Hotel Vienna House by Wyndham. The event brought together 56 technical experts from 16 IPHA member countries, marking the conclusion of the ambitious four-year research project “HOLCOLODIS – Load Distribution in Hollow-Core Floors.” The seminar opened with a technical visit to the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Laboratory at Krakow University of Technology, where delegates observed a live punching test on 500 mm hollow-core slabs. Then the conference continued with presentations of this four-year project outcome, conducted by Milosz Jeziorski, R&D Project Manager at Consolis Group Technology and overall HOLCOLODIS Project; Professor Wit Derkowski; Professor Elena Michelini from the University of Parma; Ronald Klein-Holte from Consolis VBI; Pieter van der Zee from CRH Structural Concrete; and finally, Lars Reimer, Technical Manager at CRH. The whole conference was well arranged and led by our President of the Technical Committee, Wim Jansze.
IPHA is excited for 2026. This year we will be in cooperation with BIBM and keep our Annual Conference in Rome, Italy, May 20th – 22nd. This year General Prefabbricati and our president, Marco Pecetti, will be the host of IPHA’s part of the conference. On Wednesday, May 20th, Generale Prefabbricati and Marco will give us a “Once in a Life” experience, where we will have a private guided tour in the Vatican Museum & the 16th Chapel, and thereafter the IPHA Dinner in the fantastic restaurant Casina Valadier, with a view over Rome. Mark the dates in your calendar! Invitations will be sent in January 2026.
The IPHA Board has had three board meetings this year: Milan in February, Warsaw in May, and again in Milan in November.
In 2025, IPHA gained 4 new members: Pekabex (Poland), Asprokat SA (Greece), Armos Precast SA (Greece), and Prokel SA (Greece).
Finally, on behalf of the Board of Directors and the Management of IPHA, I wish you and your family Season’s Greetings and a joyful and successful New Year.