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Intentionally leaning buildings are not uncommon in architecture. But there are also cases, such as the Crooked House in England, which leaned unintentionally. After this incident, it continued to be used as an inn: undoubtedly a curiosity and a regional attraction! A few months ago, this little tourist sensation fell victim to a devastating fire: what happened? Was there a conspiracy surrounding the pub and what does the future hold for the Crooked House Pub? Read on to find out!

On June 29, of January, 2025, our COO Daniel Dlubal had the opportunity to give a presentation about our chatbot Mia in front of over 100 participants at the Specialists' Day in Cham.

Last week, the time finally came again: From January 13 to 17, BAU 2025—the world's leading trade fair for architecture, materials, and systems—welcomed industry guests in Munich, Germany. This year, over 200,000 visitors came to the exhibition halls to discover the latest developments in the construction industry, and, of course, Dlubal Software was there!

Have you ever heard that the gateway to the underworld is in the Czech Republic? Anyone who is superstitious or has a penchant for the supernatural will now ask themselves enthusiastically, "What, where is that supposed to be?" – in the hopes of finding out where (poetically speaking) the dark energy of demons is concentrated and death becomes a black infinity. The "Gateway to Hell", as it is popularly known, is said to be located under our current building – Houska Castle. If you are interested in finding out what this is all about, stay tuned!

Albert Einstein once said: "If the old year was successful, look forward to the new one. And if it was bad, even more so". We can proudly say that the former is true for us! As 2024 draws to a close, the holiday season is the perfect time to reflect on the year that was. Join us on a journey through the highlights of 2024 and take a first look at what 2025 has in store for us.

A drunken bridge? London's Millennium Bridge certainly swayed when people crossed it immediately after it opened. But what was causing the Millennium Bridge to sway? And could the problem be fixed? Read on to find out!

There have been some exciting things happening behind the scenes that we are proud to share with you today: Our MIA has won an award! It's the Construction Computing Award for Innovation of the Year 2024. What's behind it and what does it mean for us? Find out now.

On April 26, 1986, a nuclear reactor exploded during a safety test at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. All the emergency measures failed, and the reactor ejected 90% of the nuclear material miles into the air. It was a catastrophic accident. How could this happen, and what role did the engineers responsible play? What were the consequences of the disaster, and what has the construction industry learned from it? This article is about human error, outdated technology, and the final turning point in nuclear power.

Cracks in concrete, speed limits, weight limits for trucks: Germany's bridges are in bad condition. Many highway and federal road bridges have been in a poor state for decades. Germany's highway bridges have been particularly affected, with around one in seven in urgent need of repair. But how did it come to this? Why have these concrete giants been crumbling under our tyres for decades, and why is there no action being taken? Find out more here!

It was December 16, 2022, a chilly winter morning in Berlin-Mitte, when a loud bang suddenly interrupted the quiet. Tired and frightened hotel residents of the Radisson Collection Hotel gathered around and could hardly believe what was happening before their eyes: the outer acrylic glass cylinder of the famous Aquadom had shattered – just like that. The once-bustling hotel lobby was transformed into a chaotic scene of flooded floors, shattered glass, and lots of dead fish.

How did this happen? That's what this article is all about, so stay tuned!

The time had finally come for our Leipzig team: the annual bike ride was just around the corner. Last Friday, all colleagues met at the Dlubal offices in the centrally located Specks Hof to spend the afternoon together and end the week in a relaxed atmosphere.

Long delays in construction, exploding costs and years of lawsuits: what has become of our construction industry? After all, Germany is internationally known for its famous buildings: just not in recent decades. Why is it that large-scale construction projects simply no longer work in Germany? We take a closer look. Read on!

With a franchise like Star Wars, success is a given—and yet the Star Wars Hotel in Orlando has fallen short of expectations. A lack of attention to detail and a complete planning failure led to the Galactic Starcruiser Hotel being closed after less than two years. It was a disaster for Disney and a disappointment for every Star Wars fan. How could this happen?

Varosha was once the holiday pearl of the Mediterranean. Surrounded by water, waves, and a cloudless sky. In 1974, dark clouds gathered, the town was occupied by the military, and all the residents were forced to flee. To this day, 50 years later, they have not returned. Varosha, the tourist hotspot, has become Varosha, the ghost town. What happened here and what will happen next?

The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg is an impressive landmark. It visually combines the tradition of the old Hanseatic city on Germany's largest seaport with the modernity of the newly built HafenCity. The Elbphilharmonie project is absolutely unique, and although the people of Hamburg are so proud of their new landmark, there were problems during construction. Costs rose more than tenfold and there were repeated delays. We take a closer look at the Elbphilharmonie and its story: Read on!

It was supposed to be a night of music, dancing, and fond memories. But in the end, July 17, 1981, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel remained the largest unintentional building collapse in U.S. history. Due to structural defects, two skywalks collapsed onto guests at a dance event, killing over 100 people. How did this happen and how did it affect the construction industry?

At Dlubal Software, we think big—also when it comes to team building. That's why we came up with something very special for this year's summer event: a day together with our teams from the Czech Republic and Germany!

It was probably the largest bankrupt construction in Munich, and an exclusive club where you could dance in the presence of sharks. Sound crazy? That's just it! The Schwabylon was a huge leisure and shopping center in the 1970s, right next to the Yellow Submarine Club. What was planned as a utopian dream, became an economic nightmare. After just a few years, it was all over: too big, too flashy, too expensive. Unfortunately, both institutions no longer exist today. We take you on a journey through the history of the famous Schwabylon with the Yellow Submarine club.

Planned and forgotten? This has been the fate of some exciting building projects in the past. Whether due to technical impossibility or changing circumstances, a number of interesting buildings never saw the light of day. What are the stories behind them, and could they ever be realized? Find out more here!

In Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, the Ryugyong Hotel was to be the tallest hotel in the world. In dictatorship regimes, monumental buildings serve an important purpose: they emphasize the government's claim to power. However, the dream of a propaganda palace failed. How did it happen? Find out more here!

The so-called UFO settlement in Taiwan is a long-abandoned ruin that was left unfinished in the 1970s. It's been slowly decaying for decades. What's the story behind the colorful, futuristic buildings and why was this project abandoned? Find out more about the UFO ghost town in this article!

High-quality materials are one thing, but what's the point of using the best building materials if they don't hold together on the construction site? Our guest today is mainly concerned with dowels in fastening technology. How important is this area to the stability of our buildings? Read on and find out more!

How much technology makes sense? Low-tech architecture takes the traditional construction methods and develops them further. This results in energy-efficient, sustainable building projects that can also manage without a lot of technology. Let's take a closer look at low-tech architecture together.

Praise be to Mia! Who is that supposed to be? Our new digital assistant has finally gone live! You can find Mia, the new Dlubal Chat AI, on our website and benefit from accumulated knowledge as well as structural first aid for any questions. You can find out more about Mia in this blog post. Read on!

High-tech architecture shows how beautiful the art of engineering can be and stands up to sober, inexpensive construction methods. Let's take a closer look at some high-tech buildings. What is so special about high-tech architecture? Read on!

Crooked, chaotic, completely random: Deconstructivism has long had a permanent place in architecture and always leads us to impressive buildings with an absolute recognition value. We present to you some of them in detail.

While Modernism was producing more and more sober buildings, a counter-movement began to emerge at the end of the 1960s. Postmodernists demanded: Give architecture back its soul! This movement has given rise to fascinating buildings, some of which we would like to introduce to you. Enjoy reading!

The end of the year is quickly getting closer. Time to look back and forward at the same time. In this post, we would like to take you with us: Let's enjoy the most wonderful time of the year amid Christmas parties, charitable activities, and holiday spirit. Enjoy reading!

With everything that happens in our industry, the individual is often neglected. This time, our podcast guests are Jan Zeltmann and Patrick O'Mahony from SelfConcept. In their daily work, they deal with the importance of health in construction, among other things. What can we do to be more successful in both our professional and private lives? Enjoy reading!