"Clean construction" trailblazers' hackathon in Maribor, Slovenia

"Clean construction" trailblazers' hackathon

The Clean Construction Trailblazers Hackathon was organised at the Secondary School of Economics and Gymnasium Maribor, as part of the Sustainable October initiative, under the slogan “Sustainable ideas build a green future”. The event was implemented within the framework of the Circular DigiBuild project, which aims to support the digital and green transition of the construction sector.

The hackathon was designed as an experiential learning activity, providing students with the opportunity to engage with some of the key EU priorities such as circular economy, digitalisation, sustainable construction, and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. Through hands-on teamwork, participants addressed real-world challenges and explored solutions suitable to be upscaled by start-ups and implemmented in a real world environments.

The event involved students from the 3rd and 4th year, organised into five teams. Under the guidance of mentors from University of Ljubljana and Secondary School of Economics and Gymnasium Maribor, participants worked collaboratively throughout the day to:

 identify sustainability challenges in the construction and built environment sector

 develop innovative solutions integrating digital tools and circular economy principles

 translate ideas into preliminary business models

 pitch their concepts to a professional expert jury

The hackathon strengthened key transversal skills, including teamwork, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial competence, while also increasing awareness of sustainable and digital practices in construction.