Company profile
Technický a skúšobný ústav stavebný, n. o. (Building Testing and Research Institute) is the successor of the state subsidized organization Technický a skúšobný ústav stavebný. The Institute is registered by the Regional Office in Bratislava under no. OVVS-674/55/2002/NO in the register of non-profit organizations on 4.11.2002. However the origin of the Institute extends back to 1953. Since then its employes have been testing and assessing fitness for intended use of construction products and providing other professional services to Slovak construction industry. Since 2004, the year the Slovak Repubic joined the EU, the Institute has been providing its services by a significantly greater extent to manufacturers of construction products from second and third countries. Currently, an average of 130 total employees operate at the headquarter in Bratislava and in eight branches of the Institute spread over Slovakia, i.e. in Bratislava, Nove Mesto nad Váhom, Nitra, Zvolen, Žilina, Košice, Prešov and Tatranská Štrba.
The founders of the Institute as a non-profit organization are the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development (now the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development ) and a group of employees of the Institute. Founders affect the operation of the Institute through the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board. The Institute is headed by the director appointed by the Governing Board. The non-profit status of the Institute ensures its impartiality and independence, which is further highlighted by the Declaration of the Institute’s Independence.
The Institute operates primarily in the regulated sector under the relevant laws as the authorized and notified bodies for assessment and verification of constancy of performance of a wide range of construction products and conformity assessment of selected machinery. Further the Institute is active as the TAB (the Technical Assessment Body - member of the EOTA) issuing ETA-s (European Technical Assessments of construction products) and as an authorized person for a national technical assessment of non-harmonized construction products. The regulated sector also covers activities of the authorized person for verification of measuring instruments, the expert organization in the field of construction and of the energy certification of buildings.
However increasing emphasis is put on activities in the unregulated sector. In addition to traditional services of accredited test and calibration laboratories, including assessment of noise and vibration, accredited certification bodies for products and systems management provide services to customers beyond the regulated sector. The certification of management systems is provided by the accredited certification body CERTICOM. The accredited inspection body is primarily active in granting licenses to contractors performing special works, mainly to contractors installing the thermal insulation systems ETICS. Thanks to the expansion of the Institute in 2009, non-regulated activities have extended to the research, development and design. The research and development is focused mainly on thermal protection and restoration of buildings and energy performance. This activity is coordinated by the director and is mainly carried out by the department VVÚPS - NOVA, which is also active in designing rehabilitation of buildings and elimination of so called system failures.
