Speech by Begli Bayrammyradovich Atayev, Rector of the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Construction, at the International Exhibition and Conference “Development of the Construction, Industrial, Chemical and Energy Sectors of Turkmenistan”

Distinguished participants of the international conference, ladies and gentlemen!

It is a great honor for me to speak at this international conference. The main purpose of my address is to highlight issues related to the production and application of local construction materials through digital design in the context of smart-city requirements and the training of future engineers. The scientific determination of the properties of local materials, the integration of these data into projects and the assessment of the operational characteristics of selected solutions form the basis of this interrelationship.

The support provided by our esteemed President, Arkadagly Hero Serdar, for the development of education and science opens new opportunities in this field.

Turkmenistan produces cement, glass, metal products, precast reinforced concrete, wall and finishing materials, gypsum board and dry construction mixtures. Establishing the production of polyethylene and polypropylene products at local enterprises, as well as carrying out work involving polymer composites, expands the production base of the construction sector. Product quality should be assessed with due consideration of the operating conditions specified in the project.

In particular, testing and organizing the production of glass-fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement samples in Turkmenistan contribute to reducing imports and expanding opportunities for the use of local materials. When selecting such reinforcement, its tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, structural deflection, cracking behavior and fire resistance must be assessed. Its use as a replacement for steel reinforcement should be based on appropriate calculations and standards.

Research in this area should take into account Turkmenistan’s hot and arid climate, the characteristics of local soils and seismic effects. Testing methods and design solutions should comply with the requirements of the Construction Standards of Turkmenistan (TGK) and the State Standards of Turkmenistan (TDS). In this regard, it is important to work in accordance with international methodologies, compare results and strengthen partners’ confidence in these data.

Distinguished participants of the international conference!

On September 1 of this year, with the participation of our esteemed President, Arkadagly Hero Serdar, the new complex of buildings of our institute was officially opened and commissioned. This historic event fills all of us with deep pride and joy.

The architectural design of the complex, covering an area of 32.2 hectares and designed for 5,000 students, was developed by the faculty members of our institute. The new complex includes 8 faculties and 28 departments, where all necessary conditions have been created for modern education and scientific research. The equipment installed in laboratories and digital classrooms makes it possible to closely connect education with industrial practice.

At the opening ceremony, the international organization CERT International awarded the new complex of our institute certificates of compliance with ISO 9001:2015 — Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2015 — Environmental Management System, ISO 45001:2018 — Occupational Health and Safety Management System, ISO 21001:2018 — Educational Organizations Management System, and ISO 27001:2022 — Information Security Management System.

According to a representative of the organization, our institute is the first higher educational institution in Turkmenistan and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States to be simultaneously certified under all five of these standards.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) presented three “green” certificates for energy efficiency, water-saving technologies and the involvement of students in the development of sustainable energy, as well as three certificates related to water conservation and management, energy efficiency and monitoring, and the development of education and professional skills.

These areas are linked to resource conservation in smart cities and the assessment of results through measurement.

In addition, during the opening ceremony, our higher educational institution was granted the status of an international testing center authorized by Certiport, a division of Pearson VUE, and received a certificate establishing an Authorized Certiport Testing Center.

This enables our institute to conduct examinations in accordance with Certiport international certification requirements and gives students and specialists the opportunity to validate their professional and digital skills according to internationally recognized standards.

The laboratories of our institute are equipped with equipment that meets international standards. These include instruments from Moho and Sara Electronic Instruments for seismic exploration, as well as Leica equipment for high-precision geodetic measurements.

In addition, equipment from UTEST and other leading manufacturers makes it possible to test construction materials and concrete, while the measurements obtained allow the properties of materials and structures to be characterized on the basis of reliable data.

The parameters under study, as well as the strength and thermal characteristics of materials used in buildings and structures, are subject to information modeling at the design stage and are integrated into BIM technologies.

In accordance with the information management principles of ISO 19650, these data are useful for comparing materials and for calculating required quantities and costs.

A digital twin is a digital model of an asset that is updated with regard to its geometric and operational parameters. It helps compare the actual performance of the asset with design values and assess maintenance requirements.

Ladies and gentlemen!

One of the main outcomes of training future engineers is the ability of students to make independent, well-founded decisions.

Educational work should begin with a specific production-related task, such as preparing and testing samples, interpreting results, entering data into a BIM model and defending the compliance of a solution with safety and operational requirements.

Such approaches help systematically integrate knowledge in architecture, materials science, structural calculation and information technologies.

Accordingly, together with our partners, we propose working in three main areas:

1. Conducting joint tests of local construction materials and preparing digital databases and BIM data based on the results obtained.

2. Developing educational pilot projects to study the energy consumption and technical condition of buildings and infrastructure facilities constructed using local materials.

3. Organizing student projects, industrial internships and short-term courses for specialists linked to specific tasks of enterprises.

Distinguished participants of the international conference!

On the basis of these proposals, I invite you to conduct joint scientific research and engage in productive cooperation!

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the faculty and students of our institute, we express our sincere gratitude to the esteemed President of Turkmenistan, Arkadagly Hero Serdar, and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, Hero-Arkadag, for their support in developing education and science, training highly qualified specialists and strengthening the material and technical base of our institute.

We wish Hero-Arkadag and Arkadagly Hero Serdar good health and longevity. May their activities carried out for the prosperity of our Motherland always be crowned with great success!

Thank you for your attention!