In August 2023, devastating floods struck Črna na Koroškem, a small mountain town in northern Slovenia, destroying homes, roads, and several bridges.
Two years later, the town is rising again through innovation, collaboration, and circular thinking.
As part of the CIRCUIT project, Črna na Koroškem serves as Pilot Site 4, where partners are developing an innovative approach to bridge reconstruction. This pilot aims to demonstrate how circular construction can make transport infrastructures more sustainable, cost-effective, and resilient to future climate events.
This October, the CIRCUIT team travelled to Črna for a day dedicated to learning and citizen engagement, turning a reconstruction site into a living classroom for all ages.
A day of learning and community connection
The event began at Osnovna Šola Črna na Koroškem, the local school, where 45 children became engineers for a day. Through The CIRCUIT Road, an educational game developed and designed by our partners We Right Click, the pupils explored how innovation, reuse, and smart circular design can make roads, bridges, and tunnels stronger and more sustainable. The activity brought engineering concepts to life, encouraging critical thinking while showing that circularity can start with small ideas and young minds.
From classroom to bridge site
In the afternoon, more than 120 students and teachers joined engineers from ZAG at the bridge site. Here, they learned how research is being translated into reality: reusing steel girders, testing waste-based concrete, and experimenting with 3D-printed components to rebuild a safer, more resilient bridge for their town.
Later, the event opened to the wider community. Citizens, families, and local representatives gathered to explore the design of the future bridge, handle 3D-printed materials, take part in educational quizzes, and discuss how circular construction can reduce waste and strengthen local resilience.
From bridges to stories: learning through comics
To complement the event, the CIRCUIT team created a special comic strip illustrating the story of the Črna bridge. Designed to engage younger audiences and the general public, the comic explains how CIRCUIT’s research and pilot work can inspire new ways of building that are both sustainable and creative.
Together with the educational game, these tools help bring science closer to citizens.
Building resilience through knowledge
This Open Day showed what CIRCUIT stands for: innovation through collaboration, and progress through learning.
By bringing together researchers, engineers, teachers, children, and citizens, the event transformed a technical project into a shared experience of curiosity and connection.
Because resilience is not only about concrete, it begins with people. When communities understand, engage, and take part, rebuilding becomes a shared mission, and knowledge becomes the strongest foundation of all.
This Open Day was organised in collaboration with the Municipality of Črna na Koroškem, Osnovna Šola Črna na Koroškem, ZAG, and We Right Click.