Thanks to the use of innovative environmental technologies, the Weissenseer timber construction company produces high quality passive houses – in a high quality passive house.
“Kleinste Fabrik der Welt” (smallest factory in the world) produces environmentally-friendly homes
- 14 December 2014
Originally a traditional carpenter, Weissenseer has recently specialised in the production of wooden passive houses, which now makes up almost 90 % of the company’s activity. This young and innovative product required a novel production process. The “Smallest factory in the world” project created just that: a new production line, manufactured according to passive house standards, which would streamline and automatise the construction of passive houses.
Fast production process for passive houses
As a result of the project, manufacturing times for a passive house, from raw material delivery to shipping of the components, has been reduced from an average of 20 working days to just 2-4 days of production time.
This was achieved through the development of a highly efficient production chain, which is largely automatised and optimised according to time and space criteria. The “Smallest factory in the world” has a capacity of 150 to 170 standard passive houses per year.
Leading in environmental matters
Besides being a production hall, the “Smallest factory in the world” is also a passive house itself. Very little additional heating is needed, as the heat generated by the machines is sufficient to keep the factory warm. Furthermore, about a sixth of the building is made up of office space, including recreation areas and a café. Thanks to an optimised building structure with internal heating sources and large glass windows, the office building also conforms to passive house standards.
The factory now serves as a model for different utility buildings Weissenseer is intending to produce in the future, including office and commercial buildings, schools, and other public buildings.
In addition to the knock-on effect for the region which was generated, the project also created several new jobs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Weissenseer: the smallest factory in the world” is EUR 3 779 000, of which the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributed EUR 377 900 from the Operational Programme “Kärnten” for the 2007-2013 programming period.