A company based in Poland’s Podlaskie region has developed and refined a zero-energy house that can be built in a few hours. Unibep SA’s modular design prototype building was constructed, tested and improved through an EU-backed project. The multi-family home incorporates the latest energy-saving technologies, which are good for the environment and residents alike.
- 26 October 2020
“The building has been, and is, subjected to various tests to help develop and produce modules to build passive and zero-energy, multi-family buildings. Thanks to the tests, it was possible to check whether the design solutions worked in real conditions, and improve them.”
The aim of the project was to develop a modular building structure that would not need to draw energy from the outside. Using solutions such as heat recovery from ventilation and high-quality insulation, means that the demand for heating energy in this type of house is very low. Additionally, a zero-energy building such as this does not emit carbon dioxide.
Modular construction
Modules for the house were arranged in four storeys. The entire building operation only took a few hours. The building incorporates new technologies: three different types of external walls, three types of roof and three types of floors. A heat pump and photovoltaic panels were also fitted.
As part of the research and development work, the building has been subjected to various tests. Acoustic, tightness, settlement and deformation tests were performed. Temperature and humidity sensors were placed in all external partitions to test the behaviour of the walls in real conditions. This allowed for the verification of design solutions and their improvement. Thanks to the EU’s investment, the company can start producing and selling such buildings. Eight people conducted research and development activities under the project.
Quality building
Unibep SA is one of the largest construction companies in Poland, and has been operating for 70 years. As well as Poland, it builds houses in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. One of the company’s areas of expertise is the production and construction of modular wooden multi-family houses.
Modules are ready-made parts of a building that can be joined together quickly. Such structures have been associated with temporary, cheap buildings. However, the technology has improved to such an extent that modular houses are now recognised as being of equal quality to those built using traditional methods.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Zero energy building in modular construction” is EUR 1 047 575, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 578 322 through the “Podlaskie Voivodeship” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.