The Czech team devoted more than a year of preparation to the project, during which it was necessary to prepare the project documentation and gradually hand over the “homework” to the competition jury. In April of this year, the construction of the competition object on the experimental area of the University Center of Energy Efficient Buildings in Buštěhrad (UCEEB CTU) took place. Students had to build what they designed, calculated and drew, a new experience for many.
The competition object called FIRSTLIFE contains a student room with a bathroom, a common room with a kitchen, with access to a balcony from both rooms, and technical facilities. On the flat greened roof of the house, accessible by a metal staircase, there is a relaxing living area with a sitting area under a pergola.
Natural and nature-related structural and insulating materials are primarily used in the project. Interior walls are lined with boards pressed from waste material – beverage cardboard packaging. The house is designed in a passive standard using renewable energy sources (heat pump and photovoltaic application on shading lamellas pergolas).
A special feature of the design of the building is the fact that it must be disassemblable with the possibility of being quickly assembled into a functional state on a new site – the competition ground – within two weeks. This is adapted to, among other things, connections of structural elements, electrical installations, sanitary equipment and floor heating circuits.
The Czech team working on the project consists of over 40 students from various fields of bachelor, master and doctoral studies, mostly from the Czech Technical University – Faculty of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Faculty of Architecture, but it also includes students from Charles University, Czech University of Life Sciences and University of Business in Prague.
The patronage of the participation of the Czech student team in the competition was provided by the rectors of the Czech Technical University and Charles University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague, the Czech-German Chamber of Commerce and the Czech Chamber of Architects. Important supporting partners are development and construction companies, suppliers and manufacturers of building components and other entities.
Major attention is now focused on the finals of the competition in Wuppertal, which will be accompanied by professional exhibitions, events for experts and the public. The organizers expect more than one hundred thousand visitors. The CTU competition object was chosen by the organizers for permanent placement in the newly emerging Solar Campus there, which will serve for long-term verification of the competing buildings' properties and promotion of sustainable construction.
Important dates
- Transport to Wuppertal in 8 trucks: between 19. 5. – 28. 5.
- Construction on the competition ground in Wuppertal: 20. 5. – 2. 6.
- Completed object handover to the jury: 3. 6.
- Measurement of technical parameters and jury evaluation: from 4. 6.
- Opening ceremony of the exhibition to the public: 10. 6.
- The exhibition will be open to the public with a few breaks between 10. 6. to 26. 6. (details at https://sde21.eu)
The CTU competition facility will be permanently located at the Solar Campus (LivingLab NRW) in Wuppertal for at least three years. It will be further accessible to the public, serving as a subject of international research.
