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Low-energy housing hits south Bohemia

Borová Lada project reportedly is first of its kind in the Czech Republic

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
September 19th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Architect Adam Rujbr has designed several eco-friendly buildings around the country and is taking the lead on the Borová Lada project.
COURTESY PHOTO
Borová Lada homes will be built using only natural materials like wood and lime plaster.
Adam Rujbr Architects s.r.o.

Hořejší nábř. 19
Prague 5
Tel.: 251 511 333
Web: www.ararchitects.cz

MEI Moravia s.r.o.

Jundrovská 44
624 00 Brno–Komín
Tel.: 547 215 149
Web: www.meimoravia.com

In the wake of recent global warming statistics, many Central and East European developers are opting for environmentally friendly building designs. The new Borová Lada residential complex in south Bohemia will soon take that ecological concept to the next level. Developers are excitedly touting it as the Czech Republic’s first low-energy housing project.
Under construction in the Šumava village of the same name, the Borová Lada complex will consist of 11 detached single-family homes and 27 apartment houses containing 81 units on a total area of 5.6 hectares (560 acres). Each building in the complex will be constructed using only natural materials — solid wood, local stone, lime plaster and shingle. Brno-based developers MEI Moravia s.r.o. took environmental factors into consideration even when preparing the building phases, opting to use special wood construction technology, which reduces the assembly time.
The 315 million Kč ($15.8 million) project is the brainchild of Adam Rujbr, a Prague and Brno-based architect whose firm has handled the design plans for several environmentally friendly buildings in the country. Although the project breaks fresh ground domestically, Rujbr expects many homeowners will opt for low-energy property in the near future. 
“People have realized that global warming isn’t just some fashionable concern, it’s a very serious problem,” Rujbr says. “I think [low-energy buildings and homes] are the only way for our planet to survive and maintain ongoing pollution within a reasonable level. As architects, we have a lot of responsibility in terms of being able to persuade real estate developers and investors in this regard.”
The Environment Ministry has tried for years to get more eco-friendly projects jumpstarted.
“All of us, including real estate investors, are responsible for ongoing damage to air quality and climate change,” says Jakub Kašpar, the ministry’s spokesman. “They, too, are facing the consequences.”
With heat loss from buildings accounting for nearly half of the world’s total pollution, the biggest factor project developers sought to address was building insulation, Rujbr says. He notes that a special ventilation device will be installed in each of the complex’s units that will guarantee high-quality internal heating and air conditioning. State-of-the-art insulation materials will further minimize heat loss.
The Borová Lada project will be built in three distinct phases over a period of 18 months. The first phase will be fully completed by spring 2008, although MEI Moravia hopes to welcome the complex’s first three residents by this December. The remaining two phases are expected to be completed by the end of 2008. To date, 12 of the complex’s 96 units have been sold.
The design of each building was inspired by the traditional architecture of Šumava cottages. Furthermore, developers sought to incorporate as much green space as possible throughout the entire Borová Lada complex to allow it to fit comfortably into its location on the edge of Šumava National Park. There will be no fences around any of the units, but stone walls and shrubbery will mark individual plots.
A minimum of one full-grown tree will be planted on each individual plot and must be one of many species that are local to the Šumava region. Special rainwater-retention areas are being prepared for irrigation and developers are insisting no chemical agents be used for pest and weed control.
“We are aware of the responsibility to the character of the area and wish to sensitively incorporate our project into the local surroundings,” says Andries Bruil, director of MEI Moravia, in a statement.
Although Borová Lada will provide a permanent address for many residents, Rujbr predicts many units will be popular as second homes or summer residences. However, living green doesn’t come without a significant price tag: The cost for an apartment in a three-unit building is 2.9 million Kč, while the largest of the single-family homes recently sold for 8 million Kč. But Rujbr and Kašpar both insist that residents will find that a low-energy home is a worthwhile investment.
“Investors will end up saving a lot of their own money on energy consumption if they invest in low-energy buildings,” Kašpar says.
In addition to the improved insulation, each Borová Lada unit will be equipped with glass areas to utilize solar energy year-round and sliding shutters that will provide shade in the summer, further decreasing operating costs.
“If people think only in an economic way, low-energy housing might not seem so attractive at first,” Rujbr says. “But it can definitely save you a lot of money in the long run. Although the cost of purchasing a low-energy home is higher, the operational costs are much lower, especially in a region with such strong winters.”
Selected by MEI Moravia because of his experience with designing environmentally friendly buildings, Rujbr’s interest in ecological architecture began in 2001 after a series of intense discussions with his friend Jan Holan, a Brno-based astronomer who warned him of the potentially disastrous effects of global warming long before the issue moved into the political forefront. After establishing his own firm in 2004, Rujbr has specialized in environmentally friendly architecture, inspired by professional counterparts in Sweden, Austria and Germany. But his motivation has been partly economical as well as ecological, he says. 
 “Low-energy housing is a great way to conserve resources for our future generations,” he says. “The costs of energy continue to grow and they won’t be decreasing any time soon. If you make an investment in low energy housing now, you’ll be seeing returns very soon.”
 

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at specialsection@praguepost.com


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