The central element of the event are 18 innovative and sustainable houses that will be built by the international teams on the Solar Campus. The interdisciplinary "levelup" team from the TH Rosenheim is focusing on renovating and adding storeys to an existing building in the Ludwigsfeld district of Nuremberg. This type of building is representative of the existing stock from the 1950s to 1970s - in need of renovation, with high energy consumption, but well-suited for a sustainable addition thanks to a solid structural framework.
The prefabricated and standardised modules for the building's addition in lightweight timber construction use slim, lightweight and highly insulating vacuum glazing from Fineo.
The project name "levelup" says it all, because it stands for a modular, flexible and sustainable addition to an existing building, adaptable to a large number of corresponding buildings from the 1950s to the 1970s.
levelup / SDE 21/22
Modular, light, environmentally friendly
If you want to build sustainably, you should think digitally, modularly, serially and using ecological building materials. This is also the approach taken by the "levelup" team: Prefabricated modules for kitchen, bathroom and stair core in standardised sizes simplify transport, shorten construction time and reduce building costs.
[One week of carbon-free glass production]
The floor plans nevertheless remain flexibly adaptable through a variable combination of rooms and common areas. The load-bearing structure on the courtyard side connects the existing building and the addition.
The “levelup” project wouldn’t be possible without solar
On the street side, building-integrated photovoltaics characterise the appearance from the first floor onwards, providing electricity via a facade heating system as well as the basic temperature control of the building.
levelup / SDE 21/22
The additional heating required in winter is covered by the local district heating network. PV modules were also installed on the roof surfaces, where they generate electricity, heat and cooling. Semi-transparent PV modules on the roof of the greenhouse allow dual use.
Vacuum insulating glass, a clever building material
For the building's heat-insulating glazing, the team opted for "Fineo" vacuum glass. The lightweight glazing is about as slim as a smartphone (from 6 mm), but insulates as well as contemporary triple glazing and increases sound insulation, daylight transmission and solar energy gains. Unlike conventional vacuum glass, Fineo has neither an evacuation opening nor seals.
[A workshop on flat glass recycling]
There is no need for maintenance or sporadic restoration of the vacuum, and the technical values remain permanently constant as long as the glass does not break. In combination with all measures, "levelup" achieves the Plus Energy Standard.
More about the Solar Decathlon programme: www.sde21.eu
levelup / SDE 21/22
