Developers and builders have started betting on wood. Newly, wooden buildings can reach up to a height of more than 20 meters.
Wooden buildings have been given the green light in our country. They can now grow up to eight floors. The change will significantly facilitate the design of multi-storey buildings up to a height of 22.5 meters. The innovation was welcomed by developers, architects and builders themselves.
"The Czech Republic is the second largest exporter of roundwood in the European Union and I was always annoyed to watch how we export high-quality wood from our forests abroad, only to bring back products with high added value. Therefore, we are not fully utilizing the economic potential of one of the few natural resources that we produce in our country. That's why I started working on a conceptual solution immediately after my election to the Chamber of Deputies. We sat firefighters, experts from ministries, the academic sector, and business representatives around one table and we have started important changes,"
Wrote LP-Life Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček.
According to the minister, so far only a minimum of new buildings were built from wood in our country. He claims it's only a fraction of a percent. He sees the potential primarily in family houses. The change, thanks to which newly wooden buildings can grow up to eight floors high, has a much wider application. Thus, it can overall contribute to increased flexibility in design, further development of sustainable construction, and wider use of renewable natural resources.
Developer Construction
Developers who focus on apartment construction on a large scale are therefore also keen on this novelty.
“As an international company that focuses on sustainable construction, we have built the first multi-storey apartment project in Prague from wood, Timber Prague. We wondered why it is possible in the Czech Republic to build with wood only up to a height of 12 meters. We therefore established the Platform for Sustainable Building with others and began negotiations with authorities and politicians two years ago about changes to fire safety regulations. We are pleased that as a result of this change it will be possible to build with wood buildings that we commonly build in Germany and Austria,”
as stated by the Platform for Sustainable Wooden Construction in a press release by the director of the design department of UBM Development Czechia, Tomáš Krejčí.
Other companies are gradually joining the construction of wooden buildings. An example is Skanska, which will build the apartment house Dřevák on a brownfield site in Prague's Radlice. It is expected to be the largest wooden apartment building in the Czech Republic to date, offering 76 apartments for living.
"Dřevák is for those who love the smell of wood and want to approach global problems responsibly with their way of life. The entire D.O.K. complex creates a calm and varied courtyard, which allows views into the immediate surrounding nature and also into the Radlické valley, so as to keep contact with the surroundings, without disturbing the privacy of the place,"
was described in the press report project by the architect Jakub Cigler.
Wood is eternal
The advantage of wood itself stems from the fact that it is a durable and renewable material. Construction from it is sustainable and less energy-intensive. It also contributes to decarbonization in the construction industry, as it can absorb emissions of carbon dioxide. In addition, wood in the interior creates a natural and healthy indoor environment. Numerous studies prove its positive effects on human health and psyche. Among other things, it reduces stress, eliminates viruses and bacteria, and has good insulation and acoustic properties.
Finland, which is also one of the largest timber producers in Europe, is a model for wooden building construction. The country has set a goal for at least 45 percent of public buildings to be made of wood. It also plans to achieve absolute carbon neutrality by 2035, and therefore has begun to focus on the use of wood in urban development, public buildings, and large constructions.
UBM Development Czechia estimates that by 2050 the share of wooden buildings in new multi-storey construction in our country could reach approximately twenty to thirty percent. Although this represents a fairly dramatic increase, it is not expected that this change would completely resolve housing unavailability. There are significantly more issues and obstacles to faster construction. The main one remains length and complicated approval process.
The legal novelty that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has introduced is, in any case, a welcome opportunity to boost and expand housing construction with additional options that are available.
Sources: original article, own questioning, Skanska, UBM Development Czechia
