Students of ČVUT compete in Germany in the solar decathlon

Wuppertal – A student team from the Czech Technical University (ČVUT) presented their project for the reconstruction and extension of the Prague university dormitory Větrník at the Solar Decathlon Europe competition in Wuppertal, West Germany. With this project, the Czechs aim to stand out among 17 other teams from a total of eleven countries.

"The primary prize is the prestige of placing in such a competition," said Kateřina Sojková from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at ČVUT in an interview with ČTK, who is the project manager. Whether the Czechs will succeed will be clear at the awards ceremony on June 24.

The Czech competition building, named FIRSTLIFE, includes a student room with a bathroom and a common room with a kitchen. Both rooms open onto a balcony. On the flat vegetative roof of the house, accessed by a metal staircase, there is a relaxing living space with seating under a pergola. Natural and nature-friendly materials are primarily used. The interior walls are covered with panels made from pressed beverage cartons. The house is passive and utilizes renewable energy sources.

The Czech team, consisting of about 60 people, of which 40 are students, prepared the project for more than a year, working on project documentation and ultimately built the competition structure in the university center in Buštěhrad in April. From there, it was transported to Wuppertal in May in eight trucks, where it was reassembled in the competition area.

"We did not have any problems during assembly and transport that could not be solved. But of course, it was necessary to resolve issues on the construction site when, for example, something fitted together slightly differently than when we first assembled it in the Czech Republic. We had to deal with that, sometimes enlarging the gaps between the façade panels or making some additional adjustments," explained Sojková. "Everything we planned was accomplished," she added.

The Czechs chose the Větrník student dormitory as a model building, which, however, will not be reconstructed and expanded in this way. The project could be realized elsewhere. "We are negotiating that this project for reconstruction and extension could be applied to one wing of the Strahov dormitories. We would like to implement it because it would elevate the project to a new level," said Sojková.

The Czech competition structure will remain in Wuppertal as part of the newly built Solar Campus, which will serve for the long-term verification of building characteristics and the promotion of sustainable construction.