In Ostrava, the first passive administrative building in the Czech Republic is being constructed

Ostrava - The first passive administrative building in the Czech Republic will be constructed in Ostrava by mid-next year. The energy-efficient building is being built for 32 million crowns by the Ostravian construction company Intoza. Part of the building in Ostrava-Mariánské Hory and Hulváky will be a training center where the public will learn all about energy-efficient construction. This was stated by Jan Neuwirt, the head of the company's sales department, to the Czech Press Agency (ČTK).
    Intoza is constructing the four-story building in the Hulváky industrial zone as its own headquarters. A training center for both professionals and the general public will be created on the first and second floors, where seminars, training sessions, and conferences will be held starting in June next year. "We still encounter situations where laypeople, as well as designers, lack adequate knowledge about modern technologies for energy-efficient buildings," Neuwirt further stated, adding that the educational program will also be aimed at students, companies, and investors themselves.
    In addition to Intoza, about a dozen of its partners who are also engaged in energy savings, such as material suppliers, will reside in the new building. "We will create a kind of 'department store.' An investor will come in wanting to change windows, and they'll also learn about recuperative units, heat pumps, or solar collectors," he explained. Partner companies will also participate in the operation of the training center and the organization of seminars.
    The building will have approximately 1,300 square meters of floor space, designed by Ostravian architect Radim Václavík, and will serve as a model passive building, including the technologies used. "It is designed as a training aid where people can touch and experience modern technologies," he added. There will be triple-glazed windows and regulated external shading, hot water heating, forced ventilation with recovery, and solar collectors.
    Jan Bárta, director of the non-profit organization Passive House Center, confirmed to ČTK that the already underway project by Intoza is the first passive administrative building in the country. "In the Czech Republic, there are currently two training centers that are passive houses. The administrative building in Ostrava will truly be the first of its kind here," Bárta said. The project is also nominated for the nationwide competition Czech Energy and Ecological Project 2009.
    According to Neuwirt, passive houses are characterized primarily by heat savings during heating and a healthy indoor environment. For instance, in a passive family house with a floor area of 150 square meters, annual heating costs are around 6,000 crowns. In its low-energy version, it is about 30,000 Kč, and in a comparable standard house, it can go up to around 80,000 Kč annually. A passive house cannot be built without massive thermal insulation, quality windows, and forced ventilation with recovery, he added.
    The Czech construction company Intoza has been operating since 1992 primarily in the Ostrava, Havířov, and Frýdek-Místek regions. It employs about sixty people and reported a turnover of 180 million crowns last year. It focuses on the revitalization of apartment buildings, the reconstruction of panel houses, and the construction of passive family houses. A model family house in passive form, which the public will be able to visit, is currently being completed in Dětmarovice in the Karvina district.