VELUX opened the visionary sustainable village Living Places

Construction currently accounts for an astonishing 34% of global energy consumption and generates 37% of global CO2 emissions. The VELUX group, a global leader in roof windows, has therefore initiated the construction of several prototypes of wooden buildings that define sustainable building principles: every material, every construction method, and technology was assessed and chosen to reduce environmental impacts and minimize carbon emissions. The result is the Living Places projects with nearly three times lower CO2 emissions (3.8 kg CO2 per m²/year) than the average new builds in Denmark (11.1 kg CO2 per m²/year). Moreover, their cost is below the price level at which buildings are constructed in the Czech Republic – the estimated costs reach 39 to 45 thousand CZK/m² compared to the Czech average of 50 thousand CZK/m².

Compass – navigation for architects and designers

The model project VELUX Living Places with five pavilions serving as meeting places or exhibition spaces and two model family houses demonstrates that sustainable construction practices are achievable with materials, solutions, and knowledge available today. Architects from EFFEKT + MOE engineering, in collaboration with VELUX, conducted numerous studies, calculating the LCA factor (Life Cycle Assessment) of each material, from the foundation slab to the envelope structure and roof, as well as establishing a benchmark – a comparative criterion for a traditional Scandinavian bungalow with a square footprint and a steep roof with a slope of 60°. The findings from these studies and calculations are summarized in the Compass principles, a kind of ideological navigation for architects and designers, according to which the Living Places were built.

“This set of seven principles serves as a guide for architects on how to design a sustainable house for the future not for a lot of money, but at a reasonable price. It will be a house with a healthy indoor environment built from non-toxic and renewable materials, providing ample natural daylight and fresh air. A house that is flexibly adaptable to the various life stages of its residents, utilizing the potential of community and community living, and maximizing the given location, whether through its appearance or the materials used,” explains Marek Petrík, architect at VELUX Czech Republic.

In addition to the principles already mentioned, Compass also addresses energy and water management, the connection between the interior and exterior, acoustic comfort, and the possibility of prefabrication. “Each principle is detailed. For instance, when discussing sustainability, it's about the choice of materials. It involves whether we opt for polystyrene or sustainable wood fiber insulation. Whether we will be in negative numbers even before we dig into the ground or whether we will choose a biogenic material like wood, which can store carbon and allows us to start off in the positive compared to a traditional bungalow.”

The main material for Living Places is therefore wood – pine wood, CLT panels (cross-laminated timber), plywood, cellulose thermal insulation, wood fiber, and gypsum fiber boards. The interiors feature natural wood floors and linoleum, and natural oil was used for the finishing.

90% of time in a healthy indoor environment

The Living Places project utilizes daylight and fresh air as key components of a healthy indoor climate. After all, we spend 90% of our time inside buildings, so how we build and live directly affects our physical and mental health. The shape of the house, the layouts of the individual floors, and the careful placement of both façade and roof windows have been designed in Living Places to respect our circadian rhythm, ensuring that there is plenty of natural light in the house at all times of the day.

“In a bungalow, there is often a problem of letting light into the depth of the layout. The houses in the Living Places project are designed as three-story structures, with various cutouts providing different views between the floors. This allows natural light to be distributed between the floors and into deeper layouts. It’s important to experience light in the context of the entire day, and this house achieves this through both roof and façade windows and the orientation of the building. So in the morning, the sunlight wakes me, at noon the windows let light into the center of the layout, and even in the evening, at sunset, the house has natural light. It is very important for a person to experience these changes in light over time to become aware of what part of the day they are in,” continues Marek Petrík, architect at VELUX CR.

The advantages of a sloped roof for the interior and neighbors

The sloped roof also favors light access, offering several advantages for both the internal environment and surrounding buildings. Natural daylight filtered through roof windows can penetrate deeper into the interior, and thanks to the open spaces between the floors, it can also reach lower layouts, enhancing the feeling of comfort, making the interior feel airier while simultaneously reducing the need for artificial lighting. A sloped roof is also more neighbor-friendly compared to flat ones, as direct sunlight falls closer to the bottom of the house. It does not shade neighboring buildings as much, allowing for higher density of development and supporting one of the other principles, which is community living. “Sloped roofs also have the advantage that when you start to bring houses closer together, they do not shade each other as much, so you still have a good view,” adds Marek Petrík.

VELUX roof windows and skylights not only improve the light conditions for lower floors but also contribute to a healthy climate with sufficient fresh air. They support the so-called stack effect of natural ventilation, where air rises freely from the ground floor upwards in an open space and is vented out through the roof windows. The windows are connected to sensors monitoring CO2 levels, humidity, and temperature inside. An intelligent system automatically opens and closes the windows, activates external blinds, and regulates airflow to prevent overheating the interior or unnecessary heat loss. It simultaneously ensures a good indoor climate throughout the year.

The Living Places project utilized the entire range of VELUX roof windows and skylights, including units of three windows in one frame VELUX GGLS 3-in-1 or the VELUX GDL roof balcony.

Let’s not just replicate the house, but follow the idea

Similar model projects have been built by VELUX from Europe to Asia to North America since the 1990s. “VELUX is a great innovator that inspires and shares its insights with others over the long term,” concludes Marek Petrík, architect at VELUX CR: “Let’s not just try to replicate this type of house but follow the whole idea. Let’s build according to the Compass model, thinking about the carbon footprint of the individual materials we use and using renewable, affordable sources. That is the message of Living Places.”

For more information, visit www.velux.cz