Real Estate Award 2013
The experimental project Swisswoodhouse, developed by Bauart, of which Professor Emmanuel Rey of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) is a partner has received the Real Estate Award 2013 in the category "Project Development". In reaction to the future evolution of housing needs, the concept of Swisswoodhouse consists in a new sustainable modular housing.
The Real Estate Award is an annual distinction that honors urban and architectural projects characterized by their innovative and exemplary practices. Composed of architects and real estate experts, the jury awards in particular approaches that have the potential to influence decisively the building sector in Switzerland.
To be in line with a long-term perspective, reflection on built environment can’t ignore demographic evolutions resulting in particular from the changes of family structure and the emergence of a long-life society. In reaction to this continuous evolution of needs, the concept of Swisswoodhouse consists in a new modular housing, which tends to conciliate urban densification, ecological construction, housing adaptability and quality of life.
The project is based on a catalogue of wood modules of 22 m2, presenting a high-energy standard, including renewable energies and promoting indigenous wood for its construction. Thanks to these measures, the project is particularly compatible with the 2000-Watt society developed within the EPF domain. After a collaborative research phase with many academic and industrial partners, the construction of the first prototype has begun this summer in the Canton of Lucerne.