Radlický Dřevák: The first wooden residential building in Prague
In a few years, Radlická street will be completely unrecognizable from today. One project after another is growing here, and many more are being prepared. Thanks to this large-scale construction, one of the most modern districts of Prague will be created here, which takes a maximum view not only of its residents, but also of the environment and sustainability in the construction industry.
The “Radlický dřevák” project is to be the flagship in that regard. As the name suggests, the main material used for the construction of this building will be wood, which brings with it a number of advantages. Except it’s simple nicer and more pleasant material than concrete, its use in construction significantly can reduce the carbon footprint emerging buildings. The development company Skanska is behind the plan together with architects from the Jakub Cigler architekt office.
A panel made of wood?
The wood will be used in the form of so-called CLT panels, which are five cross-glued boards, which in terms of strength and bearing capacity have very similar properties to steel and concrete. However, they are much lighter. The panels from which the Radlický log house will be built will be made of spruce wood from Czech forests. The use of these prefabricated panels will also significantly shorten the construction time.
A sample of a wooden CLT panel
Author: Lightning
“CLT boards give the possibility of up to twenty-story construction. Abroad, wood is being promoted more and more often in construction, but in the country, strict fire standards still allow it only four floors and a maximum height of twelve meters. At the same time, from the point of view of fire safety, buildings made of CLT panels are just as safe as objects realized in the traditional construction method. That is why I believe that changes will be made to the Czech legislation that will allow a wider use of wood in the future” says Pavel Tomek, project manager of residential developer Skanska.
Fire protection
Questions related to security, especially associated with risk of fire are exaggerated according to the developer’s representatives. Opposite expectations are paradoxically a better material in this direction than wooden panels. Thanks to the multiple layers of plates, the fire spreads slowly and predictably, compared to steel, which begins to bend and melt during fires.
Green living in the city?
The building will not be ecological only due to the material usedbut also thanks to the use of the most modern sustainable technologies water retention technology, heat insulation thanks to green roofsor saving energy consumption thanks to controlled ventilation and photothermal panels for preheating water. Its carbon footprint will be up to a quarter lower than if it were built from traditional materials such as bricks, steel and concrete.
“Using a wooden structure instead of concrete or steel is one of the many tools to find a more sustainable solution,” says architect Jakub Cigler. “We have to search ways to reduce energy consumption in the building as well as water management inside and outside the building is a principle to which today’s project must seek a more economical answer. At the same time, all these aspects include a more ecological and energy-friendly result.”
Radlický dřevák will mainly offer 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments, of which there will be almost 80, and the other two associated apartment buildings will add a total of 100 more. There will also be a publicly accessible inner block with a children’s playground, a gazebo, a place for grilling and a cafe. Construction work is expected to start in 2024.
Next to Dřevák, there will also be two smaller buildings built in a conventional way. As this is the first project of its kind in the Czech Republic, the developer wants to walk this path first and only then decide whether to follow it. The combination of both of these methods of construction in one place will make it possible to obtain a very valuable comparison and show how the construction performs compared to the “ordinary” ones.
1 house every 4 minutes
The Czechia has some of the strictest legislative conditions for more similar buildings to be built here in the future. In this imaginary ranking, we rank at a similar level as, for example, Russia. Architects from Jakub Cigler’s office state that in the territory of the Czech Republic, as much wood as it would cost to build one family house grows every 4 minutes.
Visualization of the apartment building Radlický Dřevák
Author: Skanska