Contractor

Name : WBV-GPA

Contact : Michael Gehbauer

Construction Manager

Name : Obermayr Holzkonstruktionen GmbH

Contact : Hans-Christian Obermayr

Stakeholders

Name of the company involved in the building or refusbishment project : LANG consulting

Contact : Günter Lang

Action : Passive house consulting

---

Name of the company involved in the building or refusbishment project : F2 Architekten

Contact : Markus Fischer

Action : Wooden modular construction

---

Name of the company involved in the building or refusbishment project : OeAD Housing Office

Contact : Günther Jdeliczka

Action : Operator

---

Name of the company involved in the building or refusbishment project : home4students

Contact : Sabine Straßer

Action : Operator

Owner approach of sustainability

The PopUp dorms are a reaction to the discussionon affordable housing in Vienna as well as in most cities worldwide over thepast several years. The idea was to take advantage of a currently unusedproperty for temporary, affordable housing – temporary student dorms. That waythe project saves a lot of the expensive property costs. When the final use ofthe property is nearing, the dorms can be easily moved to a new location. Inaddition, the PopUp dorms are highly energy efficient student dormitories. Butthey are much more, than just built to most energy efficient and sustainablebuilding standard. Made of pre-fabricated sustainable timber construction, thePopUp dorms were built extremely quickly. The project shows how quick andinexpensive passive house buildings (the best energy efficient standardworldwide) can be constructed.

Architectural description

Exterior designThe architecture of the first building imitatesthe traditional architecture of the architect’s region Upper Austria: the tenwooden modules were arranged on two floors like a traditional “Vierkanthof”which is a farm, consisting of four farm buildings arranged around arectangular or square courtyard. In this case the courtyard has a roof andmeant to be a big community or even party room. “It’s a bit like playing withLego. You just put it easy together and off, can extend and change how you needit,” tells Markus Fischer, from the architect office F2, who designed thestudent dorm.The Popup dorms are characterized by its simple cubic architecture, which showsthe modular construction method only on a closer look. The horizontal woodenfaçade in two gray shades gets brighten by the red toned loggia and entrance.The PopUp dorms are one of the few buildings in this urban area with a woodenfaçade. This offers a great architectonic variation as well as the low size oftwo floors in compare to the multi-story buildings around. The architectsdecided for a wooden façade, to make the wooden construction from outsidevisible too. The façade has two different gray shades, which are inverse toeach other building.

Interior designThe idea behind the concept of the woodenmodules was to create a transferable system, which doesn’t look like shippingcontainers and offers a cozily atmosphere and architectonical quality.The basic layout of the first PopUpdorms – 10 accommodation sections around the large, attractive, 2-storey atriumcourtyards – was convincing and promises high quality standards. It proves thattemporary accommodation and design can easily be linked. The covered courtyardof 250 m² is both an opening and a central community area of the house. It islit by cupolas in the roof. It is also the heart of the building and providesthe residents with spaciousness. Despite the very limited budget, thismulti-functional meeting area is very important. A lounge area in the center ofthe 2-level, spacious room is the communication center. Moreover, a communalkitchen and a cleaning and laundry room are in a reconstructed shippingcontainer and are part of the courtyard.

 Each accommodation section with its4 room units can be accessed via the courtyard. The 4 rooms are equipped with 2bathrooms and an additional small common room with a mini-kitchen. Althoughthis intimate communal area is separated from the courtyard, visual connectionsare still possible. A small loggia on the upper floor offers an additionalcommunal area. Apart from the high quality in architecture and constructiontechnology, the compact energy and technology concept exhibits manyinnovations. Each of the ten accommodation sections is completelyself-sufficient and -functional and can be relocated to various properties fivetimes within 40 years including their furniture.

Energy consumption

• Primary energy need : 119 kWhpe/m².year
• Primary energy need for standard building : 240 kWhpe/m².year
• Final Energy : 43 kWhfe/m².year

Systems

Heating system :
• Heat pump
Hot water system :
• Heat pump
Cooling system :
• No cooling system
Ventilation system :
• Double flow heat exchanger
Renewable systems :
• Solar photovoltaic
• Heat pump

GHG emissions

• GHG in use : 11 KgCO₂/m²/year

Methodology used : balancing according OI3 index from IBO – Austrian Institute for Healthy and Ecological Building

• GHG before use : -0 KgCO₂ /m²
• Building lifetime : 40 year(s)

, ie xx in use years : -0

Life Cycle Analysis

• Eco-design material : Eco-balancing of CO2 emissions on gray energy of construction:
  Through the optimization of the fundament, the complete building envelope innogging piece construction and the mostly use of recycle and renewablematerials the PopUp dorms have a neutral CO2 balance on gray energy (based onthe balancing according OI3 index from IBO – Austrian Institute for Healthy andEcological Building).GlobalWarming Potential over 100 years (GWP 100) is minus 33.4 kg CO2eq/m²GFA
  Both PopUp dorms buildings with in summary 2,416 m² GFA have a global warmingimpact from the whole construction of minus 81 tons CO2.

Water management

The tap water is one of the best in the world. The quality is approved by the city.
The rain water is collected completely in a soakaway on the property and doesn’t strain the canalization.

Indoor Air quality

• Indoor Air quality : There is no direct air pollution because of thepassive house standard which reduces the heat demand to a minimum. This isprovided by the own photovoltaic and electrical network.
  Because of the controlled ventilation system also a healthy indoor air qualityis guaranteed, which keeps the CO2 concentration always below 1,000ppm in therooms.

Health & Comfort

• Health & comfort : There is no direct air pollution because of thepassive house standard which reduces the heat demand to a minimum. This isprovided by the own photovoltaic and electrical network.
  Because of the controlled ventilation system also a healthy indoor air qualityis guaranteed, which keeps the CO2 concentration always below 1,000ppm in therooms.
  

Calculated indoor CO2 concentration : <1,000ppm

• Acoustic comfort : Because of the short construction phase and highprefabrication, noise emission could be kept to a minimum during construction.
  Thanks to the ventilation system there is no need to open the windows (evenit’s possible) to let street noise inside the room. The triple glazed windowskeep the noise outside. There is also a very good sonic insulation to theatrium and between the floors.

Product

Name : System Ventech PKOM4classic

Producer : J. Pich­ler Ge­sell­schaft m.b.H

• Product category : HVAC, électricité / ventilation, cooling
Description :

Each of the twenty-two accommodation sections is completely self-sufficient and functional, and can be relocated to various properties five times within 40 years including their furniture. The ventilation system (one per box) can supply a whole module of 75m² independent of the use, whether if it is used for accommodating a group of 4 students or a family or even using it as an office.

Thanks to the intelligent low-tech-concept the whole HVACR of the building is using only 0.5 percent of the floor space. The new from Passive House Institute certified “all in one” heat pump multi-unit “System Ventech PKOM4classic” handles the functions ventilation, heating, cooling and hot water on an area of 0.75m². This reduction of space helped to keep the costs low.
The maximum heating capacity for air is 1300W, the maximum heating capacity for hot water is 1600W. Each ventilation unit delivers a total of 240m³/h, which is split in 120m³/h to the student rooms and 120m³/h to the atrium. The heat pump multi-unit supplies 1.2kW heat load per module, which is split in 800W heating through the air and 400W through convectors. Per module a hot water tank of 212 liters is included, in combination with water saving water taps.

Comments :

The students and stakeholders are satisfied. Fresh and healthy indoor air quality is guaranteed 24 hours a day.

Construction and exploitation costs

• Total cost of the building : 3 760 000 €
Additional information on costs :

This project perfectly implements “affordable living”. Apart from the low property costs, the private housing pioneer project has minimal construction costs of only EUR 1,345 per m² gross floor area (ÖNORM B 1801-1) which is about 25% lower than the usual Viennese construction costs. Therefore, the project is exemplary for the fact that energy-efficient construction is not contradictory to social and affordable housing. Even though the project is implemented without housing subsidies, the students pay no more than EUR 350 per unit and month including all running costs even cleaning the apartments.
The costs for the resettlement if the buildings (indexed to inflation, without infrastructure costs) about EUR 455,000.
The life cycle costs show that PopUp dorms have 24 percent lower cost compared to conventional buildings over 40 years.

Urban environment

The Landscaping is simple but fits the studentsneeds. Permanent garden furniture out of wood are placed in the lawn, offeringthe students the possibility to chill on beautiful days. At the landscaping itwas paid attention, that everything can be taken with at the resettlement. Thiscounts for the floor plates for the access ways, the bicycle racks and thegarden furnitures as well as for the plant boxes.

A bonus of the location is, that the lake of the Seestadt Aspern is veryclose, were students can relax in a big park and at the beach.

Parking spaces

Public parking spots only.
The students don’t have cars anyway, but are using the very well Viennese public transport (metro station close) and bikes.
2 bike racks for 20 bikes are installed outside the PopUp dorms. Also the PopUp dorms atrium offers possibilities to park bikes.
The new city area Seestadt is focused on reduction of cars and offering alternatives. On the 240 hectare areal of Seestadt Aspern there are 7 stations (one beside the PopUp dorms) with 52 E-Bikes and 4 E-Transport-bikes too.

Building Environmental Quality

• Building flexibility
• indoor air quality and health
• comfort (visual, olfactive, thermal)
• energy efficiency
• renewable energies
• building end of life management
• integration in the land