Novel "practical laboratory" for recyclable building and living

The building sector is responsible for more than 40 percent of global resource and energy consumption. The potential for increasing energy and resource efficiency in buildings is correspondingly large. In the KREIS House (Klima and resourceEfficient Suffizienz-Haus) in Feldbach on Lake Zurich, environmentally friendly circular economy is researched and made tangible. The pioneer house, which was opened on Friday in the presence of invited guests and Cantonal Government Councillor Martin Neukom, Head of the Construction Department of the Canton of Zurich, provides a space for research to try out new recyclable technologies and materials in practice and to present them to the public in the form of a prototype.

Applied research in the building

Interested parties can not only visit the pioneer house, but also spend the night in it. On the one hand, this gives them direct experience of what it's like to live in a circular building, and on the other hand, they also become part of a research project being conducted by the ZHAW Institute for Environment and Natural Resources. This project is investigating how the circular building proves itself in everyday life. In interaction with the users, the applications can be tested and improved. The aim of the research project is to create an everyday living environment that protects the climate and the environment.
The project was initiated and conceived by Devi Bühler, ZHAW environmental engineer and president of the Synergy Village association. She is leading the collaborative project between the ZHAW as research partner and the Synergy Village association as implementation partner, which is supported by more than 40 other partners and sponsors. "We have tried to implement the principle of the circular economy down to the last detail and in the smallest possible space," explains Devi Bühler. "With this, we want to gather both practical and scientific knowledge in the district house as a 'practical laboratory' to promote sustainable and circular construction on a broad scale." 

Everything built according to the principle of circulation

The pioneer house, which was built on the property of the Synergy Village association, consists of a fully developed small residential unit with a winter garden. In the circular economy, waste materials become valuable materials again. This second or third life gives each material its own individual life cycle. Natural building materials such as clay, lime and wood were used for the construction, as well as durable, recycled and reused materials. For example, a floor is made of recycled glass shards or windows are reused from a demolition. The dry separation toilet in a closed loop system saves water and allows the recovery of nutrients, which after treatment by a special process are used as fertilizer in the roof garden. Lightly polluted wastewater from the kitchen and bathroom is treated directly in the building and used for irrigation. The electricity needed comes from the solar panels integrated in the conservatory, with surplus electricity stored in Second Life batteries. The entire house stands on a concrete-free screw foundation.

Press release ZHAW

An attic for vegetable cultivation. Image: Christoph Kaminski/ZHAW

Viewing possible
From mid-September, the diverse KREIS-Haus stories about the materials and techniques used will be presented in regular guided tours under the title "1001 cycles". In addition, workshops on specific building topics will be held regularly. Those interested in staying overnight will need some patience, as the Circle House is currently fully booked. However, it is possible to register on a waiting list.

Info here