Sustainable buildings “off the shelf”
Traditionally, building construction projects are very individual: almost every building is planned and built from the ground up as a one-of-a-kind. Now, however, Implenia has brought a very different approach to the market: one that sees the building as a largely predefined product that can be adapted to specific situations.
Clear ideas, efficient planning
Similar to buying a car, clients choose a model and then have it fitted out according to their needs. Something else familiar from the automotive industry is the fact that standardised components are assembled to create an individualised end-product. This industrial approach enables Implenia to develop and build tailor-made properties for its customers with maximum efficiency. It not only saves time and costs, but also reduces risks at the planning stage and on-site.
This revolutionary approach to property development starts with a product configurator. Based on environmental data and specific customer needs, the computer model works through hundreds of options to find the best solution for the specific site concerned.
The programme selects primarily from a set of standardised elements. These can be prefabricated in the factory and then fitted together on the construction site to create residential buildings of any size.
Since the elements are mainly made of climate-friendly wood, the resulting buildings meet high sustainability standards. Implenia also ensures that the individual elements fulfil environmental criteria and that they can be easily dismantled at the end of their useful life. It won’t be difficult, therefore, for future generations to separate the materials contained in the building and reuse them for new purposes.
Sustainability as standard
“Thanks to the new product approach, sustainability is taken into account systematically and at a very early stage,” says Nicolas Fries, Circular Economy & Innovation Manager at Implenia. The product configurator can also be used to determine key figures such as CO₂ emissions, grey energy and construction costs at the touch of a button.
Based on a given topography and location, and on the client’s specific requirements, the computer only takes about 30 minutes to calculate different property options. The programme produces three-dimensional views so that at the very start of the process, clients get a concrete idea of what their project might look like in situ. Once an option has been chosen, it is easy to generate documents for the planning process, such as construction plans and bills of quantity.
Implenia is setting new standards with this innovative approach, showing how environmental responsibility and efficient construction can go hand in hand. The company is implementing an initial project using the system in Zurich’s Oerlikon district, building 40 apartments that were designed with the help of the product configurator.
