After the individual solid wood elements had been completed by our partner Holzius in South Tyrol, they were delivered to our partner Petershaus in Kevelaer for further processing at the end of March. The skilled workers from Petershaus produced the shell of the two living modules as well as the technical room from the individual solid wood floors, ceilings and walls.
Since the assembly and bolting of the components must be very precise to make sure that structural requirements are met, this important step of the construction process was assigned to Petershaus. Students from our Team MIMO supported the construction process in the planning departments of Petershaus and Berger (facade planning) so that final constructional changes to the residential modules are congruent with the climate envelope at the end.
The finished shell has now been covered with tarpaulins and placed on the Petershaus company’s outdoor site by a crane and low-loader for further work. A substructure prevents the modules from having direct contact with the ground. A core team of students was again able to help with the interior construction.
The shell of the building was planked with diagonal GFM panels to create the basis for further expansion and to ensure stiffening properties. In doing so, the workers had to be careful not to damage the walls and ceilings which were later to retain visual quality. In the further course our partners EDS and Gnoth carried out the electrical installation as well as the HLS installation.
The breaches made by Holzius made it easier to lay pipes and pre-wall installations in the bathroom. For the walls in the bathroom clay building boards and a heating system were provided by our sponsors Claytec and ArgillaTherm and we were also able to count on the support of the Gnoth company for the difficult cutting of the heavy clay boards for the interior of the bathroom. Within the next few days students will finally finish plastering the walls of the bathroom.
The atmosphere on-site in Kevelaer is very good – after two years of theoretical planning, everyone is excited to see what now will be built in reality. With the construction process, the actual scale of the project becomes more and more obvious and it is great to see how the digitally developed vision developed takes real shape. Now we are looking forward to the topping-out ceremony on April 13 where we celebrate the completion of the shell of our wooden modules together with our partners and meet more members of our team in person after a long merely digital collaboration.
