Technical University of applied sciences Logo

Stay up to date with our current project. Here you will find general information about the House Demonstration Unit, the modular timber construction and a  weekly updated levelup construction diary!

The Building challenge - House Demonstration Unit

The House Demonstration Unit (HDU) shows a representative section of our „levelup“ system or the addition to our Design Challenge which will be exhibited in Wuppertal during the competition in June 2022.   A barrier-free residential unit is built from the 2nd storey of the Design Challenge and the roofscape above with the integration of solar technology. In addition to the ground floor flat, the upper floor has two exemplary community uses, the greenhouse and the roof terrace, which are available for the social interaction of the residents. Due to the competition conditions and our location on the Solar Campus in Wuppertal, adjustments had to be made compared to the Design Challenge. The roof orientation of the HDU is rotated by 180° to align the roof PVT system with the sun according to the location. The flat is shortened from 4 modules to 3 modules and the louvre façade and pitched roof is set back by one module width.

levelup Building Challenge house demonstration unit

The House Demonstration Unit

The residential unit of the HDU construction consists of three wooden modules with dimensions length of 7.50 metres x width of 2.95 metres X height of 3.10 metres. 
The entire HDU sits on a podium constructed of wood plank  decking, which is further characterized on the exterior with green areas flush with the decking and raised planting beds. During the competition, there is a cargo bike directly located at the HDU to show the mobility concept.

Rendering of our HDU explaining what it contains

Interior of our levelup construction

Going back to the idea of flexibility, the interior is designed in such a way that fronts can be exchanged and adapted to the needs and wishes of the occupants. This permits different materials in various price classes to be selected. In addition to the individual furnishing concept, accessibility has also been taken into account. For example, by using different colors or surface haptic, furnishings can also be adapted to visually impaired people.

Green Communal Spaces

The communal areas include spacious planted areas, which are optimally supplied with daylight through the large window areas on the façade and roof. These spaces can be used by all residents and the greenery helps to create a pleasant indoor climate. For the cool seasons, this allows the residents to spend time in nature and enjoy the pleasant atmosphere among plants. The common rooms are intended to serve as a place of calm and communication for the entire building. Exterior lighting is designed to reduce light pollution. The HDU will have minimised external lighting, which will only directly illuminate the pathways. The LED light strips are recessed into the underside of the handrails and shine downwards onto the visitor path.

rooftop garden Green communal areas Green communal spaces on the roof
levelup house with PV modules for energy generation

Energy and heating concept 

To obtain a solar plus energy building, the energy demand of the building must be minimised in any case. For energy generation, our HDU has three differently oriented PV systems, consisting of PVT collectors on the roof, semi-transparent PV modules on the top of our greenhouse and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) on the façade.

The heating concept had to be transformed into a power only concept. An electric heat pump replaced the AHP and district heating of the Design challenge concept, and a water storage tank replaced the thermal mass of the activated façade. In summer, the PVT collector is sufficient as a heat source; a geothermal basket is added for later use of the HDU in Rosenheim.

Public Tour in Wuppertal 

Take a public tour of our levelup house during the competition in Wuppertal! 
Soon you will also find all information about the public tour here.

Click here to get a 
detailed look on our public tour!

The construction site:

First picture of our construction site during the preparation construction site plan & Technical University of Rosenheim site right next to the TH Rosenheim in the Bogensiedlung

Usage after the competition?

After the competition, our construction will be used permanently on the campus of the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences as a day-care centre and family office. 
For this reason, we also placed special emphasis on additional assembly and disassembly and maximum durability. 

buildings and green areas of the Technical University of Applied Scieneces Rosenheim Logo of technical university of applied sciences Rosenheim