Advantages of low-energy houses
Low-energy houses have many advantages.
Some of them are:
- environmentally friendly and biologically healthy material
- good thermal characteristics
- energy savings
- earthquake resistance
- quick construction
- construction all year long
- industrially controlled construction conditions
Prefabricated houses with a wooden construction are characterized by excellent earthquake resistance. Interestingly, in Japan, which is known for a large number of earthquakes, there are more and more prefabricated houses with a wooden construction. Research and experience from Japan and the USA have shown that wooden constructions can bear catastrophic earthquakes with minimum damage. Seismological maps show that nearly all of Croatia is covered with earthquake zones of the VII, VIII, and IX degree, where there is a chance of a large-intensity earthquake, for which the norm requires a budget for the action of earthquake forces.
The construction of prefabricated houses with a wooden construction is very flexible, elastic, and they can bear large forces, they have ductile connections, and the weight of the construction is approximately 4 times less than the classic brick houses. By using the good features of wood, the firmness, and elasticity, and with the proper construction of details between the wooden elements, and their proper anchoring to the foundation slab, we produce houses with a high level of earthquake resistance.
The wall elements of prefabricated houses are constructed of wooden load-bearing constructions, with layers of mineral wool in between, which are then sheathed in gypsum fiber boards on both sides. Wood, is nearly the best construction material for its fire resistant qualities. Wood is flammable, but it creates a protective carbonized layer which conducts heat poorly, so in a fire, wood protects itself. The mineral wool used as a filler is non-flammable, as is the gypsum fiber board.
The estimated (projected) duration of the building is the assumed duration of use of the construction with regular maintenance, without larger repairs. According to European norm EN 1990, the estimated period of use of constructed buildings or other usual constructions is 50 years.
The duration of a construction is its ability of have a required level of safety and usability in a defined time period under the influence of assumed elements. The duration of prefabricated buildings is 150 years with regular maintenance.
The real duration of use of a construction depends on, amongst other things, the conducted maintenance activities (interventions), effects from the environment, and the manifestation of extraordinary events.