Intelligent House in a Modern District – What Life is Like in Nová Dubnica

In Nová Dubnica, in the Dlhé Diely district, an extensive development has emerged. A significant contribution to its creation has been made by the company Neture Bau, which, in addition to terraced houses, has realized the technical and transport infrastructure of parts of the district, and under its wings, several individual family houses have also been designed and built. They adhere to the principle of providing owners with comfortable and quality housing with a view to the future. For many years, they have been building to a low-energy standard, approaching passive. They choose quality materials with a long lifespan, and the effort for project variability also takes into account the needs of seniors in many respects. The fact that they truly believe in their work is evidenced by the fact that the designer himself and one of the owners of the company, Ing. Matěj Rehák, lives here in a terraced house, and he designed this standalone house for his sister's family.

In the Dlhé Diely district of Nová Dubnica, Neture Bau began in 2006 by purchasing what was then agricultural land, and the city also joined the idea of building a new district. Together, they began to focus on a new urban project—apartments built by the city were created, as well as individual terraced houses constructed by Neture Bau, which participated in the establishment of engineering networks and communications. Thanks to their contribution to the concept, for example, the sidewalks are barrier-free—they have pursued the overall urban quality of the entire location from the beginning. Their current largest project is the construction of 14 terraced houses. In all designs, whether they acted as developers or as authors of the family house project, they placed great emphasis on low-energy execution. "The idea of energy-efficient and passive building interested me even during my studies. Later, I became certified as a designer of passive buildings at the Institute for Passive Houses and also at the Passivhaus Institute in Darmstadt, and I continue to educate myself in this field. My father, who has experience from Germany, also brought many interesting insights. We try to apply these elements of eco-friendly, energy-saving, and at the same time comfortable living in our projects," describes Mr. Rehák their approach to the project.

The house for his sister emerged from their mutual communication—the owners expressed their ideas and requirements, and the brother, in the role of designer, translated them into the project and enriched it with numerous innovative ideas during realization. The ground floor features a spacious, freely arranged living area that connects the kitchen, dining area, and living space with easy access to the garden. There is indeed a generous glazed area, and the terrace of the garden thus becomes essentially part of the living space during the season. On the ground floor, there is also a barrier-free bathroom and a guest room, which can eventually serve as a room for a senior. Upstairs, three rooms and another bathroom are located. The space is connected by an open monolithic staircase. The shape of the building was largely determined by the irregular trapezoidal plot, and the floor plan respects this. The minimalist and clean design is complemented by wooden cladding of the facade on the side of the terrace, giving this part, in combination with a beautifully maintained garden, a pleasant natural character. The element of wooden facade cladding is also common in other realizations of Neture Bau in this area and fits into the overall concept of the new district. The garage of this house is ingeniously resolved. Through the gap between it and the house, one can directly enter the terrace, which friends and guests of the owners particularly enjoy. In the summer, life thrives in their garden. Other advantages include the fact that there is a lack of thermal bridges here. An unheated garage poses a risk, and if it is connected to the house, it is necessary to properly insulate the common wall. The separation of buildings is also safer in terms of fire safety and, last but not least, due to emissions and smells.

The house is also equipped with modern so-called smart home technology, which is a benefit of the innovatively oriented designer. Using an app, one can control the underfloor heating in the house—each room has a desired temperature set, which is automatically regulated by a sensor. Ventilation is also automatically controlled—it is set to the optimal number of hours depending on the season. The smart home also takes into account that the interior does not overheat—external blinds automatically respond to the position of the sun. This solution is not only user-friendly but also significantly contributes to the energy efficiency of the house.

The choice of building materials was also influenced by the idea of low-energy construction on the edge of a house with almost zero energy consumption. For the outer walls, the designer chose based on long-term experience the Ytong masonry—they appreciated its easy workability concerning the atypical floor plan, as well as the thermal insulation properties that contribute to the overall homogeneity of the building envelope. Due to the accumulation properties of massive elements, a monolithic concrete ceiling was used here, and for the partitions between rooms, acoustic aerated concrete blocks Silka, which have the same manufacturer and similar composition as Ytong, were used. "The reason for using Silka was the very good acoustics and thermal accumulation. I also appreciate that it is a healthy, natural material in its composition and simplicity. We found that even the installation of service lines is not demanding; it can be run directly in the grooves that are prepared here. With a well-prepared project, there is no need to chisel the grooves," states Matěj Rehák.