A former factory site will become one of the most modern places in Hradec Králové: the new building will bring the atmosphere of a quiet and sunny courtyard into the apartments and correspond to the revitalization of the district. In addition to the gravel facade and bricks used in the construction, the perimeter and load-bearing walls of the lower floors are made of monolithic reinforced concrete and Silka calcium-silicate blocks.

Saving money with Xella products
On the one hand, the investor chose these Xella materials because of the financial savings and the increase in usable area. The accumulation and acoustic properties of the Silka calcium-silicate blocks also played an important role, and Xella supported the project with its know-how and services - to the satisfaction of the general contractor STAKO: "From his point of view, the progress to date has been very good, with the bricklaying of the large-format blocks also being carried out by employees of the STAKO construction company using mini-cranes," says Josef Čermák, Key Account Manager at Xella.

Working with BIM saves a third of the time
In addition to supplying the Silka materials, Xella also provided the building's BIM model, which allows everyone involved to work on a 3D model and share information about the project. Xella provided detailed installation plans for each wall. This expert level of competence in BIM was a key criterion for the selection of Xella.
Tomáš Dokoupil, BIM Manager at Xella Czech Republic, explains: "BIM saved about a third of the time on site and therefore money, by calculating the exact amount of materials needed on time.” Calculations on the BIM model allow to find out remarkable facts: "As a standard comparison of our products next to competitors, our Silka materials save almost 43 m2 of living space in this building, because they are thinner than the comparable brick range". Other calculations show savings in mortar and building steps in general because large Silka blocks require fewer building steps compared to small brick products: "We calculate all these comparisons based on our BIM model," says the BIM manager. For him, the benefits of working with BIM are obvious: "The advantage was clear and accurate quotations and documentation, as well as a single layout for each wall which is easy for the workers to use.”
 
Maximum energy savings at "Cihlovka"
Energy saving was considered in every aspect of the building "Cihlovka", from the polystyrene and mineral wool insulated facade to the gray polystyrene insulated flat roof, to the heavy floating soundproof floors. The windows have triple glazing and external blinds, which increase the thermal comfort of the building. The building has automatic ventilation with heat recovery. The apartments are heated by hot water underfloor heating; in summer, the rooms can be cooled by the floor. Energy is saved by a heat pump that uses energy from deep wells. And there are photovoltaic panels on the roof of the house, the electricity generated is used in the normal operation of the common areas and apartments.
With NOHO as the investor and the design developed by architects from the Med Pavlík studio, the entire construction was carried out by STAKO, a limited liability company from Hradec Králové, as the general contractor.