Press Release
The “Contzen-MAX House” – Ecology Meets Design
MAX-Haus GmbH based near Berlin, Germany teamed up with artistdesigner Lars Contzen to develop a sophisticated and innovative building
concept with a uniquely styled look.
July 2014 – In Aschaffenburg, Germany just east of Frankfurt, a young married
couple has fulfilled its dream of living in a very exceptional house by contracting
the construction of the world’s first Contzen-MAX house, which they now own
and occupy. Its hallmarks including environmental friendliness and cubistinspired design, in conjunction with balanced colours and graphical patterns.
Fast Construction Thanks to Extensive Prefabrication
Consisting of five modules, the first Contzen-MAX house has 168 square
metres of floor space on two storeys – enough for a living room, four bedrooms,
a kitchen, two bathrooms, a guest toilet and an equipment room.
The key advantage of the concept underlying the MAX house is that its
individual modules are extensively prefabricated. This is its main difference to
conventional prefabricated houses, which are assembled from panels. The wall
and ceiling elements of the modules are made of KRONOPLY OSB/3, which
ideally meets expectations in terms of usability, environmental compatibility and
healthy living. The interior and exterior walls of the Contzen-MAX house consist
of about 380 square metres of 12-millimetre-thick KRONOPLY OSB/3, and 250
square metres of 22-millimetre-thick KRONOPLY OSB/3 were used to make the
floor element, the ground floor ceiling and the flat roof. It took only eight weeks
to very precisely prefabricate the modules from OSB boards, complete with all
© SWISS KRONO GROUP
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of the required cut-outs for doors, windows, stairs, sanitary installations, cable
conduits etc. The modules were assembled on-site to create the house in a
single day. The other trades (electrical, plumbing, etc.) were thus able to get to
work right away, generating a considerable time saving.
The company of MAX-Haus GmbH handled everything from architectural
planning across construction to the interior finishing. Contzen-MAX houses
aren’t identically mass-produced; rather, they are custom-tailored to meet the
client’s particular needs and wishes. Various models provide inspiration and
serve as the basis for detailed planning. This dream of a modern house can be
realised with 80 square metres or more of living space.
Lars Contzen: Modern Interiors and Original Surface Design
Lars Contzen has been successfully designing a wide range of products for
market-leading firms for more than 15 years, concentrating on architecture and
interior design. In fact, he began his career with the vision of redefining housing
as “feel-good space”. In the “Contzen-MAX house” concept, the designer has
blended eco-friendly living, sustainability, and attractive design.
The Contzen brand consistently takes a holistic approach, and this house is no
exception.
Its
colours,
graphical
patterns
and
natural
materials
are
harmoniously balanced. The net result is a homogeneous, unmistakable overall
impression. The house’s striking exterior continues extravagantly on the inside.
A high-quality rubberised floor that feels wonderful to walk on evokes an
exceptional ambiance with subdued acoustics throughout the house. It causes
all of the rooms to blend together as a single unit, dispensing with the restless
impression that would be created by a mosaic of hardwood, tiles and carpeting.
Instead of conventional tiles, the bathrooms feature modern RESOPAL®
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SpaStyling® surfaces. This gives rise to “wellness oases” that have the effect of
opening up space. Each bathroom boasts a warm, inviting atmosphere.
Unusual materials are used to convey a sense of wellbeing that is appropriate
to this day and age. “My goal was to forge an ecologically sustainable house
concept with a modern look and feel”, says Contzen. “A balanced mix of
graphical patterns, colours and natural elements lends an individual touch to the
house and gives rise to a pleasant feel-good atmosphere.”
There are virtually no limits to the client’s choice of colours and graphics. The
RESOPAL Contzen Creator (www.resopal-contzen-creator.de) makes it easy to
flexibly adjust graphics, for instance for the building’s front or the bathroom wall
panels. Ultimately, every Contzen-MAX house is a unique creation reflecting its
occupants’ personalities.
Sustainability: Eco-Friendly Materials and Minimal Energy Consumption
The Contzen-MAX house is an energy-efficient house that complies with the
KfW70 specifications. Its annual primary energy requirement is 60.4 kWh/m2.
Energy for heating and hot water is provided by an air-water heat pump.
Additional energy savings are generated by a centralised ventilation system
with heat recovery. The excellently insulated, water-vapour-permeable exterior
walls have a u-value of 0-17 W/m2K. In addition, wood-fibre insulation provides
natural protection from summer heat.
Solid construction timber from sustainably managed forests, wood-fibre
insulation, OSB boards made without formaldehyde: MAX-Haus applies
environmental criteria for choosing building materials. Engineered wood
products such as KRONOPLY OSB excellently fit the bill with their good
airtightness and carbon sequestration, amongst other properties. They help to
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minimise the amount of heat energy that escapes via the exterior walls. An
EnEV reference building loses 45% more energy than the Contzen-MAX house.
As a result, the latter consumes correspondingly less energy for heating. Also
where CO2 emissions are concerned, the Contzen-MAX house is far superior to
an EnEV reference house, which produces nearly 2,000 kilogrammes more
carbon dioxide. Other benefits of these wood-based materials from KRONOPLY
include ease of use and a healthier indoor climate.
“This first Contzen-MAX house will definitely soon be followed by more”, says
Uwe Jöst, Managing Director of KRONOPLY and KRONOTEX. “Its modular
concept, combined with sustainable materials and modern design, meets
today’s wishes for individuality and high-quality living. We’re very pleased that
KRONOPLY OSB/3 is making such an important contribution to this pioneering
concept.”
Facts at a Glance:
Building type
Modular single-family detached home (5
modules, timber-frame construction), 168 m² of
living space, www.contzen-max-haus.com
Year built
2013
Design
Lars Contzen, Alte Langgasse 16, 63457 Hanau,
Germany, www.larscontzen.de
Structural
calculations
Induo-Systemholztechnik GmbH & Co. KG, An
der Blankstrasse 20, 41352 Korschenbroich,
Germany, www.induo.de
Built by
MAX-Haus GmbH, Prendener Strasse 48,
16348 Marienwerder, Germany, www.maxhaus.com
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Walls
Approx. 380 m2 of interior and exterior walls
stiffened with KRONOPLY OSB/3 (12 mm thick)
Floor element, ceiling
and flat roof
Approx. 250 m2 stiffened with KRONOPLY OSB/3
(22 mm thick)
Reduction in CO2
emissions
from
using
KRONOPLY
OSB
Approx. 7.6 m3 of KRONOPLY OSB/3,
corresponding to approx. 8 tonnes of sequestered
carbon dioxide
Additional information: www.contzen-max-haus.de www.kronoply.com
Images
The images below are available for downloading in print-ready resolution from
the following link. They may be used in publications provided that they are
credited to “contzentrade® designstudio”.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b5q4x37zeajzi05/AABaiisPBretyvO4xEa4Fyj8a
Designer Lars Contzen and a drawing of the Contzen-MAX house.
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Layouts of the ground and upper
stories of the Contzen-MAX house
Surrounding free space, layout and
views from all sides of the ContzenMAX house
The individual modules of the Contzen-MAX
house were prefabricated in a factory where
they were safe from the weather. KRONOPLY
OSB/3 is the ideal material for this, thanks to its
ease of use.
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The prefabricated modules were transported to
the building site and then assembled in a single
day to create the complete Contzen-MAX
house.
The individual modules consisting of prefabricated KRONOPLY OSB/3 were quickly
assembled to create a single-family house.
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The exterior of the first Contzen-MAX house is
both modern and natural. The green panels
with organic-looking graphics and the
larchwood façade make the building an eyecatcher while simultaneously integrating it
visually into its surroundings.
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The interior is dominated by graphical patterns
and bold colours – typical elements of Lars
Contzen’s design signature.
About KRONOPLY
Established in 2000, Heiligengrabe, Germany-based KRONOPLY GmbH belongs to
the SWISS KRONO GROUP, one of the world’s leading specialists in wood-based
materials. KRONOPLY GmbH ranks among Europe’s most successful producers of
OSB boards. Its core competencies also include producing MDF and HDF as well as
high-quality wood-fibre insulation. The firm offers customer-focused solutions which
involve innovative, environmentally friendly products and are backed by comprehensive
consulting and support. In awareness of its responsibility to society, KRONOPLY
GmbH makes flexibly deployable, custom-tailored materials based on wood, a natural
raw material. www.kronoply.com
Press Contact
Ute Bachmann
Tel.: +49 (0) 176 99938586
Fax: 03222 3350590
Email: u.bachmann@werbeagentur-nowack.de
© SWISS KRONO GROUP
KRONOPLY GmbH
Wittstocker Chaussee 1
16909 Heiligengrabe
Germany
www.kronoply.com
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