LIKO-S, the leading production and construction family company from the Czech Republic, inaugurated the world's first living hall - LIKO-Vo on June 18, 2019. The grand opening ocurred under the auspices of the Minister of the Environment and was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček. Compared to other industrial buildings, which warms the surrounding air to up to 80 ° C, LIKO-Vo limits the amount of heat radiation and as a result its surroundings are up to 10 ° C cooler. “Conventional halls covered with standard materials generate huge amounts of heat and act as radiators. In fact, the construction industry in the Czech Republic daily devours 10 hectares of vegetated land, which then cease to retain water. Green buildings are able to eliminate these phenomena, ”says Libor Musil, the founder of LIKO-S.
LIKO-Vo pioneers the concept of "living buildings" based on natural thermal stabilization. This is possible thanks to the green roof and facade, retention pond, and other technologies. But there is one technology that you would not find here - air conditioning. In addition to the apparent aesthetic benefits, the green faces of the building provide thermal insulation and function as a root sewage purification station. All of the waste water from the building is naturally purified and re-used for irrigation. Equally important is the green roof. "It accumulates rain water, prevents sewer congestion and overheating of the interior attic space, and extends the life of the cover material," said Musil.
Thus, instead of another tin box, a visionary hall with dozens of plant species now stands in Slavkov. “The LIKO-Vo industrial hall is unique in being environmentally conscious. Nature has it rough these days. Most new industrial buildings in the Czech Republic are designed with quick profit in mind, vulgar to the landscape, neither with architectural ambition nor with the investor's effort to present themselves in a sophisticated way. LIKO-Vo Hall is trying to save it (nature). But so far it is the only building of its kind, and thus quite unique, ”says the author of the design, architect Zdeněk Fránek. The Czech Green Building Council also supports this green industrial hall.
“We hope that the LIKO-Vo project inspires other investors and architects of industrial buildings both in the Czech Republic and abroad. Due to the abnormally high temperatures and low rainfall in the recent years, cities have begun to fight the heat islands with green roofs. And the same approach needs to be taken with industrial land, ”says Simona Kalvoda, Executive Director of the Czech Green Building Council.
According to Libor Musil, living buildings can help with the issue of thermal islands and the drying of the landscape, a trend on the verge of sustainability. “Drought is a harbinger of the extinction of civilization. For hundreds of years, man has been creating desert areas around the world. The construction industry is conceived as a brutal intervention into the nature, leading to a rise in temperature and thus drought. In the Northern hemisphere, the pace of urbanization of the landscape through classical construction methods has reached the tipping point. The natural balance is collapsing and the landscape is no longer able to regenerate fast enough. Each additional building acts as a heat emitter and a drought-enhancer, providing no means of cooling to its surroundings. Forests are in decline and we have fallen into a spiral of extinction. ”But humanity is capable of reversing this climate change. “We try to provide a concept of a building that will not only cool itsef but also help its surroundings. Today, we know that it is possible to build in a way that creates natural conditions better than those originally present before the construction began, ” adds Musil.
Successful pioneer LIKO-Noe®
LIKO-Vo production hall builds on the experience from the previous LIKO-S green building project completed in 2015. “Our first living office and R&D building LIKO-Noe® exceeded all expectations. It actually behaves like a forest, reducing the surrounding temperature by more than 10°C. That is why we have decided to use the green technologies on the roof and walls of our new facility. They provide natural air conditioning, reducing the energy costs of cooling while serving as insulation in winter, ”added the entrepreneurial and visionary businessman.
Supporting science and research
LIKO-S will carefully measure and record the effects of its greenery on the temperature of the building and its surroundings, as has been the case with LIKO-Noe®, and share the data with academia. “The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, which contributes to the further development of green buildings, Mendel University in Brno, and the University Center of Energy Efficient Buildings of the Czech Technical University in Prague, based in Buštěhrad, were all involved in the construction. We will get a reference sample to demonstrate the benefits of green technology, ”added Libor Musil.
Flowers and welders
The employees can look forward to a pleasant work environment where the indoor walls of the hall are decorated with clinging plants. “The day room and changing rooms are also above standard. The facility features a modern relaxation room connected to a garden and a lake. This creates a microclimate for growing herbs, shrubs and trees that provide edible fruits, ”added Fránek. Plenty of daylight will be provided by unconventional facade-splitting windows.
Interesting facts:
Expected surface temperature of LIKO-Vo in the summer: facade 28 °C, roof * 31 ° C
Summer surface temperature of a standard industrial hall: facade 55 °C, roof 77 °C
Floor area: hall 1095 m2, shed 387 m2 = 1482 m2
Number of jobs: 13 administrative workers + 35 welders
Approximate number of plant species: 70
Architect prof. Ing. Zdeněk Fránek
Internationally renowned architect and teacher with an extensive publishing activity, Dean of the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec. Lectures to the professional public and students at Czech and foreign universities.
Entrepreneur Ing. Libor Musil
Founder of the LIKO-S family manufacturing and construction company, where his wife Jana and two children are also working. In 2017, he became a laureate of the prestigious Josef Vavroušek Award for his contribution to green building.
