Behind the Scenes of the RIA House: The Most Efficient Prefab Passive House in the World
When you dare to do things differently and achieve different results, in this case, we like to say that the results are exceptional. The RIA house is a prime example of the benefits of prefab homes, modular building, and green building practices.
Initially, we dared to do things differently due to the need for a healthy home. Now, we are discussing one of the most innovative construction systems for prefabricated passive houses globally. This is the story of the RIA house, the most efficient prefab house in the world, produced with mass-production technology.
The Idea's Origin
Starting with a blank sheet of paper and sketched by the company's CEO, the project had a unique and crucial mission: to provide a healthy environment for the family, especially for children dealing with respiratory issues exacerbated by the stale air of conventional homes. The goal was an "all or nothing" approach, so well executed that the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany, certified the RIA house with a heating and cooling requirement of just 2 kWh/m²/year.
From the beginning, everything was designed to breathe, be healthy, and sustainable, following passive house and Passivhaus principles. The project started with the desire for a modular home that was also a passive and healthy home, and only later, during the construction, the idea of certification crystallized. Essentially, everything used above the foundation, where cellular glass was also used, consists of 90% organic materials.
Finding suppliers wasn't as easy as we expected because many products that seemed fine at first glance turned out to be either of poor quality when we received samples or contained many volatile organic compounds. However, one thing was clear from the start: the walls would be made of panels with wooden structures and straw insulation. As construction progressed, it became increasingly apparent that RIA would be an extremely energy-efficient home.
Top Performance Certification: 2 kWh/m²/year
From this point, official certification by the Passive House Institute was only a step away. Simulations and tests yielded a sensational result: the RIA house has an energy requirement for heating and cooling of only 2 kWh/m²/year. It's an incredible performance, considering that the standard value for a passive house is 15 kWh/m²/year and only a few houses worldwide go below 5 kWh/m²/year.
The RIA Revolution in Automated Mass Production
RIA didn't remain just a concept or a prototype unrelated to real life; it became the foundation for building the Biobuilds business. We are now the only company globally that produces prefabricated straw-insulated walls at passive standards using mass-production technology. The production process is automated, with the factory-produced walls being identical to those used in the RIA house but of infinitely higher quality.
Drawing a parallel with the automotive industry, RIA was the show house that offered hints about the mass-produced product. Being almost entirely handmade, the production costs were higher than the automated line, but importantly, RIA did not use futuristic materials or radical design. This meant that only a few minor modifications were needed for mass production. Currently, the factory produces prefabricated straw-insulated walls up to 12 meters long with a negative carbon emission of -90 kg CO2 per square meter.
