EurekaBuild (E!

3790) Project Idea Form

LT04 - Prefabricated House

> Describe your project idea
During the last decade there has been a growing interest in the development of low cost
construction structures, use of renewable resources for constructions and use of renewable
energy sources for saving primary energy in buildings.

At the same time, mining, quarrying and building construction manufacture industry and
building sector are faced with the acute problem of the excess of secondary materials
produced by their activities. Increased energy costs have impact to real-estate value. Building
sector is suffering from the lack of qualified local labor, which makes period of construction
longer and influence the quality of buildings. Building sector is intensively searching for new
and sustainable building technology during the recent years, in order to overcome the
economic and environmental problems.

Meanwhile, the rapid development and use of prefabricated compounds and materials
technology in the construction sector, which have low cost and use low energy than
conventional constructions, will expand the application of prefabricated construction.
Building sector of prefabricated houses seams to be one of the promising for use of the
secondary raw and renewable materials. Especially when applied to the practical needs of
building sector which have time limits for construction periods, for limited income social
group living in difficult and unfamiliar environmental circumstances.

The principal technical solution of prefabricated houses design is that they are heavy and
require a framework support and lifting equipments. However prefabricated constructions
help significantly reduce primary energy consumption in the building process. Unfortunately
these new prefabricated construction materials are usually characterized as having higher cost
than conventional construction. Nowadays there is a lack of prefabricated design applications
in building constructions. A reason for this is the lack of ready to use industrially
prefabricated materials and components. Prefabricated constructions could assist the
application of common techniques used to enhance building behavior in conjunction with the
appropriate architectural design methodologies. A disadvantage of use of prefabricated
construction compound mainly related to the complex approach to the real estate market and
attitude to the conventional building construction..
> Please explain briefly your expertise
All these facts have pointed to the need to apply a research project aiming to the development
of the prefabricated technology to produce innovative, entirely factory made, easy to erect,
flat pack, high strength to weight ratio, modular interlocking composite constructions. Low
cost and low energy use houses made from prefabricated construction could be easily
assembled by unskilled local labor. The combined efforts of researchers, building
construction, design and manufacturing sector could provide a good answer to the increasing
need for low-cost/easy-to-assemble dwellings, serving at the same time the integrated use of
renewable resources and forming the basis for better environment and a better quality of life.

The main technological and organizational objective of the project are:

Technological innovation:
1. Specify and implement technical solutions enabling the companies to implement
prefabricated constructions.
2. Specify and implement technical solutions enabling the companies to integrate easily
into a collaborative network of houses.
3. Increase the use, interoperability and accessibility to the existing technical systems to
improve communication and increase access to information data bases.
4. Provide tools to allow the SMEs flexibility in building virtual enterprises with
additional construction companies.

Organizational innovation:
1. Establish new working practices among the SMEs
2. Improve efficiency and reduce cost of joint activities on the construction market
3. Shortening of pre-project efforts through joint customer interface

The goal of this project is to establish a technological platform for research, designing and
construction of prefabricated building materials, components and houses which will assist
either used individually or in well designed systems. The application of prefabricated
principles will be used in a wide range of buildings. The proposed project addresses the
increasing of competitiveness through closer co-operation, networking of SMEs and the
establishment of technological platform in a specific segment of prefabricated construction
industry. To set up the collaboration in research, marketing, selling, planning, producing,
installation and processing of prefabricated construction elements. Prefabricated elements are
produced by independent companies (SMEs) who wish to improve their competitive
positioning through "networking", the establishment of building technological platform.
Research results are expected to release a huge potential of prefabricated applications in the
building sector. Moreover the impact on the social, economic and EU policies objectives is
expected to be high and positive.
> Please describe what your contribution will be to this project (financial, technological,…)
Public organization “National bureau of European technology platforms and industrial
clusters” ( Bureau) is an administrative body of Lithuania construction TP to witch belong 3
biggest Universities of Lithuania, 2 Institutes for R&D in construction sectors, 20 biggest
Lithuania construction companies and 3 professional association of construction sector. This
network of the Lithuania construction TP allowed for the Administrator of TP get good access
to the professional resources of all Lithuania construction sector by preparation and
implementing of different projects for the sector in the main fields of interest of Lithuania
construction TP: technology transfer, development of business infrastructure, human
resources development of this industrial sector and internationalization of the business.

1. Coordination of the project. Main project coordinator

2. Establishment and legislation of building technological platform.
3. Project network support activities.
4. Establishing connections with local partners and supporting of a network activities.
5. Creation of information center for prefabricated technology.
6. Dissemination of information through internet and other information sources.
7. Promoting collaboration and networking among the participating organizations.
8. Organizing conferences, seminars and meetings for steering committee members.
9. Promoting the dissemination and exploitation of the results of research through the
production of guidance documents, and the organization of workshops, seminars,
conferences etc.
> Explain which type of contribution you are looking for (financial, technological,…)
We are looking for the partners, they will be in charge for building up a national “Yellow
point" program office and to organize the activities according to project time-schedule:
collecting information about scientist working in the area with energy saving scientific topics,
collecting information about the best practices in implementing varies energy saving
programs and their results, development value chain ( from the production in the region
energy saving building materials, till the marketing programs for the program) in the region
for the construction of “ Yellow point “ houses in the region.
For the financing of the project activities the application for EUREKA program and national
Structural Funds will be prepared.
Additional project needs:
1. Invite specialists, researchers, architects, SMEs of prefabricated materials,
constructions and buildings.
2. Organize visit to applied prefabricated construction and houses technology sites
3. Provide best innovation and practice examples.
4. Investigate new working practices among the SMEs, researchers and manufactures
Financial needs:
No. Means name Costs in Litas
1. Computer center (PC, printer, copy equipment, scanner and etc) 10000
2. Means of intercommunications (mobile phone, fax) 4000
3. Maintenance costs per month (office rent, car leasing and fuel expenditures) 7000 per month
4. Coordination expenditures 5000 per month
5. Conference organizational costs (Planned about 3 conference and 1 seminar) 40000
6. Travel costs (Depends on partners activities total planned 8 visits) 32000
7. Extra costs 20000
Project duration: 18 months
Total project budget in Litas: 304’000
Total project budget in Euro: 88’090 €
Contact information
Full name Ms Kristina Grachauskaite
Email address kristina@klasteriai.lt
Public organisation “National bureau of European technology
Organisation name
platforms and industrial clusters”
Address Kriviu 48-28
City Vilnius Zip LT-01209
Country Lithuania
Tel. +370 0620 29877; +370 686 26102
Fax.
Remarks

To be sent back to secretariat.ectp@cstb.fr and …

Date
before Friday, September 15, 2006