Press Release

The “Contzen-MAX House” – Ecology Meets Design

MAX-Haus GmbH based near Berlin, Germany teamed up with artist-designer 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 cubist-

inspired 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

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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.max-haus.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 Contzen-MAX 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 eye-catcher 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 KRONOPLYEstablished 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 ContactUte BachmannTel.: +49 (0) 176 99938586Fax: 03222 3350590Email: u.bachmann@werbeagentur-nowack.de

KRONOPLY GmbHWittstocker Chaussee 1

16909 HeiligengrabeGermany

www.kronoply.com

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