{"id":407,"date":"2018-08-13T09:12:29","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T09:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=407"},"modified":"2018-08-13T09:12:29","modified_gmt":"2018-08-13T09:12:29","slug":"flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/","title":{"rendered":"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Wealth-generating, flat-pack solar houses and a profit-sharing scheme that incentivises retrofitting are bringing sustainable living to people who would otherwise not be able to afford it.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

\u2018One of the biggest problems that we see right now is (the creation of) a big gap between the lower and the middle classes. Everyone is talking about this growing inequality gap,\u2019 said Bart Glowacki, co-founder of\u00a0SOLACE<\/a>, a start-up based in Warsaw, Poland, set up with the aim of making sustainable housing widely affordable.<\/p>\n

Tighter mortgage controls, job insecurity and high student debts in Europe has meant that it is increasingly difficult for young people to buy their own homes.<\/p>\n

\u2018Ordinary people are no longer able to afford their basic needs. Millennials, who are the future leaders, can\u2019t even afford an apartment or a house,\u2019 said Glowacki.<\/p>\n

Yet, as inequality grows, public awareness about the environment, climate change, energy efficiency and sustainability are on the rise. According to a\u00a02017 Eurobarometer climate change report<\/a>, about three-quarters of Europeans believe climate change is a serious problem while 90% have taken actions to combat it.<\/p>\n

With these issues in mind,\u00a0SOLACE has developed an energy-neutral flat-pack house targeted at people aged between 28 to 38. SOLACE makes, sells and ships the house parts. Right now, they have built one house that will serve as an exhibition model for potential clients, but Glowacki says that small-scale production will start soon and they hope to secure more funding to scale up.<\/p>\n

SOLACE\u2019s house costs \u20ac25,000 and is delivered in a package of about\u00a06m long. It can be assembled by four people using a crane, but the start-up supplies assembly teams if required. The house consists of a small kitchen, a 20m2 living-dining room and a small bathroom on the ground floor, and a mezzanine level bedroom.<\/p>\n

Surplus energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

While other flat-pack houses exist, SOLACE’s innovation\u00a0is a roof of solar panels which powers the home, but also earns income for the homeowner by producing surplus energy which in certain countries can then be sold to the local power grid.<\/p>\n

\u2018We believe that SOLACE house is the first house in Europe that actually can produce more energy than the average family consumes,\u2019 said G\u0142owacki, although he admits that customers in countries with less sun exposure during the winter months would only benefit from reduced environmental impact and energy bills.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

‘We believe that SOLACE is the first house in Europe that actually can produce more energy than the family uses.’<\/p>\n

Bartek Glowacki, co-founder of SOLACE<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018When a family spends more than 40% of their disposable income (on heating and electricity costs), they will pretty much cash out every end of the month, because the housing overburden is too heavy for them, said G\u0142owacki, who believes that utility costs financially cripple households. \u2018We think that SOLACE can really fight this.\u2019<\/p>\n

But it’s not just individuals who could have an incentive to invest in sustainable housing. A pilot project called LEMON plans\u00a0to assist and encourage private companies to invest in retrofits for existing social housing in Italy through an\u00a0EU scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The scheme, usually applied to large public construction projects, enables investors to profit from the energy savings generated by the retrofits. It\u2019s the first time that such an initiative has been rolled out in Italy, according to Dr Claudia Carani, coordinator of LEMON.<\/p>\n

\u2018We need to show a different business model that could be really interesting to accelerate investment,\u2019 said Dr Carani.<\/p>\n

27 towns<\/strong><\/p>\n

LEMON will tender contracts in September and retrofitting will begin in 2019 in 27 towns in two Italian provinces, Reggio Emilia and Parma. The 622 houses that will be retrofitted are currently highly inefficient, averaging a G rating according to the\u00a0EU energy labelling scheme<\/a>in which A is highly efficient. LEMON plans to bring these homes up to a C rating by replacing the windows, changing the heating system for a modern boiler-based one and installing smart temperature control systems.\u00a0Dr\u00a0Carani says these changes would generate \u20ac15,290 million in energy savings.<\/p>\n

The project also plans to teach the residents, a mix of locals and migrants, how to use the new retrofits which will provide better insulation and reduce heating costs.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, grassroots organisation Czech Sustainable Houses wants to make sustainable homes more widely available by driving the need for such housing. Part of how they do this is by pushing innovation for sustainable housing forward \u2013 not least, through their annual architecture student competition.<\/p>\n

Currently in its third year, the contest asks students in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to design sustainable, attractive and economically viable houses.<\/p>\n

\u2018A large part of our activities is making sure that we communicate in a way that people get excited and give them a good feeling that there is a good future waiting for them,\u2019 said founder Pavel Podruh.<\/p>\n

While the contest criteria change every year – this year\u2019s brief is to design a complex of five buildings each with three apartments – Podruh says a critical test is viability.<\/p>\n

The prize is judged by a jury comprising of architecture, science and energy experts and the winners receive 30,000 Czech koruna, equivalent to EUR 1,170 while their sketch is converted into a life-size liveable prototype. The first two will be completed next year. When the prototypes are ready, the public will be able to rent them out for short stays to experience sustainable living.<\/p>\n

\u2018Anyone can stay in these houses and try this new way of living and see that it\u2019s not so different to what they are used to,\u2019 said Podruh, whose organisation won first prize in the Young Energy Leaders category of the EU Sustainable Energy Awards in June.<\/p>\n

The organisation has no plans to commercialise the prototypes. Instead, their goal is to highlight the need for sustainable housing initiatives and spur governments, policymakers and private companies into action.<\/p>\n

\u2018We really want to create a large demand for houses. We are intentionally creating this pressure on the market to adjust, to innovate,\u2019 said Podruh. \u2018We never wanted to be a construction company – we show novel ways to build houses, and we create the demand but we don\u2019t satisfy it \u2013 intentionally.\u2019<\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wealth-generating, flat-pack solar houses and a profit-sharing scheme that incentivises retrofitting are bringing sustainable living to people who would otherwise not be able to afford it. \u2018One of the biggest problems that we see right now is (the creation of) a big gap between the lower and the middle classes. Everyone is talking about this … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":325,"featured_media":408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[40,4,119,25,79,24,78],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment","tag-energy","tag-environment","tag-industry","tag-innovation","tag-research","tag-science","tag-sustainability"],"yoast_head":"\nFlat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wealth-generating, flat-pack solar houses and a profit-sharing scheme that incentivises retrofitting are bringing sustainable living to people who would otherwise not be able to afford it. \u2018One of the biggest problems that we see right now is (the creation of) a big gap between the lower and the middle classes. Everyone is talking about this ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-13T09:12:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Catherine Collins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Catherine Collins\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Catherine Collins\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/be1258955a63bdcc93c97b66ded944ab\"},\"headline\":\"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-13T09:12:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1036,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"energy\",\"environment\",\"industry\",\"innovation\",\"research\",\"science\",\"sustainability\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Earth, Energy & Environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2018\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/\",\"name\":\"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-13T09:12:29+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/08\\\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg\",\"width\":2400,\"height\":1600,\"caption\":\"Solar panels help the SOLACE flat-pack houses produce more energy than needed. Image credit - SOLACE\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/407\\\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/be1258955a63bdcc93c97b66ded944ab\",\"name\":\"Catherine Collins\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f41ed1fb10eb457a98c1a858bce2e359f4d48554139b4a4685e7cfcca2b0c6bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f41ed1fb10eb457a98c1a858bce2e359f4d48554139b4a4685e7cfcca2b0c6bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f41ed1fb10eb457a98c1a858bce2e359f4d48554139b4a4685e7cfcca2b0c6bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Catherine Collins\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/catherinecollins\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable","og_description":"Wealth-generating, flat-pack solar houses and a profit-sharing scheme that incentivises retrofitting are bringing sustainable living to people who would otherwise not be able to afford it. \u2018One of the biggest problems that we see right now is (the creation of) a big gap between the lower and the middle classes. Everyone is talking about this ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_published_time":"2018-08-13T09:12:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2400,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Catherine Collins","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Catherine Collins","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/"},"author":{"name":"Catherine Collins","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/be1258955a63bdcc93c97b66ded944ab"},"headline":"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable","datePublished":"2018-08-13T09:12:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/"},"wordCount":1036,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg","keywords":["energy","environment","industry","innovation","research","science","sustainability"],"articleSection":["Earth, Energy & Environment"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2018","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/","name":"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg","datePublished":"2018-08-13T09:12:29+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg","width":2400,"height":1600,"caption":"Solar panels help the SOLACE flat-pack houses produce more energy than needed. Image credit - SOLACE"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/407\/flat-pack-homes-and-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainable-housing-affordable\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/be1258955a63bdcc93c97b66ded944ab","name":"Catherine Collins","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f41ed1fb10eb457a98c1a858bce2e359f4d48554139b4a4685e7cfcca2b0c6bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f41ed1fb10eb457a98c1a858bce2e359f4d48554139b4a4685e7cfcca2b0c6bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f41ed1fb10eb457a98c1a858bce2e359f4d48554139b4a4685e7cfcca2b0c6bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Catherine Collins"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/catherinecollins\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/08\/BGL002-Domek-Exterior-Cam001-Lato_small_email.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-6z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2710,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2710\/home-renovations-for-europes-low-income-families-get-a-boost\/","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":0},"title":"Home renovations for Europe\u2019s low-income families get a boost","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Upgrading social housing is a central part of EU projects to make city life healthier and happier. By Gareth Willmer In the northeastern Italian city of Trieste, a construction project intended as a model for Europe is getting underway. On the southeastern outskirts of the city, eight buildings with social\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/22.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/22.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/22.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/22.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/22.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/03\/22.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3330,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3330\/rethinking-urban-communities-transforming-vacant-spaces-into-vibrant-places\/","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":1},"title":"Rethinking urban communities: transforming vacant spaces into vibrant places","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"November 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers are exploring how short-term accommodation projects can bring new life to empty buildings while inspiring more inclusive and sustainable city living. By Gareth Willmer Italian architect and researcher Dr Chiara Mazzarella has long been captivated by the idea of finding better ways to use empty buildings. Across Europe, millions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"EU-backed temporary living projects breathe new life into empty urban spaces. \u00a9 MandriaPix, Shutterstock.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/11\/27.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/11\/27.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/11\/27.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/11\/27.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":963,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/963\/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-decarbonising-europe\/","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":2},"title":"Five things you need to know about: decarbonising Europe","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"September 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jonathan O'Callaghan Countries across Europe have, in the past few years, announced their intention to become carbon neutral in the coming decades. Some, like Norway, have targets for 2030, while others, like the UK and France, have goals that extend to 2050. Despite the differences, however, all have agreed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Countries in Europe are committed to decarbonising, but experts say not nearly enough is being done and that we need real political action. Image credit - Peter Castleton\/Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/flowers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/flowers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/flowers.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/flowers.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/flowers.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/flowers.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":833,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/833\/why-providing-the-necessary-energy-to-end-poverty-need-not-cost-the-earth\/","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":3},"title":"Why providing the necessary energy to end poverty need not cost the Earth","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"June 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Providing access to energy \u2013 vital for a decent standard of living and ending poverty \u2013 can be done in a way that is sustainable for people surviving on low incomes and for the planet, researchers have found. As people\u2019s living standards rise, their energy use usually does too. But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"It is possible to increase access to basic living standards within the current national levels of energy use in India, Brazil and South Africa, research shows.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/traffic-jam-388924_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/traffic-jam-388924_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/traffic-jam-388924_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/traffic-jam-388924_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/traffic-jam-388924_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/traffic-jam-388924_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1997,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1997\/womens-full-participation-in-renewables-is-essential-to-the-just-transition\/","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":4},"title":"Women\u2019s full participation in renewables is essential to the just transition","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 31, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The shift towards clean, secure energy hinges on the participation of women. \u00a9 Waraphorn Aphai, Shutterstock The transition to energy security and climate-neutrality means we need to close the gender gap to fully involve women in a technical, scientific and business transformation. \u00a0 While it has been in the works\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/03\/mar-11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/03\/mar-11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/03\/mar-11.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/03\/mar-11.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1851,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1851\/sustainable-fashion-aims-to-make-green-the-new-black\/","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":5},"title":"Sustainable fashion aims to make green the new black","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Fast fashion, which encourages clothing to be quickly discarded and replaced, uses significant amounts of natural, social, and creative resources and creates excessive waste. Research into sustainable fashion aims to change this. Employing more than 300\u00a0million people and producing 100\u00a0billion items every year, the fashion industry has a colossal impact\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/green_shutterstock_1861968226.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/green_shutterstock_1861968226.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/green_shutterstock_1861968226.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/green_shutterstock_1861968226.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/green_shutterstock_1861968226.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/325"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}