The so-called modular houses can be assembled like Lego

Prague - Modular construction is, according to architects, a unique project that allows so-called modular houses to be assembled like Lego. Interested parties can view a demonstration of such a mobile prefabricated house until Saturday at the eastern tip of Prague's Štvanice Island, after which it will move to the construction fair in Brno.
People can first have a two plus one built and gradually expand it, said Martin Kokta, managing director of the company that designs this type of house, to journalists today.
Modular houses are created like a construction set made up of individual blocks. These "blocks" are manufactured in a factory, equipped with electricity, heating, and water installations, furnished, and then transported to the site where the house is to be built. There, they are anchored, for example, on ground screws that have been drilled into the ground beforehand.
One square meter costs around 20,000 crowns for a modular house, so a two plus one with an area of about 50 square meters will cost approximately one million. Designers highlight primarily the variability and short production and installation time.
The production of a unit takes several weeks, while on-site installation takes only a few dozen minutes. The construction is made of ecological materials, is low-maintenance, and easy to operate, added Kokta.
According to architect Jakub Cigler, the advantage of these buildings is that they do not harm the surrounding area during construction. They can also better adapt to the lifestyle of their residents.
"However, these houses do not have a tradition in Europe and the Czech Republic. They are more common in America or Canada, where people migrate more. Europeans are accustomed to classic solid basements houses," noted Cigler.
Cigler told ČTK that modular construction should not be used as mass cheap housing. It is important that they are designed with quality and tailored to the customer.
Architect Martin Vokatý, on the other hand, believes that modular construction has its justification primarily in special cases - such as starter or social housing, or for accommodation in case of natural disasters.