Construction
Sustainability at your fingertips: Conny, the modular Tiny House
BASF develops sustainable construction products that ensure buildings are more energy-efficient, conserve resources and reduce emissions.
For K 2022, we worked with our customers to develop a modular catering container built from our products that makes tangible where our Plastics Journey is headed. Together we show creative solutions around our products and how we can achieve a higher level of sustainability in all phases of their life cycle (make - use - recycle).
This is only possible with strong partners. To realize the Tiny House, BASF teamed up with two customers and presented a truly compelling solution: Romakowski in Buttenwiesen, a long-standing customer and specialist in customized insulation systems, supplied the sandwich panels for the exterior walls. The core material is made of the proven and energy-efficient PU rigid foam from the Elastopor® or Elastopir® portfolio from BASF. The design and construction of the container was handled by Kramer Modulbau in Freiburg, Germany. This versatile BASF customer specializes in shopfitting and innovative, modular design concepts. Once the right partners had been found, the two companies set about implementing the unusual project together.
The planning: prefabricated modules made of sustainable products.
The project was planned and visualized in modular construction. All details and cuts were worked out in advance, then the actual construction started in the workshop in Freiburg. First, a load-bearing steel frame structure was manufactured and assembled.
Then BASF's materials came into play: high-performance technical materials and construction products such as PU rigid foam elements in the walls and expanded polystyrene for insulating the supporting pillars. At the heart of the container are PU sandwich panels made from BASF's Elastopor® and Elastopir® polyurethane systems.
Fabian Lied, segment manager Commercial at BASF, explains the advantages: "The panels have a particularly good insulation value and ensure that buildings have a positive energy balance. To implement our ambitious climate targets, we are now going one step further and offering systems with a low PCF (product carbon footprint). In the individual components of our PU systems, we can use renewable or biobased raw materials, as well as recycled content - while maintaining the same product quality."
A special feature was the customized floor structure with the innovative surface material Elastopave®. The system is based on the principle of bonding various mineral mixtures with a PU binder to form a water- and air-permeable surface layer. Originally developed for sidewalks and bike paths, parking lots and terraces, it offers great design possibilities and can also be used indoors. The floor structure could also be produced in advance. For this purpose, a technical specialist from the Lemförde site traveled to Freiburg and ensured the professional installation of the surface on site. In total, almost 80% of the project could be prefabricated in Kramer's in-house workshop.
The application: Conny as showcase and catering module
Once at the trade fair stand, the container was transformed into the new BASF model Conny, which was now a showcase for the products and a catering module in one. And that up close and personal. While tasty coffee was served over the counter, which was effectively designed from Ultramid® Vision, trade fair visitors could walk over the floor covering made from Elastopave® and examine the wall elements made from Elastopir® or Elastopor®. Daniel Weckesser, Managing Director of Kramer Modulbau, is very pleased with the result: "The project proves that you can create something extraordinary with modular construction and find a unique form of presentation for a trade fair. A real hit."
And after the trade fair, Conny is ready for further use, whether at trade fairs, events or as a product presentation at a BASF site. So keep your eyes open, because the attractive Tiny House can also be converted and take on other functions. The quality of the products remains unchanged at a high level. With the catering container produced especially for K 2022, BASF and its customers can experience what is possible with the innovative use of plastics in the construction sector: Join our plastics journey.