Building Directive Coming to Housing Estates: Rain Gardens, Photovoltaics and Heat Pumps
- The city authorities point out that this is the first such innovative investment in the history of Katowice TBS. - No other estate has used as many ecological solutions as ul. Kosmiczna.
- Construction works are proceeding according to schedule and the investment should be ready in the last quarter of this year. - Finishing works are already underway in each of the seven buildings under construction - says Janusz Olesiński, president of Katowice TBS.
- - Thanks to the use of modern technologies, we have managed to obtain over PLN 42 million for the construction of the estate, which should be ready by the end of the year - emphasizes Marcin Krupa, the mayor of Katowice.
In Katowice's Giszowiec at ul. Kosmiczna, one of the most important investments of the Katowice TBS is underway. A housing estate with 111 comfortable apartments is being built here, located in seven three- and four-story buildings. The idea of sustainable architecture is guiding the implementation. This will be the fourth investment of KTBS in Giszowiec.
- In each of the 7 buildings under construction here, finishing works are currently underway, including: filling the walls, sanding the plaster for painting, tiling the corridors and apartments, and installing door frames to the apartments - says Janusz Olesiński, president of Katowice TBS , who adds that the works on the construction of underground garages are also coming to an end and works related to, among others, the landscaping are progressing.
The local TBS has been introducing pro-ecological solutions to its resources for some time, reducing the burden on the environment, including by installing photovoltaic cells on the roofs of buildings. It is currently at the stage of installing PV installations on another 10 buildings , for which funding was granted in 2024 from the TERMO Program (KPO).
- We are also working on design documentation that will allow us to expand five existing photovoltaic installations with energy storage. Thanks to this, more of the electricity produced will be used on site, which means greater efficiency and lower costs - informs Janusz Olesiński.
Pro-ecological solutions were also used in the construction of the new KTBS housing estate, which was built at al. Korfantego , but their scale at ul. Kosmiczna is much larger.
At Kosmiczna, they went even further. Ground-source heat pumps and rain gardensIn addition to photovoltaics, which partially covers the electricity demand of the common area, including internal and external lighting, the estate will also install ground-source heat pumps for heating and hot water preparation. The city authorities emphasize that these buildings have a chance to become the first to meet the definition of zero-emission buildings according to the EPBD Directive from 2024 (the so-called EU building directive).
At Kosmiczna , rain gardens are also being built to support the retention reservoir . The buildings will be surrounded by a lot of greenery and equipped with installations for recovering rainwater, which will be used instead of discharging it directly into the sewage system or watercourses.
Parking spaces will be organized mainly in underground garages ( 148 out of 167 ), and communication solutions are to limit vehicular traffic within the estate.
