Aimed at private investors and social housing companies, the new model is said to make it easier for developers to construct high-quality homes that also consider both the environment and the economy.

In building new housing projects that cater to residents, architectural quality, and environmental concerns, private investors and social housing associations have faced several challenges in recent years, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and soaring inflation.

To address this problem, the two partners have developed a new housing concept called ‘Value Living’, which is said to comprise cost-conscious homes that combine attractive architecture, affordability, and a low CO₂ footprint. 

“The construction of social housing has long been challenged by various factors and, in general, it has become more difficult to build within the budget framework,” reflects Flemming Dalgaard, sales director at Scandi Byg,

“With our new housing concept, we make it possible to stay within a budget framework for social housing while also having a low carbon footprint. In close collaboration with C.F. Møller, we’ve developed a modular system consisting of base modules that can be combined in various ways, creating unique architect-designed solutions at competitive prices.”

He adds: “Furthermore, the homes are designed to be eligible for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel certification, and based on previous projects, we’ve calculated that our building system alone can contribute up to 48 per cent in DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) points; depending on the agreement with the developer, we can contribute even more points. This makes it easy for developers to obtain certified quality construction.”

Value Living homes are intended for multi-storey buildings up to three storeys and two-storey row houses. The homes are constructed by using modular timber construction at Scandi Byg’s factory in Løgstør, Denmark.

“High-quality and sustainable architecture should not be limited to those with many resources; it should be accessible to everyone,” asserts Søren Tortzen, department head at C.F. Møller in Aalborg.

“This is one of the key aspects we want to demonstrate with our new housing concept – that you can have exciting and attractive architecture at a fair price for investors, residents, and, most importantly, the environment. Therefore, we’ve structured the concept with a focus on people’s wellbeing and the environment. We’ve also worked on creating a base module that can be adapted to individual plots and the wishes and needs of the developer, while keeping costs down so that everyone can participate.”

Dalgaard is keen to stress that Value Living homes, while designed to be economically accessible for the masses, will not shirk their responsibility to the environment. The homes, he points out, will have a carbon footprint as low as 5.5 kg CO₂-equiv./m²/year. This is reported to be below the expected Danish limit set by building regulations in 2029.

“At Scandi Byg, we’ve developed a calculation model for our modules in the Danish LCAbyg 5.0 programme, where we can quickly calculate life cycle assessments of our buildings and provide very detailed calculations in the early phases,” Dalgaard explains. “With this, we can deliver our homes with a low-carbon footprint as low as 5.5 kg CO₂-equiv./m²/year, which is partly due to our prefabricated construction method and the fact that the homes are built in certified timber.”

Adds Tortzen: “By collaborating, we leverage the visionary perspective of the architect and the producer’s experience in building efficiently and economically. This allows us to create a concept with accessible and durable homes, where we work with a greater focus on the future environment.”