New Construction of the Unbuntu-House

Innovative living: Ubuntu House in Heiden

Ubuntu describes an African philosophy of life and comes from the Zulu and Xhosa Bantu languages and roughly means “humanity,” “charity,” and “sense of community,” as well as the experience and awareness that you are part of a whole.

This describes a basic attitude that is based primarily on mutual respect and recognition, respect for human dignity and the desire for a harmonious and peaceful society, but also on the belief in a “universal bond of sharing that unites everything human.” In the Ubuntu philosophy, one's own personality and community are closely related.

The UBUNTU house combines sustainability, affordable and independent living for as long as possible. The aim is to satisfy the individual's need for comfort.

Target groups

16 apartments ranging from 51 m² to 92 m² are planned over two full floors and a further four apartments ranging from 113 m² to 135 m² are planned on the third, partially reclining floor.

Five single apartments and one two-person flatshare are reserved for “Lebenshilfe für Menschen mit Grundschaft Borken und Umgebung e. V.”. The others are available to the free housing market.

The apartments are equipped barrier-free and enable independent and independent living into old age. Many useful details, tools and intelligent living are part of the overall concept. Residents are exempted from as many obligations as possible.

All apartments are equipped with basic equipment such as kitchen, bathroom furniture, cloakroom and lighting. As a result, furniture transportation and modifications as well as unnecessary renovations are superfluous.

Due to the proximity to old people's homes, assisted living and other social facilities, a wide range of services is available and can be individually tailored to the individual.

architecture

The building structure is compact and has three full floors. The façade is made of clinker bricks and adapts to the environment. The third floor is completed with a flat roof and a comprehensive and roof-integrated photovoltaic system.

All required car and bicycle parking spaces are stored in the underground car park. Only a few parking spaces for cars and bicycles are planned above ground for visitors. Charging infrastructure for e-cars and e-bikes is an integral part. Waste disposal is to be solved via an underfloor waste disposal system. The rest of the property is green space. This is intended to preserve some of the existing trees.

Efficiency House Plus with electric mobility

The building provides more energy than the building with the occupants requires for household electricity, heating and transport. The higher purchase costs are offset by low operating costs in just a few years. The steadily rising energy costs on the market play a subordinate role.

Active plus concept

The areas of energy, users, connectivity and life cycle are optimally coordinated. The entire building is connected. Energy generation and consumption are also optimally coordinated and electric cars can be charged intelligently. Many processes can be automated and thus make everyday life easier and safer. This offers many advantages, especially for elderly and disabled people and their relatives.

E-car sharing

E-car sharing is offered to residents and neighbors. The concept is to start with two electric cars and increase the number as demand increases. If required, additional vehicles can be ordered flexibly by the hour. The vehicle can be booked easily via an app that runs on any mobile phone or tablet. Reserving, driving off and parking vehicles again is convenient and inexpensive.

Flatrate living

Housing, heating, electricity, Internet, mobility through electric cars and all additional costs are available at a fixed price. This creates synergies and reduces costs. Unnecessary waste of energy is avoided by intelligent building technology. The fees for electricity meters, gas meters, Internet, billing, etc. are eliminated. The necessary energy is provided locally by using the sun and geothermal energy. The bottom line is that comfortable living and mobility are becoming cheaper and climate-neutral.

(Investor Anton Wissing)