How was nZEB Week in Bucharest

Between November 22-25, 2023, the nZEB Week at the Laminor Arena in Bucharest, an event that brought together specialists in the field of construction and materials with an impact on the energy efficiency of buildings. nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Building) is the standard that all those involved in construction are now obliged to comply with, and the event aimed to inform and present solutions to those who plan to build or renovate in the near future. The nZEB Week is a continuation of the nZEB Roadshow events (nZEB Caravan) which took place in cities such as Brasov, Iasi, Cluj and Timisoara.

nZEB Roadshow, an international event

nZEB Roadshow is an international event that brings together organizations from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Romania. The aim is to promote best practices in near-zero energy buildings (nZEB) in a unique way locally and regionally and to stimulate the demand for qualified personnel. The organizers' idea was to design and build mobile training and demonstration units. These, thanks to their deep market penetration, to serve as information centers for the general public and thus raise awareness of the benefits of the nZEB standard.

Also as part of these roadshows, policy conferences, workshops and training events were to be organized. The topics covered all aspects involved, including financial issues or the need to integrate skilled workforce requirements into public procurement.

In Romania, the nZEB Roadshow is organized by Cluster to promote near-zero energy buildings (The nZEB Week in Bucharest was organized in partnership with ZEBRO - "team of nZEB Activists working to promote energy efficient, green, sustainable buildings".

The public is increasingly interested in modern construction methods and materials

nZEB Week in Bucharest took place less than two weeks after the nZEB goes Passive, a similar event in Cluj. In my opinion, it is very good that there are major events with this kind of message in cities with high real estate development. The aim is to get the information about the benefits of living in energy-efficient homes out to the public, and it is difficult for many people to travel from one part of the country to another. The presence of the fairs in important hubs of the country only increases the number of those informed and the likelihood that they will build better and better or demand better and better homes. I believe that it won't be long before such a fair will appear in Iasi.

The impression is that there was the same interest in both fairs, with large numbers of visitors both in Cluj and Bucharest. I only spent one day at the Bucharest fair, but I stayed for several good hours, so I could see the constant flow of visitors. The participants I spoke to also said the same, emphasizing that those who come are much more informed, ask informed questions and are very careful when making choices.

Participants covered both the construction of energy efficient houses and the supply of materials and installations

In Bucharest, I met again some of the builders of wooden structure houses I met in Cluj - Litarh, Dimmer, Dorna EcoHouse, Wood Structure. They were joined at the Bucharest fair by Class Meister, Miradex, Logicassa. I enjoyed meeting Adrian Dumitru, from Class Meister, whom I met on the occasion Open House Essetre. I also lingered at the Dorna EcoHouse, now honoring the invitation to coffee in Cluj. On this occasion I learned that they want to pay more attention to the Romanian market.

Another pleasant meeting was with Constantin Tistea, the KLH representative in Romania and an internationally recognized specialist in CLT construction. We also met him in Cluj, but the busy schedule didn't leave much time for meetings and discussions, so we took advantage of it now. I talked a lot with Costi about CLT, KLH and his desire to prove that it is not as expensive as people think to build with CLT.

We saw building material manufacturers, insulation suppliers, manufacturers and distributors of certified windows and doors for highly energy-efficient and even passive houses. There were suppliers of heating and cooling installations, heat recovery ventilation systems, heat pumps and photovoltaic panels. There were over 70 exhibitors keen to convince visitors that it is in their own interest to build efficient homes, that an investment well made now can save them from inconvenience later.

Conferences, workshops, site or passive house visits

The fair also hosted many theoretical presentations and workshops. On the stage set up in the same space there were debates, discussions with local authorities, real estate developers or representatives of university education. The main theme was, of course, energy efficiency and solutions to reduce energy consumption. In addition to these presentations, the organizers also considered the practical side. Several visits to construction sites outside Bucharest were organized during the last two days of the fair.

An appreciated event also presented at the fair was viewing the premium passive house of the Iosif family, the only premium timber frame passive house in the country, which we organized together with the builder Litarh. Revista din Lemn has documented all stages of the house construction in over 10 videos made over 2 years, which you can find on the way home.ro. The viewing was met with great interest and the house was visited by many visitors despite the very bad weather.

I believe that the event in Bucharest achieved its aim of informing the general public about the need to construct the most energy-efficient buildings correctly. Slowly, but surely, the approach to building is changing for the better for the benefit of all of us.