TECNALIA designs the first pre-fabricated modular balcony for creating outdoor spaces for existing homes
- It is an active balcony, as it makes it possible to incorporate renewable electricity generation systems, ventilation systems and a smart energy manager.
- The solution is quick and easy to install and will be affordable for residents’ associations.
- Apart from TECNALIA, the consortium for this project is made up of the manufacturer Talleres Gorlan, the installation company Construcciones Zabalandi, Domusa, which has incorporated the balcony installations, and Etxesoft, the company that developed the energy manager.
- IDK also collaborated in this project.
Donostia, November 8, 2024. The TECNALIA applied research and technological development centre has designed the first pre-fabricated modular balcony for existing homes, which can be installed quickly and easily. This will create outdoor areas in all those homes that do not currently have a balcony, while meeting all of the current requirements of the new habitability regulations.
The aims of this research are as follows:
- to develop a new pre-fabricated modular balcony system that not only provides, but also facilitates the incorporation of renewable electricity generation systems,ventilation systems and a smart energy manager
- to improve homes considerably in terms of habitability and comfort
- to comply with the requirements of the Technical Building Code (CTE by its Spanish acronym), the Basque Government’s habitability regulations and the General Urban Development Plans of towns and cities in the Basque Country.
First prefabricated balcony system
It will become the first prefabricated balcony system.
- It will comply with the regulatory requirements for installation in existing buildings
- It will have extra functionalities, such as generating renewable energy and integrating thermal installations, combining solar and DHW heating and ventilation systems that can be built into the balcony.
This development will transform the quality of life for residents of homes that do not have a balcony or terrace by providing an outdoor space, and will provide innovative solutions for a more sustainable future. At the moment there are no balconies aimed at renovating existing buildings in a modular, industrialised way, let alone with other extra functionalities that go beyond just increasing the exterior surface area.
