A clear, cloudless day in April provided a fitting backdrop for the opening of Home for Life, the VKR Group’s first completed model home built to the Active House principles.

The VKR company VELFAC, in partnership with VELUX and in association with other companies in the VKR Group, opened the first of a total of eight European Active House units under a project initiated and financed by VKR Holding. Home for Life is described in more detail here.

The opening of Home for Life is a milestone in the VKR Group’s dedicated efforts to turn the drawing-board vision of sustainable building into a real-life example, demonstrating that the sustainable building design is closer to Danish homeowners than the majority might imagine.

Support for the Active House project has been extensive, not least from political quarters, as demonstrated by the Minister for Economic and Business Affairs, Ms Lene Espersen’s attendance at the opening of Home for Life.

The some 150 guests and journalists heard the Minister refer to Home for Life as an innovative project in the face of hard times, and a good example of building design that supports the Danish Government’s long-term energy and climate strategy. One of the key objectives in that strategy is a heavy reduction in the energy consumption in new buildings by the year 2020, when energy consumption is to be reduced by 75% relative to the current level.

Ms Espersen emphasised the importance of imposing the requirements for reduced energy consumption gradually over the period up to 2020 so that the building and construction industry has the time it needs to adapt and in order to keep the wheels of the new-build sector turning.

The Minister conveyed her interest in Home for Life’s indoor climate, which is designed to allow it to be optimised in spite of the low energy consumption, and she looked forward to hearing about the experiences of the family who will be living in the house for a year, and assigned to assess how factors such as energy and indoor climate affect domestic life in practice.

Home for Life was open to visitors until the family took up occupancy on 1 July 2009.

Minister for Economic and Business Affairs, Ms Lene Espersen, held the opening speech of Home for Life. More photos here. 

Programme, Official Opening:

• Welcome speech from CEO Leif Jensen, VKR Holding (Speech - only in Danish - pdf-fil)
  
• The role of the building and construction sector in the climate debate: Danish Minister for Economic and Business Affairs, Ms Lene Espersen
  
• The Project: project manager and architect, Ms Ellen Kathrine Hansen MAA; Anders Tyrrestrup, the architectural firm of Arkitektfirmaet Aart; and engineer Amdi Worm, of the consulting engineers, Esbensen Rådgivende Ingeniører
  
• Official opening of Home for Life

"Active House" press release - only in Danish