The proof in practice.
OPENLY Valley Widnau breaks records without additional costs
Largest "hemp house" in Europe (as of 2024)
Savings of approx. 900t CO2 (> -50%) compared to a conventional building to 6 kg CO2 / m2 EBF (ecobaudat 5.3 kg)
KfW 40, GEAK A, Minergie P with airbox, PlusEnergy (Minergie A)
Current certifications: SNBS Gold, LEED GoldOne of the first apartment buildings in Europe to be built completely CO2 neutral, taking into account biogenic carbon sinks. See Carbon Removal Certificates
Large biochar concreting stage (300m3 on 21.8.2023).
Applicable worldwide with immediate effect.Largest Swiss project with re-use of steel beams
First project with 100% recycled and CO2 neutralized reinforcing steel from AFV Beltrame.
For the passivity of the timber construction: 400,000 kg of clay fill in the ceilings and 48,000 kg of clay building boards for apartment partition walls
Prefabricated dade design wet rooms with heat recovery (Joulia) and CO2 neutralized fittings (Geberit & Dornbracht)
Completely digital home control and energy management (OPENLY OS), integrated storage with battery and water, controlled living space ventilation with OPENLY airboxes
Pioneering work
OPENLY's vision is to turn commercial and residential buildings from carbon emitters into carbon sinks. To date, no one has achieved a commercially scalable building system that would promote further carbon capture and storage. Our bespoke and patented hempcrete technology(CANCRET) in combination with timber construction makes it possible to store around 250kg of CO2 per m2 of gross floor area. (see Openly/Certificate)
The OPENLY building system reduces construction emissions by > 50% and, with 6 kg CO2 emissions per m2, achieves Denmark's statutory target values for 2029. OPENLY plays in the same global league as Living Places in Copenhagen by VELUX with Effekt Architekten (winner of the MIPIM Award 2024) and HORTUS by Herzog & de Meuron & Senn.
The OPENLY approach consists of sharing. Global thinking - decentralized planning and building. We make the building system openly available with the Openly.Lab and Openly.Data. Not every client and not every architecture firm has to reinvent everything. There are currently 44 units in execution planning and over 300 units in the pipeline with project developers and builders.
We are driven by climate change, because 25% of annual global CO2 emissions come from the construction industry. That is around 8 times more than all air traffic.
As a society, we need to focus on fossil-free building materials that are as renewable and recyclable as possible.
Switzerland
Valley Widnau
Switzerland Valley Widnau
Facts about OPENLY
Valley Widnau
Total project volume: CHF 20 million (30 apartments)
Developer: OPENLY AG
General planner & component development: OPENLY AG & Schoeb AG
Building application stage 1: Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
Lead architects: Sandra Schuster & Jürgen Oswald
Color design: Meerevilla
Specialist planners & construction management: See Openly Partner
Stage 1: 3082m2 GFA (2068 EBF), 19 condominiums sold and occupied
Stage 2: Planned by Valley-Architects
Execution 2025/6 with 1150m2 GFA, 11 apartments
Key Facts OPENLY Stage 1:
Construction costs stage 1 (SIA 416)
(BKP2 incl. fees & VAT):
860 CHF / m3
3080 CHF / m2 gross floor area
4,400 CHF / m2 energy reference area
5,850 CHF/m2 net saleable floor area
Ratios stage 1:
Net / gross floor area: 0.75
Underground area: 49%
Target construction costs Construction system (and stage 2):
800 CHF / m3
2,800 CHF / m2 gross floor area
<5’000 CHF/m2 verkaufbare Nettogeschossfläche
CO2 balance stage 1:
SIA 2032: 8.5kg / m2 EBF * 60 years
Effective according to KBOB: 6.9 kg
QNG / DGNB (EN 15978): 7.9kg /m2 EBF * 60 years
Effective according to Ökobaudat: 6.2 kg
Effective according to Ökobaudat without UG: 5.3 kg
Heating and hot water energy requirement: approx. 31,000 KWH (= approx. 20 KWH/m2 net floor area)
PlusEnergy house Annual yield PV system: approx. 85,000 KWH (covers heating with heat pump, household electricity and approx. 250,000 electric car kilometers)
Number of employees: 8 OPENLY & approx. 20 specialist planners
Construction time stage 1: 13 months (start of excavation to occupation)
Planning time: 17 months
Photocredit: Jens Ellensohn
High res download: Openly/media