WOLF partners with wedi to construct modular bathrooms for their prefabricated houses
Prefabrication has long been the standard in the automotive industry – and is now also on the rise in house construction. Construction with serially prefabricated elements is convincing due to its high planning and cost reliability, less material and personnel expenditure, and of course, significantly shorter construction times compared to conventional house building. Wolf System GmbH, one of the pioneers in this segment, and wedi GmbH, the leading manufacturer of system solutions for bathrooms and wet rooms, have teamed up and developed a waterproofing concept for modular bathrooms. In short, industrially prefabricated and sealed shower systems are used, and much of the waterproofing is transferred to production. The result is impressive: durable bathrooms with the highest construction quality.
Off-the-shelf houses are a thing of the past: contrary to the widespread perception of prefabricated houses as standardised, mass-produced goods, the prefabricated housing industry now enables fully customised and tailor-made construction concepts. The prefabricated housing provider Wolf System, founded in 1968, has proven itself to be a pioneer in the industry. The company's philosophy: everything from a single source. From prefabricated houses to agricultural, industrial and commercial buildings to steel construction, the company can successfully serve virtually any sector. An integral part of their philosophy is that customer satisfaction is the highest priority. This is why, contrary to the general practice in the prefabricated house industry, Wolf System refrains from using standard/type houses and instead plans individually according to customer requirements. This approach – a high degree of individualisation with the greatest possible degree of prefabrication – is also pursued by the company wedi, founded in Emsdetten, Westphalia, in 1983. Known for its waterproof building board with the blue core, the supplier produces intelligent system and module solutions that allow bathrooms and wet rooms to be quickly, safely, and individually implemented. The wedi construction system, based on the said building board, now includes partition walls, shelf and bench elements as well as flush-to-floor shower systems. The interlocking components are not only lightweight and at the same time stable, but as 100% waterproof substructures, also create a strong basis for individual bathroom design. The range is rounded off by aesthetic, large-format design surfaces and practical system accessories. Products can be used individually, combined with each other and/or with perfectly matching design surfaces to form the overall concept: a wedi system bathroom. With its like-minded modular concept, wedi proves to be the perfect partner for Wolf System GmbH.
wedi and Wolf: innovation with system
The close cooperation between wedi and Wolf began when the waterproofing standard changed in 2015. Together, the prefabricated house provider and the bathroom system manufacturer developed a customer-specific sealing concept that optimally meets the increased requirements of prefabricated construction. The declared goal was not only to enable standard-compliant sealing for prefabricated bathrooms, but also to enable faster construction progress both in production and on the construction site. Daniel Meiners, Sales Manager for Customised Solutions Europe at wedi, is responsible for both the Prefabricated House and the Modular Building segments and therefore knows what is important in the production of bathroom systems for prefabricated houses: "The bathroom is the most heavily used area in the whole house when it comes to water. Since wood is primarily used in prefabricated house construction, waterproofing is crucial – because wood and water don't mix particularly well.
The wedi elements are 100% waterproof, can be individually combined and precisely integrated into Wolf System prefabricated houses." From joint product selection through product testing and installation to regular wedi training courses – the cooperation between the two companies is characterised by strong collaboration and lively exchange. The collaboration is strengthened by the German Prefab Construction Association (BDF), of which both wedi and Wolf are long-standing supporting members. "The close coordination between all parties involved is an essential for ensuring that everything runs according to plan, both in the factory and on the construction site," emphasizes Meiners. "for the prefabricated industry, wedi is not just a product supplier, but a ’creator of possibilities’. Seamlessly integrated, our solutions create a perfectly coordinated, safe and smoothly functioning overall system. This benefits both Wolf System GmbH and future prefabricated house owners." The success of the collaboration is proven by the figures: wedi system solutions have been used in more than 1,500 Wolf System prefabricated houses to date.
Plug & Live: prefabricated bathrooms and houses with instant comfort
Whether it is a single-story bungalow, a spacious single-family home or a semi-detached house – Wolf System offers builders a choice of four different configuration levels. The entire architectural spectrum can be viewed in advance at the Wolf System’s client studio: there are four different, fully equipped model houses on 1,800 m². wedi system solutions can be integrated into bathrooms starting at expansion level A3. Individual bathroom planning is carried out during the sampling process in close coordination between the building owners and the freelance architects working for Wolf System. Whether the proven flush-to-floor wedi Fundo shower elements or large-scale wall and floor elements are used, the high degree of prefabrication of wedi solutions eliminates many time-consuming and risky steps during bathroom construction. For example, the wedi Fundo shower element is already sealed at the factory and has a specified slope. The drain and the drain outlet are also integrated. Available in a wide variety of shapes and with both linear and point drainage, the wedi Fundo series serves as the basis for individual shower designs. "Compared to conventional shower construction using screed, prefabricated shower systems save up to 50% of the time," explains Daniel Meiners. "This ultimately speeds up and optimises the entire construction process of prefabricated houses." All elements are not only absolutely waterproof in the overall system, but also extremely durable – the manufacturer offers a 10-year warranty on this. The wedi building boards with a core made of HCFC-free, extruded polystyrene hard foam, are ideal as a base for plaster, tiles and wall coverings of all kinds. Wolf System customers can thus design their bathrooms freely, according to their individual requirements. wedi system solutions also demonstrate their strengths during manufacturing and installation: in addition to material costs, the risk of installation errors can also be significantly reduced thanks to the millimetre-precise planning. Another advantage of wedi boards is their low weight combined with their remarkably high stability – ideal for panelling by robots in production halls.
Advantage of prefabrication: maximum efficiency, minimum construction time
What wedi and Wolf System have in common is the system concept: individual modules are prefabricated and assembled according to the modular principle. This makes the production process for prefabricated houses much faster, more efficient and safer. In contrast to conventional solid house construction - where everything must be built at the construction site, which is time-consuming - the custom-made elements are delivered ready for assembly on the scheduled date and only need to be assembled. Due to the high degree of prefabrication, it is not uncommon for Wolf System prefabricated houses to be not only rainproof, but also fully roofed by the end of the first day of construction. Depending on the level of completion, the interior design work, including complete walls, doors, windows, building technology and bathrooms is already integrated – eliminating the need for coordination between the various trades, which often leads to delays, difficulties and consequently to higher costs. Weather conditions and noise protection requirements are also often the cause of delays in solid construction. This is also different with industrial prefabrication in prefabricated house construction: whether it is raining, stormy or snowing, morning or evening – regardless of the weather or the time of day, in Wolf System’s modern production halls, optimal construction conditions always prevail. Another advantage that is becoming increasingly important for the construction industry: not only are the finished houses highly energy-efficient and climate-friendly – the production itself is too. Thanks to computer-aided, millimetre-precise planning, all building materials – including wedi building boards and system elements – are used as resource-efficiently and profitably as possible. This results in significantly less waste of construction materials and CO2 emissions than with solid construction. As everything is predominantly produced at one location and from a single source, transportation costs and efforts are also minimised. Even the trucks that deliver the prefabricated house elements to the construction site are loaded to the fullest at Wolf System. No cargo space is wasted, which saves time, personnel, costs and CO2.
Conclusion: prefabrication – construction method with a future
The construction industry is undergoing a transformation: raw materials and skilled workers are becoming scarcer and the need for affordable housing is ever more urgent. Due to the high degree of prefabrication, the construction of prefabricated houses is much faster, more economical and more sustainable than conventional solid construction. To ensure that production and construction processes can be made even more seamless and further optimised in the future, collaborations like the one between wedi and Wolf are necessary: the close collaboration between the two companies makes it possible to tailor products to the increasing demands of the prefabricated house industry while simultaneously offering builders the highest possible degree of individualisation. Marina Eder, a civil, technical, and house-building engineer at Wolf System, is convinced of the potential of the collaboration: "Both wedi and Wolf System stands for quality, which makes us perfect partners in creating a final product that is more than just a perfectly functioning system: it is a liveable and sustainable home for our customers."
