On 17 September, Zavod ZhBI-6, a Moscow-based subsidiary of LSR Group, formally opened a new plant to manufacture solid-core panels for internal and external walls. Consequently, from now on ZhBI-6 will be offering to its customers a complete range of basic reinforced concrete products to complete panel buildings, and both the construction market of the Russian capital and the housing buyers will benefit from the new EuroPa series easy to install and comfortable to live in. 

The new series is similar to the popular and reliable value-for-money one manufactured by CJSC DSK Blok (a house building St. Petersburg-based company of LSR Group) and certified for the use in Moscow and the Moscow region in 2008.

EuroPa panels will be made using the equipment manufactured by Vollert-Weckenmann of Germany. The carousel (circulation) line for horizontal production of elements is based on a capital-intensive technology comparable by its output to the cassette method of production. It provides for an easy changeover and allows manufacturing a wide range of products including sandwich panels and decorative surface panels. The new line will be operated in two shifts, the total annual capacity of the factory being 170,000 cub.m of reinforced concrete. In addition to manufacturing piles and hollow floor slabs, it will supply the necessary components to complete 200,000 sq.m of panel housing a year.

For construction in Moscow and the Moscow region standard sections of the new series with up to 17 stories have been certified, and the sections with up to 25 stories are being currently developed as well as examined by state experts. Due to its characteristics, EuroPa series may also used in low-rise construction.

Diverse items that can be produced on the new equipment will allow to offer various layouts of the new series. The flats will have spacious kitchens and hallways (up to 15 sq.m), washroom and lavatory for guests, a box room and balconies. All flats will be delivered with a complete fit-out so the buyers may have house warming parties straight away without any need to invest in refurbishment.

The EuroPa series basically differs from the others due to the use of a special facade fit-out technology that makes it possible to have no seams between the panels thus guaranteeing high heat insulation properties to the residents and solid buildings that will adorn the city for many years to come. Such facades don’t require further colouring. They may have various decorations placed on them and allow using bright colour patterns and architectural solutions. Even specialists change their usual idea of prefab houses due to a “no seams” facade fit-out technology.

Cost effective manufacturing and speedy completion of EuroPa series construction projects ensure low production costs resulting in the accessibility of the housing for prospective buyers while by the wide variety of consumer properties the series is by far superior to the panel houses currently offered in the Moscow prefabricated construction market and helps to change the habitual stereotypes regarding mass market housing.

According to the specialists of the State Architectural and Construction Oversight Inspectorate of Moscow, “the introduction of a new panel house series with improved maintenance characteristics and heat insulation performance will provide for a higher life quality of the future occupants and make a new convenient and efficient construction product available to the developers.”

The name EuroPa is an acronym standing for ‘European Panel,’ implying a modern panel house of a higher level. The existing quality characteristics of the new series fully comply with such positioning. Moreover, European German-made equipment will be used for manufacturing the panels that originated from St. Petersburg, a “European-face” city designed and built by European architects.

Julia Sokolova, Director of PR and Corporate Communications of LSR Group commented:

“The name EuroPa was selected as a result of a creativity contest to name the new series with the participation of marketing specialists, sales and customer service managers of LSR Group companies. A total of 100 name versions were suggested, and it once again testified to a high creativity potential of our personnel and allowed the company to effectively reduce the cost of the new trade mark.”

A new logo of Zavod ZhBI-6 was developed in the course of preparations for launching the new line and as a part of rebranding to reflect changes in the strategy of the company gradually moving from the production of reinforced concrete items to operations based on the pattern of prefabricated construction factories.  

The total amount of investments in the new plant including the workshop modernization and equipment procurement is already RUR 170 million. In future further modernization of the plant is planned aiming to increase the volume and a range of new products.

The first houses of the new series will be built in a servicemen’s neighbourhood currently under construction in Balashikha for the RF Ministry of Defense. The neighbourhood will include six EuroPa series houses of 14 to 17 stories each, with a total area of 140,000 sq.m. The total amount of the contract is RUR 3,9 billion.