As the famous traveller Thor Heyerdahl once said: “Borders I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.”. Here at WestaTre we look to the horizon, and just like the Vikings of the past set out to conquer new lands, we are setting out to conquer a new market. Learn more about how we are preparing for our northern expansions into Norway.

The journey to Oslo, an insight into the secrets of Norwegian construction

At the end of June, our key players, Marcin Małycha the Chief Operating Officer at WestaTre, and Maria Pierzchałka the Regional Manager from the Central region, set out on a journey to the heart of Norway – Oslo. The visit was supposed to orient us in the realities of the market there, get to know important regulations and make contact with potential partners. All this to realise our next ambitious plan – to offer our modular houses to the people of the North.

One of the most important aspects of our trip was the TEK 17 regulation training – the Norwegian equivalent of our Polish regulation regarding the technical conditions that a building should meet. The knowledge we attained during our intense course will allow us to implement necessary changes in our projects to meet the local requirements related to building construction and structure.

The interesting thing is that despite some differences, many of our current technical solutions are in accordance with the Norwegian standards. The requirements regarding thermal insulation are slightly higher, however such variables can easily be adjusted – as stated by Marcin Małycha, the Chief Operating Officer at WestaTre.

Are the WestaTre modular houses ready for Norway?

The training we went through in Oslo only strengthened our belief, that our vision of entering the Norwegian market is not only feasible, but also very realistic. We have not only looked at the technical requirements and regulations, but also understood the building procedures, the responsibilities of contractors and the potential role we could play in the Norwegian construction market. It was a real journey of discovery.

The most fascinating discovery for us was the fact that in Norway, many of the things we describe to our clients in Poland as crucial – like open diffusion, appropriate layering – are obvious and widely accepted – explained by Marcin Małycha.

Our COO admitted that the current standard of WestaTre’s modular houses does not deviate from the expectations of Norwegian buyers. Only a couple of minor changes are needed to comply with the regulations:

When it comes to technical solutions, there is not much of a difference. It turns out that what we currently use in our products is very much in line with the concept. There are, of course, slightly higher requirements for thermal insulation, but this is a matter of choosing the right wall thickness or type of insulation material. From a construction point of view, there are also significantly higher requirements for certain values related to snow or wind loads. For us, it is a matter of recalculating the structure, perhaps changing the cross-section or the spacing of individual structural elements and adapting the design to meet these requirements.

Will the Polish clientele benefit from this?

The Oslo visit was supposed to prepare us for the realisation of our ambitious plan to conquer the Norwegian market. However, we can already say that our more demanding Polish customers will also benefit from it. This is because we will be able to offer them products which meet higher technical standards. Despite the standards not being mandatory in Poland, we are certain that there will also be Polish clients that will opt for such quality.

We set sail for the North

Our trip to Oslo was a fascinating one, but it was only the beginning. Thanks to it, we are ready to open our doors to the North and realise new opportunities. We eagerly await further developments, and we cannot wait to share our future achievements with you. Thank you for being with us on this exciting journey towards the future.

---