Membrain – Student Project of a Self-Sustainable House for the Future Becomes a Business Venture

Eight young engineers from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb have founded the company Membrain Design, driven by the unsatisfactory level of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Croatia.

It all started with the development of the ‘Membrain’ concept for participation in the prestigious international competition on energy efficiency and sustainable construction ‘Solar Decathlon Europe 2014’, in which more than seventy students from the University of Zagreb participated. Thus begins the story of the largest student project in Croatia – the self-sustainable house of the future. They realized then that their knowledge could be compared to that of students from the best technical faculties in Europe, as well as that energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Croatia are not at a commendable level. Motivated by this and the unfavorable situation of youth in the labor market in Croatia, they decided to utilize the knowledge gained from working on this project and venture into entrepreneurship. They established the company Membrain Design, located in the Technology Park Zagreb.

New Projects

– During the two-year development, design, sponsorship search, and construction of the self-sustainable house, we gained very valuable theoretical and practical experiences in our fields, as well as insights into the functioning of the Croatian business world – says Matej Peretin, one of the co-founders of the company, which includes eight young engineers from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb.

In addition to each team member being closely specialized in their area, Peretin notes that everyone is familiar with other fields and that they approach each problem interdisciplinarily to find the best solution according to the principles of each discipline.

They are currently preparing several large energy renovation projects for public and residential buildings, which should be their most important projects in the upcoming period. They are also working on a number of smaller projects, ranging from industrial automation, renewable energy systems to consulting.

– As we are a new company in the market, we have not yet gained a respectable name, but by utilizing the experiences and connections we have gained from developing the ‘Membrain’ concept, we strive towards that. For now, we have focused on the domestic market as it has great potential for sustainable construction and renewable energy, and because the European Union strongly co-finances energy sustainability projects – emphasizes Peretin, adding that they intend to turn to foreign markets after completing several larger projects in Croatia.

New Construction System

In the future, they wish to invest in research and commercialization of the systems used in the ‘Membrain’ concept and develop a construction system using highly prefabricated wooden elements. By using such a construction system, Peretin notes, they would compete with the traditional method of construction in terms of price, architectural design, and construction time for specific types of buildings.