The city plans to expand the educational eco-centre of Čabárna, near Kladno, with a new building with a natural classroom, built and operated in the spirit of sustainable way of energy management and friendly treatment of nature. The main idea is to show modern approaches and technologies to children and other visitors. The construction will operate on the basis of higher energy production than consumption, through the installation of a heat pump, a photovoltaic system with a battery, solar water heating, rainwater retention, the use of grey water, etc. The older eco-centre building is a great example of a sustainable building. It also serves as a testing ground for new technologies that the SPARCS Kladno team can turn to and learn from. Kladno received an exceptional grant from the Operational Programme Environment for a nature-friendly demonstration building.

The project will increase the capacity of the Kladno-Čabárna Educational Centre (NSEV) to meet the high demand of schools and leisure circles for modern environmental education. The Centre will thus be able to offer additional residential and training programmes to discuss sustainability, climate, but also a practical approach to building operations in a broader context. The building itself will be an inspirational demonstration model of technical and technological measures, thanks to which schoolchildren, students and the public at the centre will virtually verify the presented theories of how the household or operation can positively affect the climate and the environment and become energy self-sufficient as well.

The building will be constructed of wood and in a high energy standard. It should become the first so-called plum building in the city. Surplus energy may be shared with the existing premises of the Centre. There will be a green roof, photovoltaic system with battery, advanced air conditioning system with recuperation. Heat pump heating will be emission-free and fossil-free. Educational-entertainment features such as a small wind farm, a meteorological station or an element of water management will also be located around the new building of the centre.

All devices on a modern smart building will connect one digitized energy management system that will make it possible to monitor the efficiency of the measures or adjust their settings. The building permit documents are currently being processed; construction of the plus Eco centre site is expected to start in 2024. The city of Kladno received an exceptional grant for it from the Operational Programme Environment 2021-2027 amounting to 80% of the total cost.