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Respect. (from the lat. respectu) n. 1. respect; 2. consideration; high regard; 3. deference; compliance; veneration; 4. honour; worship; 5. relation; refererence...
We believe that everyone should be respected for their work, for their attitudes, opinions and options.
Rigor. (from the lat. rigore) n. 1. harshness; strength; 2.fig., severity; punctuality; accuracy.
There is no "more or less levelled", "more or less upright”, "more or less clean" or "more or less safe", but rather “levelled”, "upright”, "clean” and “safe". The rigour is reflected in our procedures, in time and in the rules to follow. In the light of moral and principles, being severe means being rigorous.
Passion. (from the lat. passione) n. 1. intense and usually violent feeling (affection, joy, hate, etc.) which hinders the exercise of impartial logic; 2. derived from a feeling; 3. great predilection; 4. partiality; 5. great grief; immense suffering...
Under the sign of passion – a text of the Portuguese poet Regina Guimarães – is our icon. Passion is to reveal great enthusiasm for something, favourable encouragement or opposite to something.
It is the sensibility transmitted by an architect or engineer through work.
Passion is the dedication to a project. Passion is a state of warm soul.
Loyalty. (from the lat. legalitate) n. the quality of being loyal; fidelity; sincerity.
Respect for the principles and rules that guide the honour and probity. Faithfulness to commitments and agreements undertaken, staunch character.
To remain loyal to the business partners because we depend on them and they depend on us.
Being trustworthy for being loyal.
Solidarity. (from the lat. solidare) n. 1. the quality of being solidary; 2. reciprocal responsibility among the members of a group, namely social, professional, etc.; 3. sense of sharing another’s suffering.
Being solidary is being a friend, offering our hand with genuine generosity and bringing joy and human warmth to those who, somehow, are marginalized. Being solidary is being more human. A solidary company is recognized as a fair and non-selfish company. A solidary company is a preferred choice in business. It is a more competitive company. Volunteering is a vehicle to solidarity. It is modern, fair, cultured, friend, it is a noble gesture of moral elevation.
Courage. (from the lat. coraticum) n. 1. bravery facing danger; intrepidity; to have audacity; 2. moral force before a suffering or setback; 3. [fig.] to input energy when performing a difficult task; perseverance...
Courage is essential in our life. Courage to face less pleasant situations when complex issues come up, not expecting random resolutions.
It is a value that we must highlight as opposed to the fearful, cowardly and laziness.
The courage to react to criticism not with an attitude of demotivation or sadness, but rather to search for the means and the action to overcome its own reason. This kind of courage, which is also an intellectual courage, is highly recommended.
Ambition. (from the lat. ambitione) n. 1. vehement desire of wealth, honours or glories; 2. expectation about the future; aspiration; 3. lust; greed…
Vehement desire to achieve a particular goal. Ambition not to resign ourselves. Ambition to take the best potential from ourselves. Ambition to deserve ourselves. Ambition to be athletes in our top-level competitive jobs. Ambition to beat our brands. Ambition to get the best deals with the maximum value, due to the high levels of proficiency and efficiency.
Esthetics. ESTHETICS (from the Greek aisthetiké, "sensitive") n.f. 1. Philosophy branch of philosophy that studies the beauty and nature of artistic phenomena; 2. author's own style, time, etc.; 3. harmony of shapes and colors, beauty; 4. set of techniques and treatments that aim to beautify the body.
We decided to build the company's economic foundations under a cultured, cosmopolitan and cool image. Because it is a charming state of being. Good taste because we are sustainable and we respect the planet. Good taste because we are sensitive. Good taste just because.
Responsibility. (from the lat respondere) n. the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; a form of trustworthiness.
We must be certain that, before a choice, we chose what is best for both of us and not just the best for each one. Each employee is responsible for his negotiated activity and co-responsible if the co-worker does not fulfil his own task, thus preventing the common goal. A team is a set of individuals - is a whole. In the business game, as in social or family contexts, everyone must comply with their own relative position and we shall not permit that one of ours fails to be in our team.
CONSTRUIR
Industry. ZETHAUS, the 100% industrialized arm of the dstgroup, has entered a decisive new phase in 2026, with full-scale production, certified three-dimensional modules and the first production contracts already underway. While addressing the needs of the Portuguese market, the company is also targeting international expansion, with a strong focus on European markets, especially France and Germany. This strategy is based on the conviction that the industrialization of construction offers a direct answer to the housing crisis and the urgent need for fairer and more sustainable cities. Photos: DR A
ZETHAUS is the Braga-based dstgroup brand dedicated to industrialized construction. With roots stretching back to the 1940s, the dstgroup operates across areas such as Engineering & Construction (its main revenue source), the Environment, Renewable Energies, Telecommunications and Ventures, employing around 3,600 people. ZETHAUS represents the group’s 100% off-site modular construction division, operating its own factory and using processes that prioritize efficiency, sustainability, and human architectural quality. In January 2026, ZEITHAUS was at a critical turning point, which involved moving on from applied research to full scale industrial operation. “2026 can be seen as a key year for ZETHAUS as an industrial platform entering full operation, marking the transition to continuous production, with certified solutions, scalable capacity, and a model ready to respond to diverse functional programmes and geographic contexts,” noted Maria Luísa Barbosa, architect and executive board member of bysteel fs, another dstgroup company specialized in metal construction and deeply involved from the start in ZETHAUS’s creation and in developing the mobilizing R2U Technologies modular system that gave rise to ZETHAUS.
Among the company’s milestones so far in its brief history, of note “besides the five buildings that make up the Living Lab and ZEITHAUS’s recent public tender win to design and produce a student residence for the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, in Felgueiras. This building will be entirely factory-produced and delivered on-site as 13.5-metre-long 3D modules, clearly demonstrating the technical and logistical maturity of the ZETHAUS system.
At the same time, there has been a growing supply of industrialized subsystems, namely bathroom and kitchen pods, pre-installed service walls, modular façades, and technical shafts. This demand confirms the significance of a hybrid approach, combining fully off-site solutions with prefabricated components for traditional structures, encouraging a gradual adoption of industrialization by the market,” stated the individual concerned. The “Living Lab”, built at the dstgroup campus, lies at the heart of the strategy and development of a construction system that points to “a future in which architecture transcends mere functionality.” Here, industrialised construction solutions are tested, monitored and adjusted under real conditions. “We’re developing solutions for collective housing, student and senior residences, hospitality projects and a health centre, combining fully factory-finished three-dimensional modules with two-dimensional systems that allow greater architectural adaptability. This environment enables us to validate technical, energy, and functional performance, turning innovation into a continuous and measurable process,” explained the architect and ZETHAUS design manager Luís Trigueiros Reis.
The team highlights the clear advantages of the ZETHAUS approach: construction time reduced by 20–60%, significantly less waste and carbon footprint, improved thermal performance, and certified scalability. “Factory production ensures precise material management and stricter environmental control, with benefits that extend throughout a building’s lifetime,” he stated.
A HUMANIST PHILOSOPHY GUIDING THE PROCESS A philosophical vision, a “new Bauhaus” humanist vision underpins the entire process. “It’s not an abstract manifesto, but rather a matrix determining system design, choice of materials, and the manufacturing processes,” explained Luís Trigueiros Reis. Every element reflects a balance between technique, culture, and social responsibility, overcoming historical stigmas that equated industrialized building with temporary or low-quality solutions.
The brand’s international debut in late 2025 reinforced that message, with Italy, “the epicentre of European architectural discourse”, hosting two symposiums. The first took place at the Milan Triennale on 7 November, as part of Norman Foster’s “Inequalities” exhibition, who invited the brand to present its modules and, a few days later, another at the Faculty of Architecture IUAV in Venice on 19 November, alongside the Biennale. These multidisciplinary debates brought together figures such as Cino Zucchi, Gonçalo Byrne, Nina Bassoli, Pedro Cabrita Reis and Adrian Paci, who addressed housing inequality, integrated sustainability, and architecture’s moral and social role, including “beauty as a bridge between poverty and the good life.”
“The Milan and Venice symposiums organized by ZETHAUS were designed as multidisciplinary spaces for reflection on the impact of industrialized construction on cities and society,” noted Luís Trigueiros Reis.
Choosing Italy also signals the company’s ambition to take its work beyond Portugal, since the housing crisis knows no borders. “Internationalization is a strategic pillar for ZETHAUS, with a strong focus on the European market, particularly France and Germany, where we have already completed an office building,” disclosed Maria Luísa Barbosa. The company is now focused on obtaining the international certifications essential for scaling its model and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Aligned with the European Union’s priorities, ZETHAUS has positioned itself as a truly European response to the housing and climate crisis. “The dstgroup’s internationalization project anticipated what are now key policy areas, such as industrial investment, technological innovation, integrated digitalization, the development of new materials and in-house knowledge creation.” As such, “designed to be replicable, scalable, and adaptable, the ZETHAUS system stands as a certified European industrial response to a crisis that demands predictable, sustainable, and socially responsible solutions, demonstrating that industrialization can be a decisive instrument for economic efficiency, environmental responsibility and social justice,” concluded Maria Luísa Barbosa.
“2026 could be seen as a landmark year for ZETHAUS as a fully operational industrial platform, marking the transition to a phase of continuous production, with certified solutions, scalable capacity, and a model designed to respond to different functional programmes and geographical contexts.”
“We’re developing solutions for collective housing, student and senior residences, hospitality projects and a health centre, combining fully factory-finished three-dimensional modules with two-dimensional systems that allow greater architectural adaptability.” This environment enables us to validate technical, energy, and functional performance, turning innovation into a continuous and measurable process.”