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Building from the Wuppertal University team
Perhaps holidays in zero-energy houses will soon become reality? In addition to many novel ideas, the building from the Wuppertal University team featured an interesting room concept. The intention was that the building should not only stand the test in Madrid but also, with slight modifications, equally function in other European locations. This resulted in a functional and open house that interacts with the outdoor spaces and which, by means of a reduced design language, creates a versatile space.
The interdisciplinary team from the faculties of architecture, structural engineering, design, economics and mechanical engineering were in the end able to celebrate silver medal wins in the categories Architecture and Usage.
Architecture
With this project, the Wuppertal University team wanted to develop a “European house”, i.e. the building should not just be specifically conceived for the competition and thus the site in Madrid, but should also function at other locations in Europe. The defining feature behind the building’s design is provided by two staggered, solar-active wall panels, from which a functional, open and versatile house develops that interacts with the outdoor spaces. Slight adjustments to the building’s envelope enable the house to be relocated from a warm climate to moderate climates.
A roughly 13-metre-long structural framework, which rests on top of the two wall panels, spans the inner space without any intermediate supports, thus forming the upper enclosure to the building and a roof deck. The lower part of the facade can be fully opened to the outside spaces on the west and east sides by sliding back glass door elements. The concept is seen as a contribution to energy-efficient, future-proof living in a minimal space that nevertheless achieves maximum flexibility in terms of use paired with a high quality of living.
Energy concept
To enable the house to be adapted to different European locations, a compact ventilation unit was chosen with an air-water heat pump that, by means of hydraulic switching, is able to heat and cool the supply air and operate the underfloor heating and cooling. The device is equipped with a domestic water storage tank and is connected to a vertically arranged evacuated-tube collector array. The solar heat is used for both water and space heating with underfloor heating. Domestic appliances such as the washing machine and dishwasher are operated with hot water. To increase the cooling output, the ventilation unit was expanded with an evaporative cooling system. During the night, the building is cooled down using natural ventilation by means of automatically controlled flaps that are positioned at different heights in the building. To additionally stabilise the indoor temperature, hollow panels with phase change material based on salt hydrates as a latent heat storage material were integrated into the internal wall structure.
In addition to meeting the building’s own electricity requirements, variously large amounts of surplus solar power are also produced in accordance with the location, which pays back the energy required for producing the building. This has been achieved by deploying best-practice domestic appliances, LED technology for the lighting and through the energy-based optimisation of the building envelope and the building services technology. In addition to the solar power system on the roof, the most striking features are the solar walls with their different cell types. Data recording and control functions are connected to the central home server via a European Installation Bus.
Innovation
- LED lighting with sensor-controlled, acoustically effective light ceiling
- Battery-buffered solar power system for optimised grid integration
- Compact ventilation unit with reversible heat pump and adiabatic cooling
- External curtain system with aluminised fabric
- Wall panels with vacuum insulation and internal PCM cladding
Competition performance
Overall ranking: 6th place
Individual disciplines:
- Second prize for Architecture
- Third prize for Usage
- Second prize for Lighting (special prize)
Where you can visit the house
After being reconstructed in Wuppertal, the “European house” is now available as an experimental living laboratory for research and teaching purposes.
Location: Harald-Leibnitz-Strasse, 42287 Wuppertal, from the middle of September 2010.
Contact: sdeurope(at)uni-wuppertal.de
Awards
On 1 February 2011, the building from the Wuppertal team was awarded the “Guter Bau 2010” construction prize from BDA Wuppertal (German Architect’s Association).
Picture credits
Top photo and 1st double photo, left: Amparo Garrido, Madrid. 2nd double photo, right and 3rd double photo, right: Peter Keil, Düsseldorf. Further photos: Team Wuppertal.