Publications
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This scheme involves the construction of
a new semi-detached house on the site of a derelict building outside the development zone
in Herisau. The brief called for a traditional architectural style coupled with a
sustainable design concept and maximum energy efficiency. The key features of the P+D
monitoring project are as follows:
- Interaction of solar facade
with dry, thermal-storage floor construction incorporating loam granules: The efficiency
achieved by the south-facing solar facade is relatively high for this type of
air-collector system (single glazing, non-selective coating, transpired), while the
vertical arrangement ensures a balanced output throughout the year. Despite the generally
satisfactory performance, however, transmission rates fall significantly in high summer
when the angle of incidence on the facade is at its narrowest: at this time, a lower
temperature level prevails than during the rest of the year due to the roof overhang,
upward air flow through the facade and Profilit glazing. Moreover, as a heat sink, the
loam-granule bed offers only half the efficiency of concrete.
- Interaction of wood-fired
stove with passive and active solar energy use in the timber building: The only major
thermally massive element in the building is the loam-granule bed. This is decoupled from
the room above by means of a timber overlay, thus slowing down the heat flow from floor to
space. By the same token, however, this means that short-term passive solar gains cannot
be readily stored. Given the absence of alternative heat sinks, high passive solar gains
tend to push up indoor temperatures appreciably. Use of the wood-fired stove consequently
places high demands on the occupants, who have to throttle its output whenever the sun
shines. On the other hand, the timing and spatial distribution of active and passive solar
gains is ideal: incident solar radiation passively serves the south-facing rooms, while
the air-system ductwork runs through the spaces (incl. bathroom) on the north elevation.
The thermal-storage floor in the south-facing rooms releases its heat at night. The siting
of the solar cylinder in the bathroom has also paid dividends, ensuring adequate thermal
comfort at all times.
Project
partners
A. Gütermann, AMENA AG (Winterthur); Lindenstruth-Brunner and Deriks-Roovers families
(Herisau); Swiss Federal Office of Energy (Berne) |
