Architectural design

Floor plan of the large stone house

The large stone ground floor house of 45.2 sq.m. is developed in plan L and consists of a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. On the north east side of the house, the bright living area with the built-in open kitchen have unobstructed view of the sea and the natural landscape. To the south, adjacent to the living room, the south pergola delivers a covered patio, which hosts the open air dining area. The two bedrooms and a bathroom are located on the west side of the house. The master bedroom opens to a second outdoor terrace covered with a seed trellis on the south side of the house. This second open-plan seating area is formed of the exterior stone wall that protects the buildings from the strong north winds. 

Big stone house plans

Sun path diagrams with shadow ranges throughout the year

During the design process of the two houses, the Tinos Ecolodge team used sun simulation programs on the plot in order to better understand the impact of the sun in relation to their project and its surrounding context. The sun path is a visual representation of the sun’s range movement across the sky at the specific geographic location of their project, on the outskirts of Tinos Island. Four specific months have been chosen to show the sun path and the shadow area changing process, January, April, June and August.

Annual sun path and shadow range of the small stone house through the year

Calculation of daylight factor levels

Variant: North window moved to west corner. two skylights 60X60 cm, one on the bedroom and one on the livingroom. Time:14.:00

The daylight levels inside the houses where simulated in the design process, that helped position the windows and skylights to the desired positions in order to archive optimal lighting condions. The daylight factor is the most commonly used performance indicator for the evaluation and specification of daylight conditions in buildings. It evaluates the amount and distribution of diffuse light in the building in relation to the amount of diffuse light available outside under cloudy sky conditions, and is expressed as a percentage. Daylight factor levels are determined on a plan view and at 3D sections.

Construction progress 

(clockwise from left) Foundation of the small stone house. Basic infrastructure is placed in the foundation such as wastewater, fresh water and electricity.  (next image) Construction process of cistern. The cistern required to store the rainwater throughout the summer. Cistern 240sqm of hard surface collects around 100,000L of rainwater for 6-8 people and for irrigating the gardens. (last image) Concrete slab that form the ground floor of the small stone house.

Construction process of the big stone house. Empty pipes are directly installed in the floors and walls so electricity wiring is prepared and it is now invisible on the finished wall.

(clockwise from left) The stone masons worked in teams of 2, one on the outside wall and the other on the inside. The stone wall has a thickness of 50 cm . Between the outer and inner sides of the wall, there is a filling of smaller untreated stones and mortar.(next image) Stone masonry started at the small house. 30% of the stones are extracted from the plot excavation and used in building the walls. The rest came from a local quarry. (last image) Placed single irregular stones lintels across the top of the doors and windows.

Construction process of wooden ceiling which is insulated with 5cm Dow insulation (Extruded polystyrene insulation/ XPS). The concrete slab was poured/ cast over the insulation layer.

(left image) Applying cement mortar on the terraces and on the inner floor of the houses and. Warm, earthy cementitious colors were chosen for lining floors (interior and exterior), terraces and built-in furniture in the kitchen and bathroom. (right image) Construction of a masonry kitchen counter-top.

(clockwise from left) The frames were made from custom-made local carpenter. In the large wooden windows, German mechanisms were installed to close the openings as tightly as possible. The frames were placed in the middle of the stone wall in order to limit the sunlight you absorb from the wooden frame and better protection from rainwater. Double energy glass panels were placed by filling the gap with argon gas and a low-emission coating (Low-e). (next two images) Construction process of the wooden pergola with reeds. Reed shading provides relief from harsh rays while still allowing for a cooling breeze to pass through.

We like to thank Nick Bedau for the information,
photos and plans he provided us. More articles
about Tinos Ecolodge and their expansion will be coming soon.

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Tinos Ecolodge is far away from centralised networks for power, water, waste and waste water. These circumstances combined with the owners’ philosophy for a better, ecological, economical and sustainable solution, has resulted in the selection, design and implementation of off-grid infrastructures. As a result, these lodges achieve maximum comfort with as little energy as possible and with a low environmental footprint.

On the east side of the beautiful Greek island of Tinos, just before the beautiful beach of Santa Margarita, lies Tinos Ecolodge a ecofriendly tourist destination. These lodges promise to get people out of their daily routines, offer relaxasion and healthy living in touch with nature. The wild forested with oak trees agricultural plot offers a stream with big plane trees and riverside vegetation which makes this place very green and wild. The view to the sea in front and to the islands of Mykonos and Ikaria completes the picture and the magnificence of nature at its best.

The arrangement of the two residences on the sloping plot offers magnificent and panoramic views
of the landscape and Aegean sea.

The two stone-built lodges are perfectly integrated into the natural environment, inspired by the traditional houses of Greek islands and build with natural stone and wood as the material of choice. However, the materials of these traditional buildings have been reinterpreted creating a thermally efficient contemporary architecture, combining functionality and finesse. Also the exploitation of the extraordinary potential of the plot in terms of orientation, slope and view was a basic pursuit of the design of the dwellings. 

Sustainable design

The following solutions are implemented in Tinos Ecolodge:

• use of renewable energy resources, photovoltaic system and wind generators, to product electric power
• rain water collection and storage in a 100,000L cistern
• waste water treatment
• composting human manure
• use of treated waste water for non-edible plants and trees
• filter the waste water by Reed-bed system for sewage treatment and reuse for garden irrigation
• natural light design and solar thermal design
• use of high quality wooden frames and energy glazing
• natural ventilation
• shading the yards with reeds
• built completely out of local stone, from local stone masons using the traditional technique that has been preserved on Tinos

Two stone houses

The large house of 45.2 sq.m. is developed in “L” floor plan and the small one with an area of 31.4 sq.m. in rectangular floor plan. The two houses are completely independent, separated by the utility house in the middle terrace and with different orientation, preserving their privacy. Each house consist of an open-plan living room adjacent to kitchen space, a bathroom and two bedrooms in the big house and one in the small one. The kitchen opens to the big terrace in front of the house with garden, built-in sofa and dining table. The exterior stone walls protect the buildings from the strong north winds of the island while forming these gorgeous small terraces – outdoor seating areas.

The installation of windows is mainly to the south and the east for the purpose of natural light and ventilation, while creating visual escapes to the sea, the Acratos and the Cycladic islands. The design of the two houses allows users to enjoy the most of the sun, natural light and view.

Interior design

The interior is comfortable and bright. The carefully curating of the minimalist with traditional touch interior design combines functionality, comfort and high aesthetic, creating a cozy atmosphere. The furniture, floors and paintings are custom made.
The stone surfaces remain visible in-house, while the floors are covered with cast cement mortar in light orange color. The high thermal mass of stone wall combined with wooden frames (windows & doors) results in steady indoor temperature at a relatively constant intermediate level of about 18 ° C.

The minimal style of the master bedroom in combination with the exposed natural stone wall creates a serene and tranquil space that’s perfect for relaxing.

(clockwise from left) The kitchen cabinets are built into plastered countertops. At the left side of the exterior stone wall is a two recess which are used to create storage compartments.
(next image) Rustic wooden open closet in the master bedroom.
(last image) An old wooden window turned into a bathroom mirror.

Thanks to the natural stone features (high heat capacity) and the high thermal mass of the 50 cm thick exterior walls, the houses are well protected from the natural elements and the thermal comfort is maintained throughout the year.

External environment

The relationship between the building and the external environment is particularly important. The garden and the buildings are complementary connected. The two houses are well integrated into the natural environment, because of the layout of the buildings and the courtyards on the contour line (altitude lines) of the hill, the continuity of the natural environment remains unbreakable. The use of local building materials (stone, wood, reeds) combined with the free growth of vegetation on the plot create a sense of continuity of the natural with the built environment.

Tinos-Ecolodge team:

Marilia Kalouli: She studied Rural resources and environmental policy and she worked for environmental projects in many areas, with the aim of promoting ecotourism and conservation. Nowadays, Marilia directs Tinos Ecolodge in partnership with Nicolaos Bedau.  
Nicolas Bedau: He studied Landscape architecture and he works in the field of environmental design and education, while he is the administrator of Tinos Ecolodge.
Ronan Lewis: He works freelance in the rope access industry as a technician and builder.
Rafael Krause: He studied Landscape architecture and he works as an educator with teenagers. 

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This simple and graceful new residence fulfills the Passive House standard  and is a high quality living space with low operation costs thanks to a combination of superb detailing in the design process and the fabric first building design.

Moreover, X-G group aimed to minimize the need for energy consumption through methods such as:

• Maximum thicknesses of insulation requirements
• Thermal bridge free construction
• Careful airtightness detailing
• Optimizing solar gain through the provision of openings and shading
• Using the thermal mass of the envelope
• Non-implementation of projections on the walls of a building or overhangs
• Reducing as far as possible the exposure of the building envelope to the elements of nature by adding adjacent non-heated auxiliary spaces
• Using the energy from occupants, electronic devices, cookers and so on

Design-wise, the finished result is a beautiful, bright, modern minimal 299 m2 house which manages to achieve superb energy efficiency. Moreover, the three bedroom home efficiently delivers spoils such as excellent indoor air quality, thermal comfort and low energy bills.

Architecture design

The house consists of four autonomous volumes that interlink, forming a courtyard at the south side of the property.

The main volume consist of an open-plan living adjacent to kitchen space, a master bedroom with a private bathroom, a guest room and a small WC on the ground floor. A metal staircase with wood cladding leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom in the upper floor.

On the southern side the second volume of the residence contains the parking and storage space. This ingeniously built-in storage space adjacent to the Passive House enhances the thermal resistance of the housing envelope.

The third volume on the west side is designed and constructed as a solar space. Due to its orientation, its south glass facade facing the courtyard maximizes the houses passive solar heating. The glass surfaces can seal in the winter improving the energy performance of the building. In summer, the solar space is protected against radiation via a motorized roller blinds system.

The fourth volume on the east is a semi-open construction housing the main entrance of the residence. It protects the housing envelope from the elements of nature.

Mechanical Systems

The living space is divided into four thermal zones, each one with temperature control capability, so that different space-conditioning requirements, heating and cooling set point / temperatures can be selected in each space.

The building’s main space heating system consists of a heat generation GAS condensing boiler. The space heating is provided by three towel radiators, 700 calories each, which are installed one in each bath. Internal walls between baths and bedrooms transfer small amounts of heat required in the bedrooms while at the same time ensuring a 2 °C higher temperature in the baths, a requirement imposed by international thermal comfort standards.

In the kitchen the thermal energy released from electrical appliances (for lighting and cooking) suffices for space heating. It is also protected from the solar heat. In the basement the thermal energy dissipated by the fixed mechanical equipment is also sufficient for space heating.

Ventilation system with heat recovery, ensuring that the indoor air is constantly replaced with fresh air, while saving significant amounts of energy. The special features of the system (Bypass, subsoil heat exchanger “air-soil” by REHAU eff. specif. HRE: 82%) contribute to the maintenance of thermal comfort,  while allowing the system to provide, beside fresh air, significant amounts of heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

To ensure cooling during the summer months, air conditioners were installed, one on each floor.

Additionally, a key installation is the motorized roller blinds system that allows or prevents the entry of solar radiation as you please without preventing the natural light and the view from the yard.

Hot water is supplied via a GAS condensing boiler and a thermal solar collector with surface area: 5,2m² (DHW distribution in circulation pipes). The solar panels are located on the roof of the building and the hot water tank in the basement.

(clockwise from top left) Installation of EPS (033) from 200mm to 350mm insulated foundation system to provide continuous insulation thereby reducing heat flow and improving energy efficiency. (next image) Reinforced concrete slabs form the basement and ground floor of the building, insulated above with EPS (033) from 150mm to 200mm and poured lightweight concrete 40mm. The foundation walls and concrete slabs have damp proofing membrane applied to the exterior insulation to prevent damaging wetness and moisture from seeping in through the walls but also help to rid the house of residual moisture. (next image) Masonry construction. (next 2 images) Applying EPS (033) from 200mm to 350mm on the external walls of the building. (last image) A wet plaster finish is used for the airtight layer of the walls. Plaster is inherently airtight, as is concrete. Plaster finish is used in a masonry construction to create a continuous and effective airtight layer. Also in the picture metal battens forming a ceiling service cavity through which the rigid MVHR ductwork runs. A good airtight seal around pipes where they pass through the external wall.

Selected Project Details

Architecture design: Stefan Thomas Chatzoulis / XG group of engineers

Statics: Christine Georgiadi / XG group of engineers

Main contractor: Stefan Thomas Chatzoulis / XG group of engineers

Buildings physics: Stefan Thomas Chatzoulis / XG group of engineers

Detailing: Stefan Thomas Chatzoulis / XG group of engineers

Photo: © George Goutzoulias / Light Box

In Detail

Building type: 299,24 sqm detached single family house

Location: Volos, Magnesia, Greece

Completion date: 2017

Annual heating energy demand: 11 KWh/m²y

Heating load = 13 W/m²

Annual cooling energy demand: 13 KWh/m²y

Cooling load = 9 W/m²

Primary energy requirement: 66 kWh /(m²a ) on heating installation, domestic hot water, household electricity and auxiliary electricity calculated according to PHPP

Airtightness (@ 50 Pascals pressure): 0,54/h air changes per hour 

Exterior walls: brick 90mm, EPS (033) from 200mm to 350mm. Uwall = 0,126 W/(m²K)

Roof: reinforced concrete 150mm, EPS (033) 300mm. Uceiling = 0,116 W/(m²K)

Basement floor / floor slab: light concrete 40mm, EPS (033) from 150mm to 200mm, reinforced concrete 300mm. Ufloor = 0,222 W/(m²K)

Windows: Uwindow = 1,019 W/(m²K)

Windows frame: KOEMMERLING, KBE 76, PVC double + single frame. U w-value = 0.88 W/(m²K). 

Windows glazing: Guardian – Climaguard 4/16/4/16/4 Ar90%. U g-value = 0.69 W/(m²K) g -value = 62 %

Heating system: Heat generation GAS condensing boiler

Ventilation: WOLF , CWL 300 EXCELLENT, Central balanced ventilation with HR & subsoil heat exchanger (air-soil) by REHAU, eff. specif. HRE: 82%

Image gallery

Georg Zielke is an independent architect with many years of experience in environmental and economic planning for housing. His office is in Darmstadt, Germany. Since 2002 he specializes in the planning and construction of residential buildings with the passive house standard.

His main interests and competences are:

• Construction of cost-effective and environmentally friendly housing projects
• Use of ecological building materials
• Development and reconstruction of existing properties
• Standardized building design
• Use of recyclable materials

On my last trip to Darmstadt, I visited a housing complex of seven terraced houses in Kranichstein, planned and realized by Georg Zielke.

These residential units, standing at least 30 cm above the ground, were planned and erected with prefabricated timber panels. The timber-frame construction was built on self-made cellars (concrete shuttering blocks) which were placed and were ready for construction within 4 weeks. Due to 30 cm thick insulation the house is heated by the warmth emitted by sun light, people and appliances.

The floor plans were designed individually according to the client’s wishes. Each house has a ventilation system with heat recovery. The fresh air coming into the homes through an insulated duct that passes through the heat exchanger core where it gets heated up by the outgoing stale air, which is collected from the bathrooms, kitchen and sometimes utility or laundry room. After it is heated, the fresh air is ducted throughout the living areas and bedrooms. Stale air is pulled from the home and enters the other side of the core where its heat is given to the fresh air, before it is exhausted from the building via ductwork. The heating and hot water are supplied via a district heating system (DHN).

The facades were clad with untreated, rough sawed larch wood. The vertical timber cladding is structured with colored aluminum panels – a different color is assigned to each house. (The aging processes may and should be visible: The older the house gets, the more silvery the larch boards become and the more colorful the panels appear. This effect is starting to be visible after about 10 years. The blinds integrated in the facade provide summer protection against overheating. The indoor climate is therefore extremely comfortable in both summer and winter.

Selected project details:

• energy-efficient construction
  (30cm exterior insulation, ventilation system with heat recovery,  airtightness, thermal bridge free)
• rainwater utilization system
• ecological building materials
  Timber construction: Great importance was given to the wood protection. Chemical wood preservation was deliberately avoided.
• green roofs

The site was completed in 2015, including the roads and green areas. Planning and building at the site took more than 10 years in total. An essential feature of the area is the reduction of car traffic. The quarter was designed car free and is very well connected to the public transport system of Darmstadt with a newly built tram.

Walking around the neighborhoods of Agria, a delightful semi-rural location on the outskirts of Volos, three houses stand out. Three family houses in a row with a “Passive house certification” wall plaque. These are huge 477m² buildings with exquisite view to Aegean Sea that combine high energy efficient characteristics with building elements of Mount Pelion traditional architecture.

The facades of the houses combine stone cladding with white stucco and wood details. Their style matches the area’s residential houses. The facades look very traditional but the sides are quiet modern and minimal.

West facade. Main entrance of the houses

On the ground floor, a bright living room with a freestanding fireplace, occupied by an open plan kitchen with a modern island and a dining area. Located on the same floor a small WC. A metal staircase with wood cladding leads to three bedrooms and a bathroom in the upper floor.

The house’s geometry, orientation, size and layout of the openings and high thermal conductivity building materials achieve thermal comfort, low energy costs and healthy indoor air quality. 

The property benefits from

• 15cm EPS external insulation
•  wooden windows frames with double glazing filled with argon gas
• thermal bridge free construction
• ventilation unit with heat recovery (separate unit for each house), additional subsoil heat exchanger
• air-tight dwelling envelope (n50 = 0.6/h)
• improved flat plate solar collector stratified solar storage 300lt for each house
• used local building materials

Detail of the west facade of the south house

South facade

North facade

Air ventilation with recovery

Mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery provides always fresh and clean air all year round, while preventing the escape of heat from the houses. These three semi-detached houses have a pleasant (cool) indoor climate even during excessively hot periods.

Cross-section of the Agria, Magnesia Passive House including the air flow during winter and the individual zones.

Cross-section of the Agria, Magnesia Passive House including the air flow during summer and the individual zones.

The first phase of the WohnSinn 1 project was initiated in 2003, a 3860 m² multi-family building comprising 39 apartments, it was judged to be so successful that a second phase of 2,721 m² (living space) building expansion involving 34 apartments was built in 2008 the WohnSinn 2. The concept was developed over a number of years, aiming to  create a diverse yet socially integrated community of households. People with different incomes, ethnicity, backgrounds, levels of physical ability or marital status are living together. Some families purchased their homes others rent them while others rent with welfare assistance from the Government. It would appear that this ‘social experiment’ has been very successful. “As a practical example of the benefits of living in such a neighborhood, it was envisaged that families with young children could call upon their elderly neighbors from time to time to assist with child minding when the need arises.”

Design features

The development consists of a three story south-facing U-shaped layout with some of the units being two story  while others single story. All of the upper  stories are accessible via shared terraces which are connected to a lift at the northeast corner. The entire structure is thus barrier free in terms of access. All of the homes have dual aspects, the two south-north oriented blocks have east and west facades while the connecting east-west oriented blocks have south and north facing facades. All of the ground floor apartments have terraces, many of which have been planted and provide a valuable space.

The corners of the apartment blocks are cleverly used for community purposes, including a day room winter garden and library to the northwest, sauna, guest apartments, a creative room for kids to the northeast and meeting rooms to the southwest. The building is accessible and contain four wheelchair-accessible apartments.

 A landscaped mound in the central courtyard hosts an underground ‘bunker’ room, used by the community to store food and bulky non-perishables that require cool temperatures.

The load-bearing structure consists of prefabricated concrete elements in a cross wall construction. The thermally insulated shell  is made of prefabricated wooden wall elements. The walls have thick cladding of insulation (38cm high density polystyrene) and damp proofing. During construction a rainwater collection was installed with an underground tank for watering the gardens and green roof. The windows where fitted before the external insulation was applied to ensure that an airtight connection between the frame and the shell is achieved. The external insulation was fitted afterwards to cover the window frame thus reducing heat losses through thermal bridging.

Perceived Benefits of the Passive House Standard

The multi-family building of WohnSinn was built to the passive house standard, offering high thermal comfort, healthy indoor air quality, bright living spaces, with low heating cost and a high level of sustainability.

Due to the good insulation and the ventilation system with heat recovery, the heating energy consumption is almost zero. The building losses so little heat that no conventional heating is needed. The living spaces  are mostly heated by passive energy without any boilers/radiators.

Heat input is provided through:

• large windows
  which allow the warming sunlight to get in,
• the radiation of body heat of the occupants 
• the waste heat
  from electrical appliances and from cooking and bathing. Small radiators are running via the hot water supply in bathrooms.

Heat loss is prevented  with the triple glazed windows and doors with triple seals to prevent droughts. Each apartment has a separate ventilation system with heat recovery so that fresh cold outside air can be warmed up to a comfortable temperature by using the heat of the warm stale indoor air as it is extracted (unit recovers over 80% of the heat).

Every household has direct control of their own mechanical system, the control of heating and ventilation is very easy and fairly simple. There are only two adjustable elements: A thermostat for adjusting the need for heating and air exchange rate. There are three levels of air exchange rate; namely low, which is used when the units are left unoccupied during holidays, normal, for everyday use, and high, when there is a need for greater air change rate such as during a party or family gathering. Maintenance is low due to the simple technology: Once a year, two filters have to be washed out and one filter has to be changed. Because WohnSinn is a “single” building and not separate houses heat loss through the walls and roof is considerably reduced.

All residents have the option to invest in the photovoltaic power plant located on the roof of the apartment complex, which provides an annual return on investment of 3 – 4%. Due to the passive house standard and a self-produced power supply via photovoltaic systems on the roof, the energy costs are low.

Selected project details of the WohnSinn apartments:

Architect: Petra Grenz, faktor10 GmbH
Building services: WohnSinn1: Norbert Stärz, Pfungstadt / WohnSinn 2: Hans Baumgartner, Mörlenbach
Principal Construction Contractors: WohnSinn1: Tichelmann & Barillas, Darmstadt WohnSinn2: Büro bauart, Lauterbach, Darmstadt
 

Treated floor area in PHPP: 3.885 m2 WohnSinn1, 3.097m² WohnSinn2
Construction type: Concrete core made with prefabricated elements with facade comprising a timber frame structure

Annual heating demand (PHPP): 15 kWh/(m²a)
Heating load (PHPP): 10W/m2
Roof: Reinforced concrete slab in 220 mm thickness, 180 mm Polyurethane foam insulation WLG 025, U-value: 0. 135 W/(m2K)
Floor slab: Reinforced concrete slab in 25 cm thickness, underside 300 mm insulation, Thermal Conduction Group 035, U-value: 0.11 W/(m2K)
Walls: 300mm Styropor insulation on concrete elements or 300mm Isofloc in the timber frame elements. U-value: 0.12 W/(m²K)
Windows frames: Fa. Kochs, eCO2, Profile Kömmerling, Thermally insulated plastic frame. Uf = 0.8 W/(m²K)
Glazing: Triple glazing, Ug = 0.6 W/(m²K) g-value = 50%

Air tightness (PHPP):  n50 = 0.35/h
Ventilation: Vallox KWL 90, counter flow heat exchanger. 75% efficient (Manually controlled)
Average air change rate: 0.4/h when occupied 0.25 – 0.3/h when not occupied
Heating installation: water to air heat exchanger connected to a district heating system
Domestic hot water: District heating + 25m² thermal solar collectors (used on WohnSinn2)
Renewable energy production: 250m2 of photovoltaic panels installed in 2009 – productivity not yet determined Jahr 2009

It is a row of four houses with a floor area of 156m² each, designed by the architects Prof. Dr. Bott / Ridder / Westermeyer and were built by Dr. Wolfgang Feist in 1991.

The three-storey terraced housing complex is divided into four equal homes and are sheltered beneath a large sloping planted roof. The house’s geometry, the orientation, the size and layout of the openings and the use of building materials with high thermal conductivity properties achieve thermal comfort and the healthy indoor air quality. 

A sunroom, placed on the north side of the complex, created an additional insulating layer, while offering a delightful entrance space.

The aim of this first prototype Passive House was to reduce the unnecessary heat losses through walls, roofs and windows so that a heating system would became completely irrelevant. In order to realize this promising concept they used existing components, such as lime-sandstone masonry walls, a rafter roof and wooden windows. However, a series of building components were developed such as the triple-glazed windows which were manufactured by the glass company Vegla (Saint Gobain today). Also, some components had to be manufactured separately in the workshop and therefore were more expensive in comparison with conventional construction components. This was also the case of the four central ventilation units which they equipped with specially developed direct current fans and a control unit for air quality. This balanced supply air and exhaust air ventilation system with a highly efficient counterflow air-to-air heat exchanger is continuously operating. Fresh air is supplied to the living and sleeping areas in each house and the stale air (extract air) is drawn away from the humid rooms, e.g. kitchen and bathrooms, in equal quantities. 

Cross-section of the Passive House in Darmstadt-Kranichstein.

The houses are equipped with solar collectors for the provision of domestic hot water and a subsoil heat exchanger for preheating the fresh air.

At the beginning of 2016, the western house of the complex was equipped with a brand new photovoltaic array with a surface of 26 m², reducing its primary energy balance further to meet the new Passive House Certification, Passive House Plus. The Photovoltaic system and solar collectors combined with the use of a subsoil heat exchanger, for preheating the fresh air, cover the energy needs for heating, hot water and electricity of the home with a sufficient surplus.

During construction in 1991, hundreds of sensors where placed in the individual building components in order to check the achievement of objectives. For the past 27 years, this air-tight, highly insulated and well-built terraced housing complex has been continuously put to the test. The results show that the house still offers high energy efficiency, comfort and savings, while at the same time having a very low ecological footprint.

Selected project details of the World’s first Passive House:

Architect: Prof. Dr. Bott / Ridder / Westermeyer
Building services: Ingenieurburo InPlan, Dipl.-Ing. Norbert Starz
Building physics: Dr. Wolfgang Feist

Construction type: masonry construction
Annual heating demand (PHPP): 14 kWh /(m2a )
Heating load (PHPP): 10 W/m2
Primary energy requirement (PHPP):  61 kWh /(m2a ) on heating installation, domestic hot water, household electricity and auxiliary electricity
Air tightness (PHPP):  n50 = 0.22/h
Basement ceiling: Surface finish on fibreglass fabric, 250 mm polystyrene insulation boards, 160 mm concrete, 40 mm polystyrene acoustic insulation,
50 mm cement floor finish, 8-15 mm of parquet, adhesive, sealing solvent-free. U-value: 0.13 W/(m2K)
Walls: Fabric reinforced mineral render, 275 mm of expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS) (installed in two layers at that time, 150+125 mm), 175 mm sand-lime brick masonry, 15 mm continuous interior gypsum plastering; wood-chip wallpaper, emulsion paint coating. U-value: 0.14 W/(m2K)
Grass roof: Humus, non-woven filter, root protective membrane, 50 mm formaldehyde-free chip board. Wooden light-weight beam construction (I-beam of wood, stud link of hardboard), counter lathing, sealing with polyethylene sheeting bonded without jointing, gypsum plasterboard 12.5 mm, wood-chip wallpaper, emulsion paint coating and an entire cavity 44.5 cm filled with blown-in mineral wool insulation. U value (hall roof): 0.10 W / m²K
Windows frames: Wooden window with polyurethane foam insulated framework (CO2-foamed, HCFC free, handcrafted) U-value: 0.79 W/2K
Glazing: Triple-pane low-e glazing with Krypton filling: Ug-value 0.7 W/(m²K). g -value = 50%
Entrance door: French window door with additional, handcrafted insulation the frame. U-value: 0.78 W/2K
Ventilation: controlled ventilation system with heat recovery (TemoVex, DK, measured heat recovery 80%. Counterflow air-to-air heat exchanger; Located in the cellar (approx. 9°C in the winter), carefully sealed and thermally insulated, the first one to use electronically commutated DC fans.
Heating installation: a wall-mounted condensing boiler (12 kW) for all four houses, very small radiators on the inner walls
Domestic hot water: Solar system with vacuum flat panels supported by the gas condensing boiler

On one of the last vacant properies in the Martinsviertel, two constructor companies fulfilled their vision of a family-friendly & ecological living in an urban environment. The “LS30” multi family residence, placed in an L-shaped plot, has eight apartments of variable size, individually tailored to the needs and expectations of their habitants.

The architect Corinna Bauer in order to meet the various requirements and client wishes in terms of housing size, location, orientation and equipment, designed the apartments to fit together like a complicated three-dimensional Jigsaw puzzle.

The residential building consists of two seperate apartment blocks. The courtyard block was constructed according to the Passive House standard and the front block, which faces the street, was constructed according to the KFW40 Energy Efficient standard.

The apartment blocks form a green, communal courtyard. Through a gated entrance one arrives in the intimate, green courtyard with bicycle and car parking spaces and variously configured and utilized gardens. The apartments in the courtyard  block are easily modifiable: If the children move out, their rooms can be separated to independent living units with bathroom (e.g. for a carer) and the maisonettes can be separated into flats. To get the individual wishes and needs of the families under one roof, was not easy – but living together works very well today. The laundry room, the workshop with yard and garden are being used without problems.

The contemporary, clean-lined rectangular exterior of the courtyard block might at first seem to be at odds with its surrounding, but the facade, an interwoven matrix of permeable wire-mesh balconies, red and black metal cladding, and various size windows, gives the building the subtle balance of form, function, materiality and light.

Ecological aspects:

Photovoltaic system on the roof of the courtyard house
Green roof
Rainwater is used for garden irrigation and infiltration

The balconies and the garden provide a perfect ‘settle’ to enjoy the mornings, afternoons, and evenings while floor-to-ceiling glass helps fill all the units at the courtyard block with plenty of natural light.

Selected project details of the Certified Passive House courtyard house:

Architect: Dipl.-Ing Architect BDA Corinna Bauer
Building services: Krauss + Brunnengraber
Building physics: Dipl.-Ing Architect BDA Corinna Bauer
Statics: Dr. Ing. Keller

Construction type: masonry construction with thermal insulation composite system
Annual heating demand (PHPP): 15 kWh / (m²a)
Heating load (PHPP): 12 W/m²
Primary energy requirement (PHPP):  107 kWh / (m²a) on heating installation, domestic hot water, household electricity and auxiliary electricity
Air tightness (PHPP):  n50 = 0.5/h
Basement floor /floor slab: tiles 10mm and 45mm screed followed beneath 240mm insulation and pre-cast 300mm concrete slab. U-value: 0.15 W/m²K
Walls: 175mm beton/Sand-lime brick with 300mm thermal insulation and 15mm plaster render externally. Internal 15mm wet plaster forming airtightness layer. U-value: 0.11 W/m²K
Roof: 10 mm gypsum fiber board followed under rafter insulation 100 mm, inter-rafter insulation 260 mm. U value (hall roof): 0.10 W / m²K
Windows frames: Pazen, Enersign Passive House certified component timber-fiberglass profile U-value: 0.79 W/m²K
Glazing: triple heat-insulated glazing, thermally separated with plastic edge seal. U g-value = 0.53 W / (m²K), g -value = 52%
Entrance door: Pazen, Enersign-door Passive House certified component timber-fiberglass profile. U-value: 0.8 W/m²K
Ventilation: Paul, Climos 150 DC, Multi 150 DC, Atmos 175DC decentralized ventilation system with heat recovery. Passive House Institute certified to have heat recovery rate of 90%
Heating installation: Air heating via preheater, electric. The coverage of the residual heating demand is performed in the plurality via a solid fuel stove. In addition, most apartments have electrically operated underfloor heating in the bathroom, for particularly cold morning hours.
Domestic hot water: decentralized instant hot water heater
Front building: geothermal heat pump system

The implementation of bioclimatic design principles and the use of renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic panels and solar water heaters, achieve energy self-sufficiency and reduce the ecological footprint of the building.

It is medium size, compact orthogonal shape elongated along the east-west axis, gabled roof and well-sealed envelope (air-tightness) are certain features that affect positively its energy behavior due to reduced thermal bridging.

The layout of the home is simple and very functional. On the ground floor an open-plan luminous living space combines the kitchen, dining room and living room into one shared space, with a sunspace attached on the south facade. On the upper floor, a master bedroom, two smaller bedrooms and a large bathroom are located in the perimeter of a central corridor. The two smaller bedrooms have autonomous entrances and an oversized sliding door between them so that users can share the space, converting it from two rooms into a single one.

Trombe Wall

On the south side of the building a passive solar design system was applied, the Trombe wall, which achieves natural indoor heating by taking advantage of direct sunlight.

The southern facing Trombe wall consists of a 50cm (17″) thick, high thermal mass, masonry wall painted black, a heat-absorbing color and faced with a single layer of glass. The glass is placed 15cm (6″) away from the masonry wall to create a small airspace. Heat from sunlight passing through the glass is absorbed by the black surface, stored in the wall, and conducted slowly inward through the masonry.

The glass prevents the escape of radiant heat from the warm surface of the storage wall. The heat radiated by the wall is therefore trapped within the air gap, further heating the wall surface. For a 50cm (17″) thick Trombe wall, heat will take about 8 to 10 hours to reach the interior of the building. This means that the room behind remains comfortable through the day and receives slow, even heating for many hours after the sun sets. Such designs are ideal for use in residential living spaces and bedrooms.

In addition to radiant heat, the Trombe wall heats the internal air within the house. Upper and lower air vents in the wall allow convection currents, as cooler air from the room enters the sun-space from the bottom vents, is heated and returns into the room from the top vents. These vents are operable to prevent reverse convention currents occurring at night, which would cool the house. The vents also allow the occupants to control the temperature.

Sun-space

The attached sun-space of the Trombe wall was built as a continuation of the open-plan living space. The Trombe wall and sun-space function in the same way. The difference is that the space between the glass and the thermal mass of the sun-space creates a habitable space. The sun-space works much like the vented Trombe wall. It heats space both through radiation and convection.

The sun-space is 30 square feet, south-faced. It is glazing is tilted at a 23.90 degree angle (longitude) between the northern horizon and the plane of the glazing. The sloped glazing in combination with sloped overhead glazing collects more heat in the winter, although losing more heat at night. In order to avoid overheating in the warmer months of the year, shades can be deployed to evenly balance solar heat delivery. For the summer, the windows at the top and bottom of the glass construction can be opened allowing passive venting of the hot air. The got air exits from the top windows pulling cool air   from the bottom windows. The sun-space is sealed well enough to have an infiltration rate of 0.7 air changes per hour.

Winter

Summer

The system has a maximum indoor heat transmission of seven meters from the Trombe wall inwards. The interior layout has been adjusted to that limitation by not using walls parallel to the Trombe wall that would limit the indoor heat transmission.

The Trombe wall with the attached sun-space optimize heat gain, minimize heat loss during cold times and avoid excess heat gain in hot times.