Italian project for ecological house that produces six times the energy it consumes
A house super environmentally friendly and in perfect Mediterranean style. Produces six times the energy it consumes, is made of different materials typical of Mediterranean environments and is designed to protect from the heat and resist climate change. The teachers and students have designed the project MED in Italy, involving the University of Roma Tre and the Laboratory of Industrial Design at the University La Sapienza. The house is the first Italian prototype to the final at the Solar Decathlon, the Olympics green architecture of the Department of Energy of the United States to be held in Madrid in September 2012. Premiered in Rome, the Mediterranean house is designed to be used in tourism but also in emergencies: the speed of construction and installation make it a perfect accommodation to house immigrants or people affected by earthquakes.
To win the prize for building a greener, MED in Italy will have to compete with 19 other houses from 14 countries and more than ten trials in the architectural, construction, in terms of efficiency, energy balance, comfort, functionality, innovation, production and economic feasibility . The cards to do it has them all. "It 's the first time that a bioclimatic house is designed with greater attention to the insulation from the heat rather than the cold," said Chiara Tonelli, architect and team leader of MED in Italy. "The green architecture has had in recent decades more northern than southern characteristics, but we have a very old tradition that we have recovered and reinterpreted in the design." The house, in fact, is inspired by the Mediterranean and homes using local materials. It has an inside wood which acts as a load-bearing structure, with a mass (sand found on site), which allows the accumulation of heat during the day, when it's hot, and its release in the evening. The isolation from the winter cold and summer irradiation is guaranteed by the exterior walls, thanks to a coating made of traditional materials, such as rushes, and insulators. "An additional coverage is as photovoltaics," says Tonelli. "The solar panels, as well as creating shadows, allow the home to produce more energy than it consumes."
Every year, in fact, MED in Italy will produce 11,400 kilowatt hour but consume only one-sixth of this energy, ie circa1.900 kWh (compared to over 7,000 in a traditional building), feeding into the grid nearly 9,500 kilowatt hours. And this without sacrificing all the comforts: the efficiency of the systems enable the house to function perfectly with appliances, lighting, hot water and appropriate temperatures, easing your electric bill by about 84 percent. The positive difference of energy produced can compensate in two years the energy used for the production, transport and assembly of the components of the prototype while the rest of the energy produced in excess can be used for charging of electric cars, for outdoor lighting, stabilization of water recycling. In short, in twenty years, thanks to energy saving product will prevent the emission of 121 tons of carbon dioxide.
The transition from the prototype, large 47 square meters and can be visited along with everyone else at Villa Solar, venue of the event, the construction of Mediterranean houses is not short. The construction costs are still high and will serve further developments in the field of photovoltaics and green building to make these buildings also accessible from the economic point of view. In particular, in the minds of designers Med in Italy is perfect as eco-tourism, with clusters of accommodation for 2-6 people, and as a home for immigrants and refugees or emergency for the communities affected by natural disasters.
13/04/2011
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Translated via software
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Source:
Italian version of ReteArchitetti.it