Eco-house: architecture and design

19.01.2022

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Ecodesign opportunities for nature, society and humans

Ecodesign arose in response to the disproportionate trend of consumption that has taken root in society. People began to realize that our planet needs support and became curious how design changes could help.

Potential savings of up to 90%

Modern technology has advanced steadily and cut a large share of electricity costs. The success of engineers has prompted architects to create entire areas with net-zero consumption. So, near London, the project Fossil Beddington was put into operation as an example of carbon neutral residential area. All homes consume below 40% of the standard level. Designer Bill Duster went even further and offered multi-apartment housing that operates in a completely autonomous mode due to natural factors, including wind and rain.

Frenchman Jacques Ferrier presented a plan for the Hyper Green tower with natural ventilation and solar power, which reduced overall consumption by 70%. The idea of the project was picked up in Shanghai, building skyscrapers with gardens between the facades. In China, not only individual buildings are being built, but entire neighborhoods, trying to cope with growing urbanization. By 2040, China will have a completely green city of half a million people with independent energy and water supply.

When did the eco-direction appear:

Javier Senosyan, a Mexican, was the first architect to address the issue of environmental protection. In 1985, he built a house where, he said, "everything was different." The hot climate of his country services of the interior.
The air-conditioned building rose in the center of a green oasis. Flowers and plants close to the walls trapped noise and dust, and muffled sunlight. The roof with living grass protected against the exhausting heat, and natural air currents created a pleasant coolness in the tunnels connecting the rooms.
The ecological House was built entirely of ferrocement. Today, this unique form of reinforced concrete is considered ideal for construction:

The frame is assembled from steel mesh.
Wire of small diameter with cells of about 5x5 cm evenly distributes the load, reducing the total weight.
Portland cement mortar is used as a binder.

The architect brilliantly proved that eco does not mean expensive and elite. Housing turned out elegant, cheap, and smart. Light and complex shapes were resistant to earthquakes, which in Mexico has become an additional plus.

The second breath of a fashion trend

Interest in green architecture was driven by the most expensive resources. Today, there are government programs in Europe aimed at developing and implementing facilities with low energy consumption. Environmental efficiency is defined as the ability to reduce and control financial investments in a house built of safe materials - natural stone, brick, concrete, glass, metal and wood.
Additional opportunities to reduce costs by creating non-energy systems:

Hot water supply and heating circuits are designed taking into account renewable sources, including solar panels, wind turbines, and heat pumps.
Thermal insulation, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting are developed with the involvement of natural factors and new technologies.
Each project is built in such a way that it has minimal impact on nature.

Eco-houses are not boring boxes of the same type, covered floor to ceiling by electronics. On the contrary, the complexes use a fundamentally new design of the building and the surrounding landscape, which makes green buildings visible and attractive in the market.

From liabilities to assets

Mankind is constantly looking for opportunities to reduce the impact on the environment, transforming conscious consumption into the norm of society. One way is a passive house. In modern European construction, methods are being implemented that not only keep efficiency at zero, but also come in handy, as shown in the table.
The data show the evolution of engineering systems in buildings of different construction periods from old projects of the 1970s to new active developments of the 2020s. If 50 years ago 300 kWh were consumed per square meter, ultra-modern buildings in comparison produce energy themselves.
Dependence of energy consumption per square meter in residential buildings for the period from 1970 to 2021:

Project	Consumption; kWh (per year per 1 m2)	Time
Old	300	Until 1970
Standard	150	1970–2002
Energy saving	60	2002–2019
Passive	15	2019–2020
Zero	0	Without restrictions
Active	Produces energy	Without restrictions

Since 2020, the European Union obliges member states to include the design plans of energy-efficient homes with zero or positive consumption.

How expensive is it

The total cost of creating a green building exceeds the standard development by 3-7%. Investments pay off in 7 to 10 years.

Methods include:

Separation of sunlight by seasons (panoramic glazing - exterior shading with visors, awnings, canopies).
Heat accumulation due to insulating materials.
Use of renewable energy techniques.
Connection to energy saving of landscape-planning, constructive, engineering and interior decisions.

Eco-building in temperate climates is focused on all sides of the world. To the north, it is better to have fewer windows which open the main panorama to the south and east. Internal partitions are used to a minimum, pushing the space at the expense of glass. Residential areas are removed to the warm part, separate from the cold auxiliary buffer rooms.

Energy saving window to the world

Technological double-glazed windows are able to return at least 50% of the heat back into the room without human intervention. There are samples with a soft coating, reflecting up to 90%, and such qualities can be compared with a complete thermal insulation. If the frosts outside the window are kept at -25 0С, and +20 +22 0С is maintained inside the room, the temperature in the glazing surface will be +15 0С. In such conditions, the heat is almost not lost.
The window works not only in winter but also in summer, reducing the cost of air conditioning. Another plus in the treasury - the coating does not transmit ultraviolet light, keeping the interior decor from fading.

The fifth element

Solar energy is often called the fifth and most friendly source of heat for nature and man. Today, ignoring the source of perpetual energy in the face of rising energy prices is an impermissible luxury. Active converters - solar panels - convert radiation into electricity, in a very efficient process.
Thin-film, amorphous, mono- and polycrystalline panels work both in clear weather and in periods of dense clouds, reducing efficiency by only 20%. Modern systems have a 25-year warranty, and the next generation is expected to at least double the service life without reducing efficiency

Let it rain!

A person consumes about 150 liters of water per day, and most is spent not so much on drinking, but on technical needs. Without lowering the usual level of comfort, the share can be replaced by precipitation - a powerful resource that is just beginning to be explored around the world. The source does not contain salts of calcium, magnesium and iron, which are responsible for hardness and harm to health.
Sediments are collected through gutters with ceramic or concrete coating in special containers, cleaned of mechanical impurities and released into the hot water supply system. Due to the absence of salts in the pipes, no scale is formed, which protects both the circuit and the connected equipment. The quality of filtering is chosen depending on the conditions of use of the resource.

Back to the windmills

Wind generation is returning to our lives, making it more comfortable, simpler and cheaper. Hurricane gusts, which occur infrequently, are not necessarily necessary for turbine operation. Stable energy supply is provided by a moderate speed of 2.5–3 m / s.
A windmill for a private cottage does not disturb the silence, creating only 30 dB of sound pollution - this can be compared to the rustle of leaves. Whisper models work even quieter, and the mast can be installed at a distance from the house.

How a heat pump works

Traditional heating is gradually changing from comfortable to destructive - bills are growing every season. Meanwhile, you can heat the house almost for free, if you use the energy of nature.

The geothermal circuit is buried in the ground 1.5–2 m deep, extracting heat from the soil with the help of collectors. This is the most effective option, because even in severe cold at a depth of the required + 8 + 15 ° C.
According to the scheme of removing heat from the air, you can work in the warm season.
If there is a reservoir near the site, arrange alternative heating with the system connected to the water.

The principle of the heat pump supports operation and heating and cooling, reducing the costs for the owners throughout the year.

Humans, realizing the mistakes of the past, are beginning to take a course to return to nature, and rightly so. The NOSAL DESIGN Architectural studio supports this smart direction. We work with love for our business, offering effective ideas and solutions free from thoughtless waste. It is convenient, simple and inexpensive - in eco-homes people live not at the expense, but together with nature.
We help to make any room functional, so that every square meter works for your comfort.

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