See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/338809997

Solar Decathlon Europe_Improving Energy Efficient Buildings

Chapter · September 2013

CITATIONS READS

0 581

7 authors, including:

Sergio Vega Sánchez Edwin Rodriguez-Ubinas

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
70 PUBLICATIONS 863 CITATIONS 57 PUBLICATIONS 663 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Marija Slavko Todorovic Leonardo Agurto Venegas

Kyung Hee University Universidad Austral de Chile
49 PUBLICATIONS 526 CITATIONS 40 PUBLICATIONS 55 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Edwin Rodriguez-Ubinas on 15 February 2022.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

SOLAR
DECATHLON
EUROPE 2012
Improving Energy Efficient Buildings

École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture de Grenoble,

France. Universidad de Sevilla + Jaén + Granada + Málaga,
Spain. Università degli Studi di Roma TRE + Sapienza Università
di Roma + Free University of Bozen + Fraunhofer Italy, Italy.
University of Applied Sciences Konstanz, Germany. RWTH
Aachen University, Germany. Budapest University of Technology
& Economics, Hungary. Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera,
Spain. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain. “Ion Mincu”
University of Architecture and Urbanism + Technical University
of Civil Engineering of Bucharest + University Politehnica
of Bucharest, Romania. Technical University of Denmark,
Denmark. Tongji University, China. Bordeaux University, France.
Universidad del País Vasco (Euskel Herriko Unibertsitatea),
Spain. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina + Universidade
de Sâo Paulo, Brasil. Chiba University, Japan. Universidade do
Porto, Portugal. École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture
Paris-Malaquais + École des Ponts ParisTech + Università di
Ferrara + Politecnico di Bari, France + Italy. Universidad de
Zaragoza, Spain. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
SOLAR
DECATHLON
EUROPE 2012
Improving Energy Efficient Buildings

1
Publication Director Authors
Sergio Vega Sánchez Solar Decathlon Europe Competition, New Challenges,
Javier Serra María Tomé Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Sergio Vega Sánchez
Editorial Coordination
Mónica Almagro Corpas Overview of SDEurope 2012 Competition by the Juries
María Porteros Mañueco Susana Torre, Jane Kolleeny, Marija Todorovic, Rafael Úrculo, Harriet Pilkington,
Jason Twill.
Advisory Board
Edwin Rodríguez-Ubiñas From High Energy Efficiency to Zero Energy Buildings: passive strategies and other
energy efficient solutions used by Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 houses
Graphic Design Edwin Rodríguez-Ubiñas
Cristina Navas Perona
Elena Almagro Corpas Smart grid at Solar Decathlon 2012
J. M. Solans, R. Muñoz - Schneider Electric España
Layout
Vanesa León García Description of SDEurope 2012 Houses by the participating Universities
École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Grenoble
English translation Pascal Rollet & Maxime Bonnevie
Participating Universities Universidad de Sevilla + Universidad de Jaén + Universidad de Granada
María Porteros Mañueco Javier Terrados
Università degli studi di Roma TRE + Sapienza Università di Roma
Proofreading of English text Chiara Tonelli
Ana Momplet Chico University of Applied Sciences Konstanz
Lena Schönrock
Photography RWTH Aachen University
Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 / Peter Russell
I + D + Art Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Varga Tamás
Printing Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera
Imprenta Kadmos Fernando Sánchez-López
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
First edition Fran Pérez
September 2013 “Ion Mincu” University of Arhitecture and Urbanism + University Politehnica of
Bucharest + Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest
Book Edition Radu Pana + Adrian Sandu
Solar Decathlon Europe + Technical University of Denmark
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid Bjarne W. Olesen
Tongji University
ISBN: 978-84-695-8845-1 Wangling Ling
Deposito Legal: M-30025-2013 Universidad del País Vasco
Printed in Spain Rufino Javier Hernández
Arts et Metiers ParisTech Bordeaux
All Rights reserved; no part of the publication Denis Bruneau, Philippe Lagiére, Laurent Mora
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina + Universidade de Säo Paulo
or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, Jose Ripper Kos & Fernanda Antonio
or otherwise without prior written permission of Chiba University
the publisher. Takaharu Kawase
The publisher does not warrant or assume any Universdade do Porto
legal responsability for the publication’s contents.
Manuel Vieira Lopes
All opinions expressed in the book are of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture Paris-Malaquais + University of Ferrara
Solar Decathlon Europe or Universidad Politécnica Maurizio Brocato
de Madrid. The sole responsibility for the content Universidad de Zaragoza
of this publication lies with the authors. It does Leonardo Agurto Venegas
not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Union. Neither the EACI nor the European
Commission are responsible for any use that may Beatriz Arranz & Luis A.Molinero Rodriguez
be made of the information contained therein.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With regards to the publication of this book, the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) would like to thank
all the people who, with their enthusiasm and their hard work, contributed to the success of the SDE 2012
Competition by believing in the project and giving generously the best of themselves for this shared vision
to help to improve our buildings and cities.

A well-deserved mention goes to the Government of Spain, specifically the Ministry of Public Works and the
former Ministry of Housing. Without their institutional leadership these projects would never have seen the
light of day. In particular, our sincere gratitude for Javier Serra María Tomé, for his unconditional support
and expertise. His know-how and commitment has been vital for the success of the project. Also, we extend
our appreciation to the Department of Energy of the United States whose unwavering support has been
fundamental in bringing this competition to Europe and adapting it to European needs. We would also like
to thank all the sponsors for their support, without which we would not have been able to do many of the
activities that were essential for the success of this initiative.

Finally, the UPM is especially grateful to the organization itself, to the staff of the UPM and the thousands
of volunteers from the UPM and Madrid who worked so generously. And last but not least, our deepest
appreciation goes to the real heroes of these projects: our thanks to the thousands of college students who
participated and competed giving the best of themselves, contributing with their energy and innovative ideas
to help create a more sustainable world.

3
Rafael Catalá Polo
State Secretary Ministry of Public Works

The housing directives designed by the Ministry of Public Works rely on the reorientation of the building
sector towards the refurbishment of housings and buildings, and towards the urban regeneration and
renovation, based principally on three main aspects: looking after the conservation conditions of the
buildings, facilitating the accessibility and movement of any handicapped and older people, and encouraging
the housing energy saving and efficiency. In particular the importance given from my Department for the
energy efficiency not only answers the European Union objectives, but also responds to our commitment
with an economy low in carbon, an urban environment of quality and the technological development and
innovation, with all their implications for our industry.

The fulfillment of these ambitious targets on building energy saving and efficiency involve an enormous
effort from the administrative offices and in general from the society, for educating and disseminating the
potential of energy efficiency and renewable energies usage, which like solar is numerous in Spain. For this
end, Solar Decathlon Europe has been a very useful tool to contribute to this necessary awareness.

For this reason, the Government of Spain through the Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Development
of the Ministry of Public Works, fulfilling the commitment signed with the USA Government of bringing this
prestigious international competition to Europe, has relied on the enormous communicating and social
awareness potential of this competition, which objective, apart from generating knowledge by means of the
promotion of the research and innovation applied to architecture and construction, has contributed to the
population involvement in a more conscious use of the energy.

The goal of this book is to transmit the basic information of the projects that participated in the competition,
celebrated in September 2012, and therefore contribute to its dissemination and knowledge.

In closing, I would like to emphasize that Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 could not have been possible
without the collaboration of Madrid City Hall, and the support from the sponsors, Schneider Electric and
Kommerling. Our acknowledgement and appreciation to all of them.

4
Ana María Botella Serrano
Mayor of Madrid

By the middle of the 21st century, we hope to have set up a way of life in our cities that is both compatible
with the environment and sustainable. This new model, based on the principles of efficacy, efficiency and
sufficiency, has as its main objectives: lowering the consumption of energy, using renewable energies and/
or minimizing contaminating emissions. The prioritization of these features is being insisted on more and
more by the general public.

Institutions have to be responsive to these demands and participate in initiatives that contribute to the
dissemination and awareness of these new ways of coexisting with the environment. Keeping in line with
this objective are the exhibitions of the first two competitions of the Solar Decathlon Europe here in Madrid,
which bring us future possibilities applied directly to houses through R&D and advanced technology.

This is how we see it here in Madrid, where in the last few years we have become an example of the best
applications and practices developed in this area. Our initiatives in sustainability, including construction and
housing, have received recognition both at the national and the international level.

Our city has hosted two consecutive exhibitions of this international contest offering particularly unique
locations to support the spirit of the competition. In 2010, the Villa Solar was located in the Manzanares
riverbank, an area which has seen the most ambitious urban transformation of the city in recent history. In
2012, the exhibition was placed in the area of Puerta del Ángel, in Casa de Campo, from where we can see
an extraordinary panoramic view of our city skyline.

Madrid is especially grateful for having been selected as the venue of this competition. The enormous effort
of institutional collaboration put in by all those who participated in this experience was appreciated by the
thousands of visitors who were able to enjoy the exhibition and the quality of the projects which were being
presented by the participating universities/teams.

Solar Decathlon Europe has been an excellent opportunity not only for demonstrating the existence of a
different approach, but also by showing that it is completely feasible. The endeavor to develop sustainable
architecture is a contemporary commitment, and, more importantly, a commitment to our future. And this
venture will always have the support of the city of Madrid.

5
DETERMINED PROGRESS IN ENERGY EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
Fidel Perez Montes
Director General of the Institute for the Diversification and Conservation of Energy (IDAE)

In Spain, of an overall annual National energy consumption of 86.062 ktoe, energy consumption in the
building and equipment sector in 2011 was 25.802 ktoe. Out of this, 16.222 ktoe was residential housing
consumption, and 9.580 ktoe was used by service buildings. Moreover, if our domestic energy consumption
is separated into thermal and electric usage, the former (9.843 ktoe) is much higher than the latter (6.379
ktoe).

The analysis of energy usage in the building sector, leads us to conclude that there is significant room for
improving the energy efficiency of our buildings. Primarily, because approximately 58% of the buildings
were completed before the introduction of a national directive in 1979, the Basic Building Regulation, which
addresses thermal conditions in buildings and mandates a minimum level of insulation.

Faced with this reality, along with the inevitable challenge of moving towards a low carbon economy, it has
become necessary to generate a series of relevant codes, such as those approved last April in the Council
of Ministers. The final objective is not only to guarantee the constitutional right to a well-designed and
functional home, but also to improve the level of conservation conditions, accessibility, quality, sustainability
and energy efficiency of our buildings, in addition to providing support for the restructuring and recovery of
the construction sector.

Indeed, the last few months have been especially intense with the introduction of regulatory initiatives of
great importance to improve the energy performance of the existing buildings, and to guarantee that the
new ones will be built based on energy quality and zero emissions of criteria pollutants.

Taking this into account, it is important to mention the authorization of the 2010/31 directive, which
mandates energy performance certification of existing buildings; and the 8/2013 regulation regarding Urban
Refurbishment, Regeneration, and Renovation which, among other items, uses the Building Evaluation
Report (IEE) as an instrument to control the level of construction conservation and energy efficiency of the
building.

Therefore, the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), in keeping with its purpose
and function, is working to put in place the Refurbishment Plan for Residential and Hotel Buildings, and
has been endowed with 125 million Euros for promoting and funding the application of energy saving and
efficiency measures on building enclosures and thermal systems, as well as the use of renewable energies,
focusing mainly on geothermal and biomass energy.

In conclusion, we are advocating regulations which demonstrate our commitment to transform a sector
with tremendous possibilities towards environmental and energy sustainability.

6
Carlos Conde Lázaro
Rector of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

As in the 2010 competition, the Solar Decathlon Europe Organization finalizes the great work realized for
the 2012 competition with the publication of this book, which shows the experience and results obtained
during this event. Both results and experience, are revealed throughout the text. But a book has its limits,
therefore, it is really difficult, if not impossible, to completely transmit the extraordinary wealth of the
competition and the huge amount of work done to make it come to reality.

We have to thank all the people who made this event possible and also those institutions which supported
the competition: Ministry of Public Works, Technical University of Madrid and Madrid City Council; and
take satisfaction in its success. As the UPM Rector, I have to give special thanks and appreciation to
all the University members who worked on this project: 60 people were involved (including professors,
administrators, and students) and approximately 800 volunteers.

The UPM collaboration with the Solar Decathlon Project has been continuously growing since 2005, when it
was the first non-American university to participate in the competition. In 2010, after its second participation
in 2007 (this time accompanied by the German University of Darmstadt) the UPM took responsibility for
organizing the first Solar Decathlon Europe. This agreement was repeated again in 2012.
The SD Europe 2012 event has been the most international of all the competitions held until today and
also stands out for including important changes, such as the specific contest for Energy Efficiency.
It is remarkable how, with realistic proposals, the participating teams produced three time the energy
consumed. This gives us an idea of how much this competition can contribute to solving technological
challenges with immediately applicable solutions.

We have to congratulate all the teams, as the quality of their projects was praiseworthy . Moreover, we
specially congratulate the winning team, the Rhône Alpes, with their house called Canopea, and the
“Andalucía Team”, a group of universities from Andalusia who came second.
From a personal point of view, I have to emphasize the great experience I had visiting the different houses
in the 2012 competition. We were given special treatment, which along with the excitement and eagerness
being transmitted from within the Villa, made us think about the possibility of participating in future SDE
projects.

From an institutional point of view, I have to stress UPM’s appreciation of the support given to this event
which fully represents the values we want to disseminate in our university education, and which we will
continue doing, whenever possible, for future competitions.

7
Richard J. King
Director Solar Decathlon U.S. Department of Energy

The challenge—as we enter the new millennium—is climate change. How do we rebuild twentieth-century
buildings and infrastructure to be more energy efficient and sustainable, and how do we redesign our
future? Specific to the Solar Decathlon, how do you design a home that is self-sufficient? A house that is
healthy to live in and produces its own clean power?

In 2000, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) challenged university schools of architecture and engineering
to design and build solar-powered houses that were energy efficient, functional and appealing to the public.
In 2002, after two years of design work, 14 pioneering collegiate teams showed up on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., to showcase their houses and to prove their potential. The first Solar Decathlon 2002 was
a stunning success.

Starting with the 2005 competition, the Solar Decathlon was opened to international universities and the
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid was the first European team to enter. Their house was called “Magic
Box,” and all of Europe seemed to have adopted the team. Advance construction of the home in Madrid was
widely covered by the media, including more than 40 newspaper stories, 4 hours of radio interviews, and
15 television appearances. The house was the most visited exhibit at the Real Estate Fair of Madrid in May
2005. It was also the centerpiece of a course for 20 students from universities throughout Europe during
that summer.

Based on the success of the Magic Box and two other entries from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in
2007 and 2009, the Universidad petitioned the DOE to allow it to adopt the rules and hold a Solar Decathlon
in Europe. Madrid, Spain, was chosen as the site, and the rest is history. Two spectacular Solar Decathlon
Europe competitions were held in Madrid in 2010 and 2012.

Since 2002, the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon has directly affected the lives of nearly 17,000
collegiate participants on 112 collegiate teams. On top of that, at the time of this writing, 62 teams from 33
different countries— nearly 9,500 students—are participating in three different Solar Decathlon competitions
around the world: Solar Decathlon Europe 2014, Solar Decathlon China 2013 and the U.S. Department of
Energy Solar Decathlon 2013.

With this kind of brain power at work, our future looks bright.

8
SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE AND ITS IMPACT
Carlos Pérez Figueras
General Director of Kömmerling

I remember, back in 2007, when we received a proposal requesting collaboration on something called
Solar Decathlon. I must admit that back then I wasn’t sure what it was and wondered whether it was worth
embarking on an adventure of this type. Today after having lived this experience, I have a clear answer: Yes.

Solar Decathlon Europe has been much more than a competition of students from different countries in
search of the best solar house. Solar Decathlon Europe represents innovation, hard work, achievement,
enthusiasm, teamwork, dedication, companionship, challenges, motivation... definitely, strengths that
describe the essence of this competition and the impact it has made on, KÖMMERLING as a sponsor, the
world of architecture and construction, and the general public.

I can genuinely state that Solar Decathlon Europe has, without a doubt, demonstrated that things can be
done exceptionally well, and taking into account what has been accomplished thus far, the potential for
further development in this field of sustainable architecture is enormous.

Solar Decathlon Europe has been the launching point which has established that one can build affordable,
sustainable homes for the general public. It is clear that the means to do so exist, and we only need real
commitment from relevant institutions, companies, professionals... and, of course, the general public, to
accomplish this. Something that until recently seemed almost utopian can become a reality.

It was very pleasing to see that the new generation is so committed to this cause, full of creativity, enthusiasm
and professionalism, this again demonstrates that we are on the right track. Therefore, initiatives like Solar
Decathlon Europe, which received important media coverage and reached so many people, are vital for
social awareness and spreading the importance of the need for sustainable construction.

For all of the aforementioned we, at KÖMMERLING, are very proud to have been part of this important
project and this great organizing team during the two competitions in Spain. We fully identify with its
founding principles and objectives. We hope that there are more initiatives like this which demonstrate that
a new concept of architecture is possible and feasible. And although, as we previously stated, we are on the
right track, there is still much to be done as we have only just begun this journey.

In closing, I would like to quote the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former UN Secretary-General for
ten years, Kofi Annan, words that I believe summarize the real importance of initiatives of this type:
“Safeguarding the environment is a guiding principle of all our work in support of sustainable development;
is an essential component in the eradication of poverty and one of the foundations of peace”.

9
SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE EXPERIENCE
José-Emilio Serra de Fortuny
Customer Satisfaction, Quality and Business Development VP de Schneider Electric para la Zona Ibérica

In 2010, we started our adventure with the Solar Decathlon Europe. It was not a new experience for
Schneider Electric. Our colleagues in the United States have previously participated in other versions of the
competition held in North America. Here in Spain, we welcomed the announcement that Madrid was going
to host the first exhibition of this competition in Europe.

During the two competitions held in Madrid, we had the occasion to work closely with the organization, and
also with many teams from participating universities. In fact, we collaborated with almost half of the teams
involved and all of them surprised us with a final product that greatly exceeded our expectations. They really
did an amazing job.

The teams faced an immense challenge. But so did we. One of the things that the Solar Decathlon Europe
competition did was to test us all. In the first competition in 2010, we designed and implemented the
first microgrid in Spain that was used to support the competition. We also faced an additional challenge:
connecting houses that worked with different types of electrical power to the same. And, we did it.
In the 2012 competition, we created additional challenges ourselves. No longer satisfied with a microgrid,
we wanted everything to function with an intelligent distribution network, and also, we wanted it to operate
in a way that was both comprehensible and visible: the visitors to the Solar Decathlon had to understand
how energy is managed in a smart environment.

Through our participation in Solar Decathlon, we have proved that creativity, commitment, perseverance ...
are values that are very much present in students of today. That through teamwork, diversity, and the need
and desire to improve, emerge solutions that are capable of meeting our current challenges. The teams
demonstrated that a home can be both comfortable and self-sustaining, and that existing technology can
address the needs for our houses and cities making them much more sustainable and respectful of the
environment. And, above all, what is most important has been the ability to communicate this information
to the general public.

We are leaving 2012 with special memories, the aspirations of the teams at the award ceremony and
the enthusiasm of the team that created the House Rhone Alpes Canopea which won the competition.
Their motivation encourages us to continue investing in innovation and talent from within universities
and training centers, and to continue supporting projects such as the Solar Decathlon Europe which
encourage students to give their best.

Although Solar Decathlon Europe has moved its headquarters to France, Schneider Electric will continue to
work with the team. And from Spain, we will continue to support the Spanish teams that participate in the
upcoming competitions in France.

10
SUMMARY
Ecolar Home
University of Applied Sciences Konstanz, Germany
IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS: SOLAR
DECATHLON EUROPE & 10 ACTION PROJECTS’ Counter Entropy House
EVALUATION. NEW UPM CHALLENGES. RWTH Aachen University, Germany
by Sergio Vega Sánchez
Odoo
OVERVIEW OF SDEUROPE 2012 COMPETITION Budapest University of Technology & Economics, Hungary
BY THE JURIES
SML System
2012 Solar Decathlon Europe Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, Spain
by Susana Torre
(E)CO House
SDE 2012 Buildings Integrated Energy Efficiency - A Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
Milestone Of The Sustainable Energy Plus Buildings And
Settlements Of The Future Prispa
by Marija Todorovic “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism +
Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest +
Engineering And Construction University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania
by Rafael Úrculo
Fold
Passing the Point of No Return - Sustainability is No Longer Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
a Trend
by Jason Twill Para Eco-House
Tongji University, China
Going Global: In ten years, the Solar Decathlon extends its
reach from the U.S. to Europe to Asia Sumbiosi
by Jane Kolleeny Bordeaux University, France

Response to Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 Event Ekihouse

by Harriet Pilkington Universidad del País Vasco (Euskel Herriko Unibertsitatea), Spain

FROM HIGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO ZERO ENERGY Ekó House

BUILDINGS: PASSIVE STRATEGIES AND OTHER ENERGY Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Universidade de
EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS USED BY SOLAR DECATHLON Sâo Paulo, Brasil
EUROPE 2012 HOUSES
by Edwin Rodríguez - Ubiñas Omotenashi House
Chiba University, Japan
SMART GRID AT THE SOLAR DECATHLON 2012
by J. M. Solans and R. Muñoz (Schneider Electric Spain) CEM’ Casas em Movimento
Universidade do Porto, Portugal
DESCRIPTION OF SDEUROPE 2012 HOUSES BY THE
PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES Astonyshine
École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture
Canopea Paris-Malaquais + École des Ponts ParisTech + Università
École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture de Grenoble, di Ferrara + Politecnico di Bari, France + Italy
France
CASA π UNIZAR
Patio 2.12 Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
Universidades de Sevilla + Jaén + Granada + Málaga, Spain
PROTOTYPE SDE2010
Med in Italy Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Università degli Studi di Roma TRE + Sapienza Università di
Roma + Free University of Bozen + Fraunhofer Italy, Italy CREDITS
IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS: SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE & 10 ACTION PROJECTS’
EVALUATION. NEW UPM CHALLENGES
Sergio Vega Sánchez, Dr. Architect, PMP
Professor at the E.T.S. de Arquitectura, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
Director of the Master’s Degree in Construction Quality Control.
Researcher of the TISE (Innovative and Sustainable Techniques in Building) Group.
General Director-Project Manager of the SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE Competition 2010-2012.
Main researcher of the 10ACTION project.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to write the introduction to the book “Solar Decathlon Europe 2010. Towards
Energy Efficient Buildings”, where I described the circumstances behind SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE
and 10ACTION, two ongoing projects lead by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid which had an important
social impact and received tremendous media coverage. With crucial reflection on all the processes
required for presenting projects that are so committed to protecting the environment and also keeping
in mind European politics, I become fully aware and convinced of the importance of disseminating the
rationale behind the origin of these projects and their success.

Two years later, I am again faced with the same challenges, but with the additional need to not literally
repeat myself, make a final assessment of both projects, followed by an account of new challenges that the
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid plans to take on in this shared commitment to improve energy efficiency
and sustainable buildings and cities.

Beyond the responses presented at the international Conference for Sustainable Development in Rio de
Janeiro in 1992 and Johannesburg in 2002, the European Union has articulated its commitment and support
through the objective 20/20/20, which seeks: a reduction in greenhouse gases emitted by the European
Union, a minimum reduction of 20% of its 1990 levels; a 20% reduction in primary energy used; and a 20%
increase of energy generated from renewable sources. This objective is based on the various directives
developed in Europe for this purpose: 2002 - Energy Efficiency in Buildings, 2009 - Use of Renewable Energy,
2010 - Net-Zero Emissions Buildings, and 2011 - New Directive of Energy Efficiency.

Ananalysis of the correlation between investment (cost) and return (the effectiveness of the measures) and its
representation in a simple pyramid chart, shows that it is more effective to invest in saving energy, therefore,
it is essential to generate social awareness (it has a greater saving potential and is more profitable), support
improvements in efficient energy use in our buildings and facilities, and generate the little energy that is
needed from renewable sources that are create less pollution.

This challenge requires that we give precedence to needs that are listed below:

• Developing the necessary knowledge for new technologies that would make possible an increase in
energy savings through energy efficient equipment, buildings and cities.

• Transmitting this knowledge to the industry so these innovations become efficient industrial products
that can be made use of because of their competitive edge.

• Disseminating this knowledge among technicians, professionals and businesses in order to generate a
critical mass of professionals that will productively integrate these innovations into their “skills” and their
daily routine.

• Raising social awareness at every level, from children and youngsters, who represent the future, to the
general public, is essential , so we can all make use of energy responsibly.

12
 renewables

energy efficiency

energy saving

The UPM Commitment to the Improvement of Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid has actively committed itself to generate knowledge in these areas
by setting up multiple research groups and projects, by disseminating this knowledge through organized
courses in professional specializations, masters, doctorates, and also through professional conferences
and workshops, and by supporting activities for different types of communities in order to raise awareness
amongst the public; through a combined effort, we can make buildings, cities, and the world much more
sustainable.

The first significant milestone of this commitment was made with the participation of the UPM in the Solar
Decathlon competition, which is a competition organized by the U.S. Department of Energy of the United
States mainly for American universities; students have to design and build prototypes of housing self-
sufficient in their energy use, powered by the sun, attractive and economical enough to potentially become
a reality in the near future. The final phase of the competition consists of building all the prototypes, creating
the “Villa Solar”, then, putting all the prototypes on display and competing in the 10 categories which form
the basis of the competition (Decathlon).

The Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, highly committed to sustainable development, participated on three
different occasions in the American competition: in 2005, with the MAGIC BOX house; in 2007, with the CASA
SOLAR; and in 2009, with the BLACK&WHITE house.

In October 2007, the active commitment and participation by the UPM at the 2007 Competition in SOLAR
HOUSE, prompted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Spanish Government
and the American Government, under which, for the first time, the competition would leave the U.S., and
Spain would organize two competitions in Madrid focusing on European universities. It is the outcome
of the 2010 and 2012 competitions of the renowned international Solar Decathlon Europe that is being
considered here.

Solar Decathlon Europe Competition

When the Government of Spain through the Ministry of Housing, asked the Universidad Politécnica de
Madrid to organize these two competitions, they specified two main requirements:

• First, promoting innovation and generating knowledge in systems that improve the performance of energy
efficient buildings, integrate renewable energies, and help achieve conditions of sustainability in buildings
and cities. Also, transferring this knowledge to the industry and to professionals, in order to create a core
group of technicians who could integrate innovative, eco-energetic solutions in their routine designs and
activities.

• Second, taking advantage of the social and media interest aroused by the competition to make society, from

13
UPM Magic Box, 2005
UPM Casa Solar, 2007
UPM Casa Black&White, 2009.

children and youngsters to the general public, more aware of the importance of using energy responsibly.
In addition, improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, equipment, bulbs, etc., and developing ways to
exploit and integrate renewable energies in our lives, in other words, of working together to create a more
sustainable world.

With these specifications in mind, we developed an initial ambitious strategy that would support the
competition with activities that would appeal to the public and media in order to take advantage of all of the
possible ways to disseminate information and promote social awareness. Compared to the method used in
the American competition, our distinctive modification can be described as the sharing of objectives with the
teams and other Spanish and European agents taking advantage of the potential synergies, encouraging
each team became the focus of influence in their environment, launching and leading a European project
to develop activities in other European countries, making the competition a common European challenge,
promoting innovation and sustainability, encouraging the creation of shared research.

This initial strategy which was applied in the first half of the project, is clearly visible in the modification of
the competition compared to the American one, and with the launching of the European 10ACTION project,
and also the organization of a large number of activities around the Solar Decathlon 2010 competition.

Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 Competition

The Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 was initiated in the year 2008, and the final part took place in June
2010 at the “Villa Solar”, constructed in Madrid on the two shores of the Manzanares River. 17 Universities
participated in the final phase with their proposals which were described and analyzed in the previous
publication of this book.

The categories which were clearly defined in the objectives of the competition were: architecture; engineering
and construction; solar systems; electrical energy balance; comfort conditions; appliances and their
functionality; communication and social awareness; industrialization and market feasibility; innovation;
and sustainability, the last four being completely new and very different to the categories included in the
American version of the competition.

Of the 1,000 points of the competition, some were given in quantitative, objective measurements, and
the others were assigned by the six international expert juries which assessed diverse aspects such as:
architecture, engineering, solar systems, industrialization, communication and sustainability.

To accomplish the aforementioned objectives, we developed and organized more than 75 different activities
aimed at all public groups in the months prior to and during the competition, the goal being to promote
social awareness regarding responsible energy use for improving the conditions of sustainability in our
homes and cities.

14
The results could not have been more encouraging in every single aspect: both from a general point of
view and judging the event strictly as a competition, from a technological point of view and from the social
impact and publicity it generated, with more than 192,000 visitors during the 10 days of competition. In
the months before and during the competition there were more than 268,000 hits on the website (www.
sdeurope.org) from over 157 different countries, coverage by an estimated 5,000 media organizations around
the world (only in Spain we controlled and recorded over 2,000 ), with an estimated 400 million people who
had direct information of the event.

Because of the positive reviews of this first competition in Europe, the Solar Decathlon Europe project
received the important honor of being categorized as “Communication” organized by the European
Commission through the platform of networks of communications called Sustainable Energy Europe. The
award was given at an event called European Awards at the Sustainable Energy Week.

Through a critical analysis of the work completed in the first competition, we learned a lot and many of the
suggestions for improvements were implemented in the next competition and in the activities planned for
the 10Action project.

Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 Competition

Among the many new challenges that we took on for the second competition, one involved emphasizing even
more the subject of energy efficiency through the incorporation of a new contest specifically regarding this
concept, an extension of the main message which is to make even more sustainable cities and buildings,
therefore we included this, with its evaluation, in the competition; developing housing solutions that allow
for a greater number of residents, to meet the needs of the cities with a more sustainable approach;
incorporating the electric car that, in addition to the benefits of sustainable mobility, can balance the
electricity demand and is supported by one of the first operational Smart Grids in Spain. Internally, a new
monitoring system was developed to be used throughout the “Villa Solar”, in addition to the software for the
competition, which was much more robust, reliable, and suitable for research projects.

From a communication point of view, an even more positive coordination was organized with the 10ACTION
project, including a similar number of activities as those in 2010, but being much more selective, much more
focused, and with much better organization and direction for each group in the target audience.

The contests for second competition, which highlight our objectives, were Architecture, Engineering
and Construction; Energy Efficiency; Electrical Energy Balance; Comfort Conditions; House Functionality;
Communication and Social Awareness; Industrialization and Market Feasibility; Innovation; and
Sustainability.

The competition, held at the Casa de Campo in Madrid, was once again a success with respect to both
participation and interest. Of the 23 teams selected from 15 countries from around the world for the

15
competition, 18 managed to reach the final stage in September 2012, resulting in an attractive and compact
“Villa Solar”.Close to the competition site, there were spaces dedicated to media, with specific places for
children, young people, professionals, university students, and the general public; areas in which we had
organized a large number of activities planned for the Solar Decathlon Europe and 10ACTION project.

The final assessment of this second competition was again very positive, from the extent of its media
coverage and social impact, with more than 220,000 visitors, and also from the view that it was strictly
a competition which, as in the previous experience, was both exciting and evenhanded to the very end.
It had a very active participation from the decathletes, inspired by their shared goals, presenting very
efficient, attractive prototypes with innovative technologies and strategies for improving the conditions
of sustainability. There was also a special camaraderie among them, which made it an unforgettable
experience for the hundreds of university students from around the world who bonded through their
common desire for sustainability.

10ACTION Project

As a supplementary extension of the activities developed in the area of the Solar Decathlon Europe
competition, the 10ACTION was launched. This was a project led by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
and the IDEA (Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy, the Energy Agency of the Government of
Spain), the Technische Universitat of Darmstadt, Energy Agencies of Austria (AEA), Greece (CRES) and
Portugal (ADENE), and the company EMK. The 10ACTION was funded by the European Union under the
Intelligent Energy Program. This initiative also included the active support of more than 12 additional
European countries that collaborated to organize specific activities.

This project looked for ways to encourage behavioral changes in European citizens, promoting education,
social awareness and dissemination of knowledge. 10ACTION was firmly committed to encouraging the
responsible use of energy, increasing energy efficiency, developing renewable energy integration, and
improving the conditions of sustainability in our buildings and cities.

The action plan takes into account five target groups towards whom all the activities are directed, these
groups are: children, youth, college students (all of whom represent the future in some way), professionals
and the industrial sector, and the public in general (see activities on the website: www.10action.eu).

After a little more than three years of development, activities were organized in many European countries,
focusing on different target groups. For children, workshops were organized to teach through play, web
games to create awareness, and drawing contests, etc. For teenagers, activities regarding social awareness
were set up, as were photographic competitions, workshops, etc. For European university students,
workshops were organized, debates related to the competition were arranged under the theme, More with
Less (Emissions) in addition to conferences, house visits, and guided tours during the construction of the
“Villa Solar”.

16
 40.000

38.000
But we can
36.000 recharge our electric
cars here!
34.000

32.000
It would be great And smart
30.000 if we could heat appliances may
our houses before start working
waking up! before we get
28.000
home
26.000

24.000

22.000

22 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 0 2

10ACTION included dozens of conferences, professional seminars and workshops aimed at disseminating
information and awareness among industries and professionals, as well as, a number of visits and cultural
and recreational activities designed for families and the general public, with the aim of creating awareness
amongst European citizens on how they can save energy within their regular daily activities and how they can
contribute to improving the conditions for sustainability.

The assessment of 10ACTION has also been very positive, having met and exceeded all the set goals in
terms of the impact of the different activities planned for each target. More than 9,000 children were actively
involved in the activities, about 7,000 teenagers, more than 2,000 college students participated in the
10Action project, more than 17,000 professionals from the construction field, and nearly 145,000 people in
the general public who actively participated. In total, more than 174 861 Europeans played games, learned,
and thought about the way we live and how we can improve the sustainability of our buildings and cities
through the 10Action project.

Final Evaluation of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010-2012 Competitions and the 10ACTION Project

Even though, like any project or action, there is always room for improvement, the final assessment of the
projects organized and led by the Universidad Politécnica Madrid (Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 and the
10ACTION project) can be considered very positive.

• A high level of involvement with companies, and public and private institutions from over 22 countries, with
Spain, the United States, and the European Union participating most actively in the development of these
projects.

• 48 universities from around the world participated in the SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE projects. Requests
for participation were received from more than 70 universities of the 800 universities that were initially
contacted.

• Over 600 researchers and PhD students participated in research projects, directly or indirectly associated
with the projects SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE and 10ACTION.

• 3,000 volunteers helped organize the competition and other activities.

• More than 25,000 children and teenagers played and participated in activities organized by 10ACTION and
SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE.

• More than 25,000 professionals from the construction sector participated in conferences, workshops, and
courses developed by SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE and 10ACTION specifically for this group.

• 192,000 visitors to the Solar Decathlon 2010 and 220,000 visitors in the year 2012; 145,000 people (general

17
 Architecture 120
ARCHITECTURE 200
Engineering & Construction 80
Energy Efficiency 100
ENERGY 220
Electrical Energy Balance 120
Comfort Conditions 120
COMFORT 240
House Functioning 120
SOCIAL Communications & Social Awareness 80
160
ECONOMIC Industrialization & Market Viability 80
Innovation 80
STRATEGIC 180
Sustainability 100

public) who participated in activities developed by 10Action in 12 European countries.

• In total, more than 600,000 people directly involved in activities organized in the framework of both projects.

• 10,000 media impacts of Solar Decathlon Europe and 10Action estimated in the world, of which almost
4,000 were directly from within Spain.

• More than 800,000 visitors to the websites of SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE and 10ACTION.

• During the SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE 2012 alone, there were 124,000 followers on Facebook, over
120,000 followers on Twitter, 5,700 hits on the SDE2012 blog, 2,380,000 Google hits, 7,810 videos, 156,000
images, 59,700 results in blogs, 2,810 results in discussion forums, 255 videos in Vimeo and 291 videos on
YouTube.

In total we estimate a global reach of over 600 million people worldwide who heard about some of our
activities. This is an important result considering the message associated with each and every one of the
activities.

New Challenges for the Technical University of Madrid

As an extension of the activities undertaken by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid within its commitment
to improve the sustainability our buildings and cities, the team that planned and developed the SOLAR
DECATHLON EUROPE 2010 and 2012, and also led the 10ACTION project, continues to work on new projects
and strategic initiatives.

Continuing with research activities, the UPM participates in competitive research projects, such as the project
SIREIN Energy Refurbishment of Buildings, or new positions taken up in the field of Facility Management
for energy saving. The UPM is also finalizing the development of the SOLAR VILLA Experimental Platform
with five solar houses and eight experimental adiabatic modules at the Campus of Excellence belonging to
the UPM in Montegancedo, Madrid.

The UPM has reached an agreement with SOLAR CSTB, the organization to which the French Government
has handed the responsibility for organizing the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 competition in France. The
UPM is participating in the organization of this next competition which will be held in Versailles, near Paris,
and laying the groundwork for the consolidation of the Solar Decathlon Europe competition, so that it
becomes a truly European project.

18
Also, there are many other initiatives and proposals open for collaboration on existing projects associated
with the commitment of the UPM, through a critical analysis of experience gained and lessons learned, we
are working on the launch of a new project called GESBC: GLOBAL ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
CHALLENGE.

GESBC is an international program, in a competition format, which seeks to address the challenge of
ensuring progress, in every aspect of sustainability, working towards a more socially, culturally and
technologically sustainable world. To meet this challenge we are counting on the support of more than
100 universities from around the world to participate in the program, sharing strategies, and competing
with each other, to improve the conditions of energy efficiency and sustainability in their prototype
structure (new or refurbished), and simultaneously using this opportunity to raise social awareness in
their community, encouraging transformation and promoting a movement towards sustainability in their
social, technological and cultural environment.

We are presenting this as a global challenge because the objective is to share strategies with each other,
from individual environments and communities, and really push this common agenda to improve the
sustainability of our buildings and cities.

Final Acknowledgements

I would like to close this brief introduction to the book by addressing all the participants who contributed to
the success of these projects, all the institutions, organizations, and companies that made possible such
positive results through their financial assistance and warm support.

A well-deserved mention goes to the Government of Spain, and specifically the Ministry of Public Works,
and the former Ministry of Housing. Without their institutional leadership these projects would never have
seen the light of day. The unconditional support from the Ministry despite the existing serious economic
situation in the country is greatly appreciated.

In second place, the IDAE (Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy), the energy agency of Spain,
deserves similar recognition, as it has supported without reservation the 10ACTION project and actively
participated in its concept, design and development, resulting in a very gratifying collaboration. Also our
gratitude goes to the Austrian Energy Agency, AEA, Greece; CRES; and Portugal, ADENE, as well as, the
University of Darmstadt, and the company EMK, for their active participation in the project.

Our thanks to the Madrid City Council for making it possible to have two great Villas Solares for the years
2010 and 2012, both in excellent, representative sites of Madrid.

Also we extend our appreciation to the Department of Energy of the United States, and in particular to
Richard King, Director of Solar Decathlon. His talent and his unwavering support, for the team organizing

19
the Solar Decathlon Europe, have been fundamental in bringing this competition to Europe, and adapting it
to European needs.

The support received from the European Union has encouraged us to believe that this competition will
become an authentic European project in addition to the individual initiatives of countries.

We would also like to express our thanks for the support received from all the sponsors, without whose
efforts we would not have been able to do many of the activities that were essential for the success of this
initiative. Although there were many companies that were involved with technical and/or economic support
in the projects, we would like to highlight our main sponsors Schneider Electric, Kommerling, and Saint
Gobain for their active collaboration in all areas.

Our special thanks to the communication media, for the significant support received, and for the large
coverage they gave us. Without doubt, an important part of the success came from the generous treatment
received from the media.

And finally our deep appreciation to the real heroes of these projects: our thanks to the thousands of
college students who participated and competed giving the best of themselves, contributing with their
energy and innovative ideas to help create a more sustainable world.

In closing, I would like to highlight that neither Solar Decathlon Europe nor 10ACTION would have been
possible without the sacrifice and effort of the organizing team, a large group of students, researchers and
professors from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, who have believed in the project and generously
gave the best of themselves, for this shared vision to help to improve our buildings and cities.

To the whole organizing team, to the thousands of volunteers from the UPM and Madrid who worked
generously, and to the staff of the UPM for making the success of these projects, thank you very much.

This book, which sets out in detail the experience of the teams during the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 and
completes the 2010 experience in the preceding book, is a tribute to all the thousands of people who, with
their enthusiasm and their work, have contributed to the success of these projects. This book also serves
as a handover to the organizers of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 in France. From here we wish you the
best of luck in the upcoming competition, and pledge our strong support in achieving its objectives.

http:// www.sdeurope.org http:// twitter.com/sdEurope

http:// blog.sdeurope.org http:// www.10action.com
http:// www.flickr.com/people/sdeurope http:// www.facebook.com/pages/10Action/283263048371264
http:// vimeo.com/sdeurope http:// twitter.com/10_Action
http:// www.facebook.com/sdeurope

20
Overview of SDEurope 2012
Competition
by the juries

Architecture
Energy Efficiency
Engineering and Construction
Sustainability
Communication and Social Awareness
Industrialization and Market Viability

21
2012 SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE
Susana Torre
Member of the Architecture Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012.
Professor at Columbia & Yale Universities (USA), Kassel (Germany) and Sidney (Australia)- Director of the
Cranbrook Academy and the Architecture Department of the Parsons School of Design (New York) -Architect
awarded by the American Institute of Architects, the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, The
Center for Advanced Study of the Visual Arts and the Graham Foundation.

The Architecture Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 was composed of three members:
Members of the jury: Mario Cucinella, Susana Torre, José María Lapuerta
Jury coordinator: Mónica Almagro
Jury Assistant: Alejandra García Hooghuis

The jury wishes to congratulate all those involved in Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 for the excellent results
achieved: the organizers, for envisioning the conceptual framework and logistics of the event; the schools
and sponsors, for creating the infrastructure and providing the means for the realization of the projects;
the student teams and the faculty advisors for designing and building the dwellings that are the very reason
for Solar Decathlon; and the volunteers, without whom the implementation of such a complex international
event would not have been possible.

The Solar Decathlon 2012 Exhibition has shown a wide range of conditions for sustainable building practices
and solar energy today – from modest but valuable proposals where a single dwelling in a rural environment
is given the task to teach an entire country about sustainability and solar energy, to highly sophisticated
proposals for dense urban conditions. And from cutting edge technologies to the very thoughtful use of
passive solar strategies, as demanded by the jury of the architectural competition in 2010. Some dwellings
in the exhibit also showed that we’re still trying to work out old ideas, like those of Dr. Maria Telkes, the
M.I.T. pioneer scientist who invented the first solar panels to be used in a house in 1948, collaborating
with architect Eleanor Raymond in attempting to integrate the newfangled technology into a vernacular
architectural language. Or the Whole Earth Catalog movement of the late 1960s, based on use of ready-
made industrially produced structures and the recycling of materials and furniture that is being revived in
our time by Urban Mining, a movement that is taking root in Germany and other countries. These examples
remind us of how long it takes for ideas – even good ideas – to influence and change the modus operandi
of industries, the academy, and, more importantly, the public and private agents that build and change the
physical environment.

This is why the jury decided to reward those projects that most clearly advanced the application of sustainable
strategies for the cities and neighborhoods we inhabit today as well as the new cities that will emerge in
the future. With regard to sustainability, architects should be particularly mindful of the suburbs -- not only
because they lack identity, density, and good service and transportation infrastructures, but because it is
in these environments that the most unsustainable kind of building has taken root. The jury members also
felt that research on building methods and photovoltaic materials should be stepped up -- perhaps in the
area of nano technology -- to find ways of turning current expensive solar equipment into more affordable
and sensitive skin-like materials, as shown in some of the houses. Such a development would accelerate
the integration and wide application of solar technology that is currently confined to the specialized world
of “solar architecture.”

The need for integration and acceptance of new technologies brings us back to the question of urban
environments, because the building block of the city is not the house, but the neighborhood, with its variety
of building types, shared landscapes and infrastructures and building codes – many of which actually
prevent the development of sustainable building practices and must be updated to favor and support them.
Such a complex task will require the talent and expertise of design professionals at all scales of the built

22
environment. To contribute to speeding up this process the organizers of the next Solar Decathlon should
give some thought to including certain requirements that have been just sketched in the rules for the 2012
competition. For example, the development of prototypes for specific locations could help adapt proposals
to particular situations where they might more readily be adopted. Or there could be a requirement for
higher urban densities than those that can be achieved by stacking three stories in wood construction. Or
the rules could eschew entire self-sufficiency in favor of shared smart grids. Perhaps then low-density
prototypes should be evaluated in a different category from higher-density ones.

The importance of engaging the political process that makes and transforms cities - and including the
town’s mayor in the list of project collaborators – should be stressed. Future Solar Decathlons could provide
the opportunity to expand the knowledge of functionaries in the ministries of the environment of similar
public agencies, the mayors of towns and the heads of regional governments - all those politicians who are
in a position to defend sustainable development as a goal for the future of our lives.

23
SDE 2012 BUILDINGS INTEGRATED ENERGY EFFICIENCY - A MILESTONE OF THE SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY PLUS BUILDINGS AND SETTLEMENTS OF THE FUTURE
Marija Todorovic
Member of the Energy Efficiency Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012.
UNESCO/ENEA Renewable Energy Sources e-Learning Lecturer, IIR Commission C1 President, Founder and
President of the IBPSA-Danube Affiliate. Served as Scientific Secretary of the ICHMT, coordinating Editor of the
Energy and Buildings and Editorial Board member of International Journals Building Performance Simulation
and Global Warming. member of ASHRAE, REHVA, UNESCO and other international organizations

The Energy Efficiency Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 was composed of three members
Members of the jury: Karsten Voss, Ignacio Fernández-Solla, Marija Todorović
Jury coordinator: Carlos Espinosa
Jury Assistant: Ricardo Puerta

In order to stop global climatic changes and their increasingly destructive consequences, it is imperative to
further develop independent, dynamic, and flexible energy systems in which miniaturized technologies and
distributed energy production, synchronized through “smart grids” based on the RES (Renewable Energy
Sources), play a vital role. Current irreversibly damaging processes have to be stopped, and intensive
growth of energy efficiency and RES utilization has to be achieved especially in the building sector. SDE
2012 has not only successfully confirmed that such a goal is reachable, but even more - the 18 buildings,
with their harmonized passive/active architecture/construction/HVAC/RES/smart-grid integrated energy
efficiency, have opened a new frontier for sustainable energy in buildings and settlements of the future.
Attending SDE 2012 in Madrid, witnessing the event and serving as a juror was an unforgettably enriching
experience for me.

The aim of the Energy Efficiency Contest was to encourage the enhancement of all system designs, with the
intent to reduce energy consumption and to assess the functionality and efficiency of all the components of
the house. Teams demonstrated an extremely high level of energy efficiency in their house design and its
technical systems, components and materials as well as appliances, each contributing to the final integrated
value of energy efficiency of the house. Their approach to the HVAC systems design was thoughtful and
creative with the concept selection, sizing and resolution of the HVAC systems facilities, and evaluation
and optimization of passive and active strategies - searching for the most energy efficient combinations.
In addition, it is important to stress, that all teams in their search for energy efficiency did not neglect
the broader requirements of the house, particularly indoor air quality and all other aspects of the indoor
environment quality.

Most of the end products in different aspects of the Energy Efficiency Contest were extremely creative,
innovative, physically sound and scientifically appealing. Consequently, the evaluation process and ranking
the teams was a very challenging responsibility. In order to evaluate teams, we assessed the degree
of innovation in the participating houses, focusing on emergent and radical changes in its systems and
components and their creative integration, which would increase its value and/or improve its efficiency,
such as the active and passive integration and technological contributions used to maximize the energy
efficiency of the house. In addition, we took into consideration innovative methods introduced to improve the
environmental efficiency of the house, including illumination, acoustics, and hydrothermal processes, thus
enhancing the comfort, health and livability of the house, as well as facilitating flawless functioning of the
house and its equipment.

Focusing on energy efficiency, teams demonstrated effective connections between and synthesis of their
design and analysis process, applying sound engineering principles, the most current modeling tools,
performing BPS – building performance simulations – and coming up with creative solutions for total
building performance optimization. The efficiency was also increased through the Control System: the
contribution by BACS (Building Automation Control System) to energy saving in the house was also an
important component within the Energy Efficiency Contest.

24
In the Energy Efficiency Contest, innovation and scientific research were interwoven with all other energy
efficiency components. Students’ attention was drawn not only to designing and building houses, but also
to searching for new ways to improve the construction and integration of the building’s solar components
and systems, to using new approaches to engineering, to generating knowledge of sustainable solar
buildings, and to reducing waste and energy consumed during manufacturing. Our jury had prepared a
few questions for teams. All teams were asked to define the building’s energy efficiency. Quite often, even
among professionals and experts, energy efficiency of a building is treated as something that occurs only
during its operation, at the Villa Solar site all teams clearly specified that energy efficiency is a quantity
which is applicable to the building’s life cycle, and that energy consumed during the building’s construction
is very important, as is the associated energy efficiency.

The electric systems in the houses were connected to the local utility service provider in Spain – Schneider
Electric created a low-tension micro-grid that interconnected houses and their solar panels, linking them
directly to local and global grids through two MV/LV substations and thereby helping to create a net-zero
energy home, balancing the energy flows, particularly electricity flows, and adapting the energy supply to
the demand in real time. This is a very important aspect of the SDE 2012 competition, as modern society
is increasingly dependent on electricity. Ongoing robotization and computerization of society, in addition
to, transportation will all bring about an increase in the use of electricity. A detailed analysis carried out
by Edwin Rodríguez by monitoring the houses and the energy balance data within the Scneider’s smart
micro-grid, deserves attention. It shows that half of the houses were Madrid E+ houses - generating more
energy than they were consuming, and what is very important is that heat recovery, integration of passive
and hybrid systems and HVAC, heat pumps and RES integration, optimization and “smart micro-grid”
coordination of existing commercially available components and systems were as important as the essential
solar innovations.

This short review of the Energy Efficiency sub-contest I will dedicate to the winning team Andalucia Team and
its design approach. It is a prototype building with an innovative concept behind its construction consisting
of living prefabricated modules with clear marketable potential. Extremely well coordinated construction
elements, combined with traditional home spaces and enriched with the crucial understanding of their
inextricable link with the features of its envelope. Building outdoor and indoor environment dynamics
resulted in this building with its home-country traditional courtyard – a building with potentially high energy
efficiency performance. In addition the innovative evaporative adiabatic cooling facade, the building has a
PV system which has a double function, roof cover and electricity generator. PV panels placed on the roof
of the living modules create a ventilated air gap on small supports, with the appropriate incline to achieve
higher efficiency. Crucially designed as energy efficient passive/active, this building has potential to live
its life as a healthy building of high quality regarding all aspects of the indoor environment. For all these
reasons, the Andalucia Team deserved the first prize.

* Besides the Andalucia Team, there were a few other teams with designs inspired by their local traditional
buildings, for example the Romanian and Italian Teams. It would be great SDE 2012 outcome and a
great challenge for contemporary architects to be asked to design E+ houses which are reminiscent of
locally traditional houses. In all cultures worldwide, the building of traditional houses included no absurd
luxuries, no pretentiousness, but harmony, taste, and sizes which were creatively produced even in poverty.
Understood by all was a codex, standardization which was adjusted and set up for centuries and that is the
spirit which should be transposed into a modern houses. The style and the rhythm of the life of a modern
man are very different than they were in earlier times, and idea is not for a modern man to live in a 19th
century house – not a return to heritage and tradition but using them both as a foundation.

25
ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION
Rafael Úrculo
Member of the Engineering and Construction Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012.
Founding partner of R. Úrculo Ingenieros Consultores S.A., Associate professor of the Escuela Técnica Superior
de Arquitectura of Madrid, Professor of the Master’s Degree course in Restoration at that university, member
of ATECYR, ASHRAE (USA) and CIBSE (UK).

The Engineering and Construction Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 was composed of three members:
Members of the jury: Rafael Úrculo, David Springer, Tjerk Reijenga
Jury coordinator: Katja Klinkenberg
Jury Assistant: Diana Benavides

The SDE 2012 competition has brought about an important evolution in the use of technology in houses, both
from an engineering point of view and compared to the previous SDE competition.
Even though the general objectives for both competitions were basically the same, the means used to attain
them were much more developed and sophisticated in 2012.
The aforementioned objectives were basically:

• Providing maximum comfort (thermal, acoustic, and functional) for the inhabitants
• Achieving minimum net energy consumption
• Using passive strategies and renewable energies
• Carrying out appropriate prior thermal analysis
• Developing a suitable structural analysis

For each individual case, the jury analysed the structural, mechanical, and electrical plans, along with the
integration of the renewable energy components in the house.

As a distinctive consideration, the jurors gave special attention to innovation in the applied solutions.
In the competition, the different solutions proposed through each house were clearly the result of a variety
of approaches, responding to diverse climatic conditions and cultures. Therefore, some houses placed
special emphasis on the insulation, some on thermal inertia, and others on ventilation and evaporative
cooling, bringing back traditional techniques conveniently adapted to current needs.

The use of phase-change material (PCM) was common in most of the prototypes, contributing non-
structural high thermal inertia and significant storage capacity to the thermal treatment systems. Therefore,
compared to the SD 2005 competition, where only some PCM use was observed, the SDE 2012 competition
was a confirmation that these materials provide a reliable solution as they have already passed through the
experimental phase.

Concerning renewable energies, the adoption of mixed panels in some of the houses deserves a special
mention. These panels were used for generating electricity, and hot and cold water. The system is simple.
A water plate is placed over the PV panels to improve their performance. The hot water generated is stored
to be used later on. During the night the process is repeated, however, in this case, the cooling of water is
caused by space irradiation (on cloudy days), and the cool water is used for indoor air conditioning: directly
or through the PCM accumulators.
The Rhône-Alps Team introduced a very interesting solution, pertinent to an urban environment. They
brought a prototype which could be stacked one on top of the other, up to six times, presenting a real
alternative and a very practical solution for limited urban spaces.

According to the jury, the standard of the competition was excellent. All the participants exhibited a deep

26
knowledge of the applied technologies, having done exhaustive work throughout the project, from the
initial design phase, up to the final construction and execution. Almost all of the prototypes were ready for
industrial production.

In conclusion, the SDE 2012 competition exceeded all expectations, fulfilling its objectives completely.

27
PASSING THE POINT OF NO RETURN – SUSTAINABILITY IS NO LONGER A TREND
Jason Twill
Member of the Sustainability Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012
Senior Project Manager/Sustainability Manager- Design and Construction for Vulcan, Inc, Steering Committee
Member of Garrison Institute, Board Member of the International Living Future Institute, Founding Board Member
of Green Sports Alliance, Board Member of BioRegional and Trained Presenter of The Climate Reality Project.

The Sustainability Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 was composed of three members:
Members of the jury: Emilio Mitre, Manfred Hegger, Jason Twill
Jury coordinator: Mónica Almagro
Jury Assistant: Alejandra García Hooghuis

Flying into Madrid that late September afternoon my expectations were already high after having poured
through all the students’ written submissions of their projects. However, those expectations were
dramatically exceeded when I first arrived on site at Villa Solar and toured the grounds where there was
a constant buzz of “oohs and aahs” from students, judges and the general public alike. Three days of
visits, three days of questions and presentations, and three days of insightful discussions about the state of
architecture and construction in our world with my fellow jurors. If there was only one key takeaway that
I could mention of my involvement as a juror for 2012’s European Solar Decathlon competition it would be
this… hope.

Walking the Villa Solar ground both by day and by night and listening to those impassioned students
illuminated for me the tremendous progress the Solar Decathlon competition has made in advancing a
common understanding of ecologically and socially conscious design and construction over the past several
years. While I was utterly impressed by the level of understanding and innovation that each team brought
to fruition in their projects, but I was even more impressed by the level of consistency I saw among the
various teams in their approaches to optimizing energy, habitat, water, and material systems. From Brazil
to Bejing, Romania to Rome, the students demonstrated a common language and approach to sustainable
design concepts and applied them very thoughtfully to address both climate responsiveness and place-
based context given the region of the world they came from.

It was this common understanding among the various teams that has stuck with me in the months since
my visit to Madrid and has left me with high-level of hope that these brilliant, hard working and passionate
students will settle into their respective careers and will lead a transformation within our industry. Although
I never consider sustainability to be trend, it is has been discussed as such over the past several years. After
having gone through the experience of a juror for Solar Decathlon Europe 2012, I can resoundingly state
sustainability is NOT a trend and that we have long passed the point of no return, the tipping point as many
of us say. No, sustainability is merely the new normal and the student teams for this years’ competition
could not have demonstrated this notion better.

I received tremendous value in participating in this event and was able to learn so much not only from
the students, but from my fellow jurors, Manfred and Emilio, and our amazing coordinators Monica and
Alejandra. The discussions that would ensue after each day’s visit to Villa Solar were intense and would
draw late into the evening over a meal. It was here we discussed how well students integrated traditional
local knowledge and vernacular of passive design strategies into their submissions such at the internal
patio concept used by the Andalucia team and the massing and thermal envelope design for Prispa by
the Romanian team. How elegant low cost, “low-tech” strategies were shrewdly utilized over high cost
ones such as the sand-filled aluminum “thermal” tubes conceived by the Med-In-Italy team and the simple
concept of a “home within a greenhouse” approach of the UPC (e)co team.

28
We also stressed the importance and value of beauty with regards to sustainability. Not beauty from a
luxurious sense, but beauty of soul nourishing kind. The kind of beauty that would make someone fight to
save a home or building from being torn down a hundred years hence. The Tonji and Odoo project teams
excelled in this area. There was also a larger discussion of the role of density and humanities global trend
toward urbanity. While the majority of submissions thoughtfully considered the modularity of their homes
with stacking potential, the Rhone-Alps team really applied this concept to the extreme which yielded them
honorable mention on sustainability, and overall winner of this year’s competition.

Overall, attending Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 in Madrid and serving as a juror was a deeply enriching
experience for me. I wish to congratulate the large number of individuals that worked tirelessly to make
this competition a reality in both the U.S. and in Europe. Without their leadership and vision, I am certain
the advancement and attainment of knowledge of sustainable design and construction concepts would not
at the level where they are today. I particularly want to thank the students, who from all over the globe,
brought with them a wisdom, passion and work ethic that was truly inspiring to encounter. I wish them
all the best of luck in their respective careers and know our industry will benefit tremendously from them
having endured the Solar Decathlon experience.

29
GOING GLOBAL: IN TEN YEARS, THE SOLAR DECATHLON EXTENDS ITS REACH FROM THE U.S.
TO EUROPE TO ASIA
Jane Kolleeny
Jane Kolleeny served twice on the communications and social awareness jury for the European Solar
Decathlon.
Senior editor in Architectural Record Magazine. Managing Editor of GreenSource.The Magazine of Sustainable
Design.

The Communication & Social Awareness Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 was composed of three
members:
Members of the jury: Daniel Sieberg, Jane Kolleeny, Miguel Angel Valladares
Jury coordinator: Yolanda Sanromán
Jury Assistant: Mercedes Ojeda

With increasing numbers of baby-boomers reaching retirement age, conversations abound about the
importance of training the next generation of design professionals. One effective teaching tool is the
university-based design/build studio, where students see their ideas evolve from conception to built reality,
while experimenting with fresh perspectives on digital technologies, materials, and construction techniques.

One learning studio that has fast moved into the forefront is the Solar Decathlon (solardecathlon.
gov), where students witness the implications of their designs through a ten-category competition that
measures aesthetics, building performance, innovation, communications, fundraising, and marketability,
all the disciplines they will need to be successful in the real world. Moreover, the competition focuses
on renewable energy and sustainable materials, preparing them for a future of climate change. Building
product manufacturers have long sponsored the program, and the competition has served as a showcase
for renewable energy strategies, especially solar, as well as the latest in green products.

Founded by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2002, the Solar Decathlon was never meant to belong to any
one country. In fact, after it launched on the Washington Mall in 2002, it spread to Europe in 2010 (sdeurope.
org) and next year added China (sdchina.org) to its host countries. According to the Department of Energy’s
Solar Decathlon founder Richard King, “We wanted to go international for two reasons. First, to expand
the attraction of the event. We quickly saw how people loved the variety of designs, the innovations from
different regions of our country. Adding perspectives and cultural influences from foreign countries would
be even more exciting and beneficial. Second, if climate change is truly going to be slowed down, everyone
around the world has to work together. Reaching out internationally is a step in the right direction.”

This past September, 18 teams finished building their houses in Casa de Campo, a park in Madrid. Spain
produced the event a second time this year with a whopping 75 percent cut in budget from the last 2010
competition due to the economic crisis. Says competition manager Edwin Rodriguez, “We received the
help of nearly 600 volunteers—about 300 students from the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and the
rest from the organization, Volunteers of the City of Madrid.” In spite of such belt tightening, teams came
from 13 countries including Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. Scores were tabulated in ten categories based on a mix of jury
scoring and measurements of energy performance, comfort, house functioning and water use.

Averaging the ten scores, the top winner was Canopea (canopy), a house designed by the Rhone Alpes
team from southeastern France. They designed a two-storied prototype of a nanotower, cast in an urban
context to address issues of density in the alpine corridor where the team originates. The project consists
of a series of individual homes stacked in a small tower with shared meeting places, gardens, and vertical
farms elevated in the air. Coming in for a close second place was the team from Andalucia in southern
Spain, with Patio 2.12, which introduces an innovative cooling technology based on the principle of the botijo,
a clay bottle popularly used in Spain to keep drinks cool. In third place the Rome, Italy, team won for Med in

30
Italy, an indoor/outdoor house designed for a Mediterranean climate, whose layered walls contain sand in
aluminum tubes and coatings of natural insulation made to ensure thermal balance.

While scoring in the categories determined by measurement is straightforward, selection of the winners in
juried categories was difficult due to the abundance of original thinking and grit among the teams. Serving
on the Industrialization and market viability jury, Jennifer Siegel from Venice, California-based Office of
Mobile Design remarked, “I cannot recall any time in my career when I was so excited about ideas that were
produced in real time, at full-scale, and where the designers were so engaged in adventurous sustainable
solutions to industrialized homes. The idea of taking risks is something I continuously expound upon with
students. Here was the outcome of risk. While some [houses] were magnificent and some utter flops, all of
the projects had a spark of daring creativity rarely found in the built landscapes of American cities today.”

Not a single U.S. team competed at this Madrid gathering. Virginia Tech’s Luminhaus won the European
competition in 2010, which disqualified them from competing this year, and most other North American
teams participated in last year’s U.S. competition. King says the competition is iterative—teams come
together and learn from each other what works. It usually takes a few tries before being successful. That’s
one reason learning should be the primary goal of the competition. Still, it is a contest, and the highly
energized student teams show a strong competitive spirit. We jurors wondered how they remained alert
during the day--rumor had it they partied every night at their chosen watering hole, getting the word out on
twitter where the evening’s meeting place would be. Of the three winning teams, the top two had competed in
2010 with different houses. All three winners had strong themes and inventive schemes, clearly articulating
their intentions to the juries.

Next year, Solar Decathlon China will take place for the first time in August in Datong, China. It will be
hosted by the National Energy Administration (NEA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, organized by
Peking University and supported by private companies. Remarks King: “China has the largest population
in the world. We can have the most impact in numbers by holding the program in Asia. The Chinese
government, through the NEA, is supporting the competition. That’s significant. It shows they are honest
about their desire to become more sustainable as a society and economic powerhouse. They are willing to
showcase new ideas to their people on a large scale.”

Twenty teams will compete in China including several parings of U.S. and Chinese universities, a few
Chinese-only teams, and others from Iran, Israel, Singapore, Egypt, Malaysia, and Turkey. Europe will
again host in 2014, where students will build their houses on the grounds of Versailles outside Paris. Can
you imagine Marie Antoinette’s horror in seeing her beloved palace juxtaposed with modest-sized, high-
performance modern houses? What a magnificent contrast that will be. Next year, the U.S. competition
moves to the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station
El Toro. Turning the site into a sustainable parkland for recreation, the city invited the Solar Decathlon
teams to build their houses on a paved runway in the midst of the park.

The three locales put together now involve over 70 universities from around the world totaling 7,000 students
and faculty. In turn, the competition reaches thousands of people through the media. Imbibes King, “A small
but significant step in our goal to educate everyone in the world.”

31
RESPONSE TO SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE 2012 EVENT
Harriet Pilkington
Member of the Industrialization & Market Viability Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012.
Founding Director of the design and build housing company Eunoia, Board member of PrefabNZ of the
New Zealand Timber Design Society Management Committee, Master’s Thesis Supervisor, Senior Lecturer
and Design Tutor within AUT University, Department of Spatial Design and the University of Auckland, School of
Architecture, currently working in the architectural practice Young + Richards
The Industrialization & Market Viability Jury of Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 was composed of three members:
Members of the jury: Jennifer Siegal, Harriet Pilkington, Luis Basagoiti
Jury coordinator: Pablo Jiménez
Jury Assistant: Ricardo Puerta

I was honoured to be invited to the Solar Decathlon 2012 in Madrid from about the furthest place on the
planet possible, the city of Auckland in New Zealand. It was amazing to be part of such a global event and
cross pollination of ideas, my congratulations go out to all the student teams for their phenomenal projects
- just the logistics of getting these structures up under such time pressure is a great feat in itself and the
event itself was wonderfully well organised.

The Transition to reality is often easy to overlook in the excitement of a future forward global event such
as this, and it is often overlooked in the enthusiasm of a university student, that is why I think the Solar
Decathlon is a particularly special competition. Students are required to consider the reality of taking their
designs to market at this early prototype stage.
But alongside this it is also innovation that is a key focus of the competition - this is what will make a
difference to the status quo and makes the work on show so exciting.

The scale of the world felt very small at this event and I was very interested in what sorts of key design
elements in the design of housing had commonality across different cultures and contexts and also where
the differences lie. The need to think globally but to act locally has never more been more important in
the fight to maintain our cultural identities in this Ikea and iPhone age, I think the strongest competitors
recognised this and were very aware of the culture and environment they were designing for.

Two of the key things I focused on when assessing the projects were the importance of ‘Place and Context’
in the architecture and the importance of a ‘Flexible and Adaptable Systems Approach’.
The Best projects in my view understood these key concerns in their work which was fantastic to see.

Probably the key commonality I see when we consider housing globally is that people want a home to fit
their lifestyle and that the most successful houses respond to lifestyle and site and cultural context rather
than mass cookie cutter developments.
The student work offered a much more positive future that the suburban mass that we see as the status
quo creeping all over the world.

What I see in my work is that the most successful housing companies are those that are able to economically
produce different design offerings using the same systems and parameters to cater to individual needs and
contexts. What we see with all our projects is that no two projects, sites or clients are exactly alike and
design systems need to be adaptable to successfully deal with this.

People these days, ever more in my experience, desire new houses in much the same way as they consume
most other purchases in their lives. They want to know what they are going to get, how much it’s going to
cost, how long it’s going to take, they want the surety of guaranteed quality, at the lowest price possible and
if that wasn’t enough- they want it now!

32
This is all well and good but then you find out that their site has major planning restrictions and that they
want to make “just a few minor changes to the standard design” This is the reality I see many of these
prototypes will meet when taken to market.

The strongest projects were under no illusions about this. They understood that their prototype design would
act as a hook for clients but that their design was a system that could be adapted to different requirements,
sites and regulatory conditions.
The trick being, how to do this and still have a viable economic product?
If the housing product is considered as an open modular system rather than a closed fixed system of
parameters then it is possible to cater to a wider audience and context, embracing individuality whilst still
being economically feasible.

The best projects in my view explored mass customization rather than mass production, surprised us with
their innovation and stepped up to greet a challenging future.

33
From High Energy
Efficiency to Zero Energy
Buildings: Passive
Strategies and Other
Energy Efficient Solutions
Used by Solar Decathlon
Europe 2012 Houses
by Edwin Rodríguez-Ubiñas

34
FROM HIGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS: PASSIVE STRATEGIES AND OTHER ENERGY
EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS USED BY SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE 2012 HOUSES
Edwin Rodríguez-Ubiñas
Solar Decathlon Europe Competition Manager. Master in Environment and Bioclimatic Architecture
from Technical University of Madrid (UPM). Lecturer in Master Programs of Madrid School of
Architecture (ETSAM). Researcher at TISE group in the Department of Construction and Technology in
Architecture (UPM).

The expansion of cities, the economic prosperity of countries, and the increase in living standards have
all led to a continuous increase in energy consumption in buildings. This situation raises concerns about
competitiveness, energy supply assurance, and the environment. In response to the current state of
affairs, the European Union has been issuing directives which require Member States to take major steps
towards making buildings more energy-efficient. In 2002, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
(EPBD) [1] was approved. This directive emphasizes the need to reduce energy consumption and improve
energy efficiency in buildings. Eight years later, the EPBD Recast [2] was approved, introducing objectives
concerning the Near to Zero Energy Building (ZEB) for both existing and new construction. The directive
defines a Near to ZEB as a very high energy performance building in which the almost zero, or a very
low amount of energy, required must be covered to a very large extent by energy coming from renewable
sources, produced on-site or nearby. This is not a concrete definition; many parameters are defined with
subjective words such as nearly, very high, very low and very significant. In addition, the directive does not
establish the method, period, or boundary of the energy balance, and the energy weighting factors still need
to be defined. Consequently, several researchers are working on clarifying and aligning existing definitions,
and proposing energy balance methods [3-7].

Despite the lack of definition in the Directive 2010/31/EU [2], it emphasizes fundamental features of the ZEB.
One of these features is that these buildings must have very high energy performance levels. The first EPBD
specifies that, to have a high energy performance level, it is necessary to reduce consumption and increase
the efficiency of the building systems and services. In Europe, most of the energy consumption in buildings
is for protection from the external climate and the need to use mechanical systems to maintain comfortable
indoor conditions [8]. There are numerous possibilities for reducing heating and cooling loads by using
passive design strategies and high efficiency HVAC systems. Therefore these strategies and solutions are
essential for meeting the EPBD objectives, and developing Zero Energy Buildings.

The Solar Decathlon Europe (SDE), following the objectives of the European Directives, challenged universities
from all over the world to design, build and operate sustainable Zero Energy houses [9-12]. The objectives of
SDE included, science, education, and social awareness. The SDE Organization recognizes the importance
of reducing energy consumption with correct energy management like, developing low energy buildings, and
using more energy efficient appliances and equipment. However, it is also conscious that in order to achieve
the true potential of energy savings, it is essential that people who live and work in buildings understand the
current energy challenges and how they can be part of the solution by adopting a more sustainable lifestyle.

During the final phase of the SDE 2012 competition, each team assembled their house in Madrid at the
competition site, named ‘Villa Solar’, and SDE visitors got first-hand information about all the different
levels where it is possible to improve the energy efficiency of a country: from national energy distribution to
smart grids for neighborhoods, transportation, buildings and its services, as well as simple modification of
the occupants’ personal habits. Consequently, along with the competition activities, workshops, seminars
and conferences were organized. Also, there were some hours in which the houses were completely open

35
 Fig. 1. Diagram of the ZEB
approach and possible energy
balances
Fig. 2. Low Energy Building as
a result of the passive design
strategies and active energy
Fig. 1 efficiency technologies

to the general public, making them part of the exhibition too. The electricity at the ‘Villa Solar’ was managed
by the SDE Smart Grid; all the buildings, including the participating houses, were connected to it. Since the
participating houses were connected to the energy grid and were designed to produce more energy than
they consume, they were recognized as Net Zero Energy Buildings (Net ZEB).

From the first SD competitions, the use of passive strategies and energy efficient solutions has contributed
towards earning points in both monitored and juried contests [9]. Similarly, since its commencement, the
SDE Organization has promoted and evaluated the implementation of passive strategies and high energy
efficient solutions as the way to reduce building energy consumption and increase energy efficiency [10-12].
At the ‘Villa Solar’, the performance of the houses was continuously monitored [13] while they were being
evaluated for the ten contests of the competition. Passive strategies and the use of high efficiency solutions
in the houses played a decisive role in the competition since they had to operate with minimum energy
consumption in order to be successful.

In the SDE 2012 competition, even greater stress was laid on the use of passive design solutions and high
efficiency solutions. For this event, the contest structure was modified looking to extract a more direct
evaluation of energy efficiency in the houses and the effect of the passive strategies employed, see Fig. 1.
On this occasion, the “Energy Efficiency Contest” and the Passive Monitoring Period [11] were introduced
for first time. This was evaluated within the Comfort Conditions contest and during the days listed in the
competition calendar, only the use of passive systems or strategies was allowed. For the purposes of the
competition, “passive” meant any strategy or system that did not rely on thermodynamic cycles [11,14]
and/or on devices designed to heat or cool. During this period, the use of pumps and fans was allowed,
but the use of electrical heaters, chillers (air conditioners), heat pumps or other equipment that included
thermodynamic cycles was prohibited.

The aim of this chapter is to analyze passive strategies and other energy efficient solutions that may help
create Zero Energy Buildings. This analysis uses the SDE 2012 houses as case studies, and is focused on the
reduction in energy consumption, and not on the analysis of the energy production systems or the strategies
of the houses.

PASSIVE STRATEGIES AND OTHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY SOLUTIONS AS A WAY TO ZEB

The high energy performance buildings, shown in Fig. 2, may be Plus Energy Building (PEB), Zero Energy
Building (ZEB), or Near to Zero Energy Building (NZEB), depending on the balance between the energy
demanded and that generated. EPBD Recast states that before identifying a building as a ZEB, it must meet
two prior conditions: have a very low energy requirement and cover its energy needs with renewable energy
sources, produced nearby or on-site [2].

Very low energy buildings can be created by making use of appropriate passive design practices and making
a good selection of energy efficient building equipment and technologies [15]. The optimized low-energy

36
Fig. 2

building design includes, as a first step, a complete understanding of the how the building is to be used,
the interior comfort necessities, as well as the study of the climate and natural resources available on the
building site. As a second step, the passive design strategies to be used must be clearly defined. A passive
design includes strategies for hygrothermal comfort, daylight and air quality conditions. And finally, the
third step, where the high efficiency active systems and equipment to be used must be decided on. The use
of high efficiency HVAC, lighting, equipment and appliances, and an adequate control system, is an effective
way to reduce building energy consumption. However, the potential of energy saving through an optimized
design process, by minimizing the heating and cooling loads, is usually more effective than the use of
innovative HVAC solutions [15].

The passive design strategies may be classified in five categories: envelope, orientation, geometric
parameters, other passive strategies, and hybrid solutions. Similarly, the high efficiency technologies may
be grouped as HVAC systems, hot water, artificial lighting, appliances and equipment (plug-in energy loads),
and Buildings Automation and Control (BAC). Fig. 3 shows how to develop a Low Energy Building using the
appropriate passive strategies [16,18] and high efficiency solutions.

Building Envelope

The building envelope establishes the limit between the interior of the building and the exterior environment.
It can be understood a as a barrier, a selective filter or a responsive actuator. In any case, it plays a decisive
role in passive design strategies. The most severe the climatic conditions, the more critical are the
characteristics of the envelope and its airtight construction. The correct selection of the envelope material
can minimize energy consumption while providing interior thermal comfort. The thermophysical and optical
characteristics of the building envelope determine the gain or loss of thermal energy between its interior
and exterior. The thermal transmittance (U value) generally constitutes the most significant parameter for
the selection of both opaque and translucent surfaces. The absorptance, thermal lag and thermal energy
storage capacity are also parameters that affect the performance of the opaque surfaces. Meanwhile, for
fenestrations, in addition to their U value, it is necessary to take into account their visible transmittance and
solar heat gain.

Building Orientation, Geometrical Parameters And Ratios

Closely related to the characteristics of the envelope, are three parameters that influence the thermal
performance of buildings: orientation, geometric parameters, and the relationship between building parts,
called “ratios”. The orientation determines the possible use of, or protection from, solar radiation and
wind. This parameter can be analyzed on three different levels: by taking into account, the entire building,
demarcated spaces, and/or glazed surfaces. For the entire building, it is recommended that the long axis
of the construction runs from East to West. Regarding the building spaces, they should be positioned
depending on their usage in order to take advantage of, or be protected from, the exterior conditions when
in use. On the other hand, the orientation and size of the glazed surfaces are linked to the amount of daylight

37
 Fig. 3. Buildings’ passive
strategies and hybrid solutions
Fig. 4. Annual psychometric
analysis. ASHRAE Comfort Model
2005. Dots represent hourly
average exterior temperature and
Fig. 3 relative humidity.

and solar radiation needed and potentially available at the site.

Regarding the geometrical parameters, the form determines the size of the surface of exchange. As a
general rule for the northern hemisphere, a rectangular floor plan offers the optimal solution for passive
solar design [19], becoming even more compact when the climate is more severe. However, this rule must
be weighed against the characteristics of the specific site.

The ratios give an idea of the proportion and relationship between the building elements. The Aspect Ratio
(w/l) is the correlation between the equatorial-facing facade width (w) and the lateral facade length (l) [17].
This ratio in conjunction with the height and the roof type can define the building shape. However, buildings
of the same shape and the same volume may have different envelope areas. For that reason, there are other
ratios that correlate the envelope area and the building volume which can be used [16]. Keeping this in mind,
the European Committee for Standardization proposed two parameters to define the shape of a building:
the Compactness Ratio and the Shape Factor [20]. The Compactness Ratio (Ae/VC) is the ratio between the
thermal envelope area (Ae) in m2 and the building volume (VC) in m3. The Shape Factor (AE/AC) is the ratio
between the thermal envelope area (Ae) and building conditioned floor area (AC), both in m2. However,
there are other ratios used for the optimization of the energy performance of the building. Some of them
correlate the glazed area with the floor or wall area, or with the conditioned volume [21-25].

A high efficiency building design is not just the result of using one or more disconnected solutions. On the
contrary, it is an integrated whole-building design process [26]. There are many studies that deal with the
optimization of the building design using numeric analysis and building simulations [27]. Some studies
are based on the parametric analysis of one or more variables [16,21,23], others propose multi-objective
optimization methods using the Pareto approach [28].

Other Passive Strategies And Hybrid Solutions

Hybrid solutions need low energy consumption devices, like fans or pumps, to function. Passive strategies
and hybrid solutions help to minimize the use of active HVAC systems, taking advantage of the available
natural resources such as solar radiation, wind, thermal variability, daylight, clear skies and ground
temperature. Fig. 4 presents different passive solutions, classified into three groups: heating, cooling and
Thermal Energy Storage (TES). The most common TES system used in buildings is the Sensible Thermal
Energy Storage (STES). Moreover, the Sensible Thermal Energy Storage capacity of the ground may be used
by those spaces located underground. Additionally, Latent Thermal Energy Storage (LTES), using Phase
Changes Materials (PCM) as the storage medium, is becoming an attractive option since they increase the
Thermal Energy Storage capacity, adding very little weight and require little or no additional space [29].

MADRID CITY

Participating houses in the SDE 2012 are the cases study in the present analysis. These houses were
designed and pre-constructed in eleven countries, and during the final phase of the SDE they were all

38
 Fig. 4

assembled in Madrid. As in 2010, ‘Villa Solar’, the competition and exhibition site, was constructed in this
city. Since the performance of the houses was monitored and evaluated in the city of Madrid, its climate,
the Building Code requirements and appropriate passive design strategies are described in this section.

Madrid: Climate And Building Code Requirements

The city of Madrid is located 667m above sea level. It has a Continental Mediterranean climate, characterized
by cold winters and hot summers. Due to its altitude and dry climate, diurnal temperature variation is high,
especially in summertime. Clear skies and high solar radiation are common almost throughout the year.

The average consumption of a house located in the Continental climate zone is higher than the National
average, as a result of the significant thermal contrast between the severe summer and winter months
[30]. The Spanish Building Code (CTE) includes some prescriptive requirements regarding the optical and
thermophysical characteristics of the building envelope. For Madrid’s climate zone, the U values in W/m² K
must be lower than 0.66 for the walls, 0.49 for the floor and 0.38 for the roof. The fenestration requirements
are similar. Thermal transmittance depends on the orientation and the percentage of the glazed area. When
the percentage of glazing is equal to or lower than 30, its thermal transmittance must be equal to or lower
than 3.5 W/m² K. This limit is reduced to 3.0 W/m² K when the percentage of glazing is between 51 and 60.
The Solar Factor (g-value) for south facing glazing, in buildings with low internal loads, is 0.61 and is only
required when the glass to wall ratio is between 51% and 60% [31].

Madrid: Appropriate Passive Design Strategies

Passive design strategies are closely connected to the local climate. The city of Madrid has cold and warm
seasons; therefore, it is necessary to use appropriate strategies for these two completely different climatic
conditions. Its high solar radiation must be used during heating periods and avoided during cooling ones.
For cooling periods, the evaporative and night sky radiant cooling systems may also be appropriate because
of Madrid’s dry air and clear skies, and one of the strategies which may be used both during heating and
cooling periods is the Thermal Energy Storage system. The high daily thermal swing enables the use of
thermal mass to balance out the interior temperature and reduce the need for mechanical air conditioning.
A study of the design strategies for the Madrid climate was carried out on Climate Consultant 5.0 [32],
applying the comfort model defined in the 2005 ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals [33]. Fig. 5 shows the
hourly values of relative humidity and outside air temperature in Madrid plotted over a psychometric chart.
This figure helps to identify the most appropriate strategies for Madrid’s climate.

In Table 1, the number of hours that can potentially be added to the comfort area in each period is shown:
first analyzing each strategy separately and then combining two or more of them. However, these hours
represent a rough estimate. The final results will depend on the building design, and on how the solutions
are implemented. During the heating periods, there is a significant potential for increasing the comfort
through internal loads. These thermal loads are linked to the function of the spaces: occupancy, equipment,

39
Table 1

lighting system, etc. Proper design of the building envelope and the use of thermal mass can help to reduce
heat loss and extend the benefits of the internal load for gathered heat [29]. On the other hand, for cooling
periods, the sun shades, as shown in Fig. 5, are essential for the prevention of overheating. Table 1 also
shows that during the cooling periods the most favorable solution consists of adding humidity to the air,
followed by the use of thermal mass with night ventilation.

SDE 2012 HOUSES: PASSIVE STRATEGIES

The passive strategies used by the eighteen SDE 2012 participating houses (H1 to H18) were analyzed
following the scheme described in Section 2: envelope, orientation, geometrical characteristics, other
passive strategies, and hybrid solutions. The information on the houses was extracted from the project
drawings, manuals, simulation input reports and other documents submitted by the participating teams to
the SDE Organization, as well as from the jury evaluation reports.

SDE 2012 Houses: envelopes

A high insulation level, high performance glazing and air-tight constructions are commons to the SDE 2012
participating houses. As shown in Fig. 6, the thermal transmittance of the house envelopes were in general
far below those required in the Spanish Building Code (CTE) for Madrid City [31]. Maximum wall thermal
transmittance permitted is 0.66 W/m² K; in thirteen houses this value was lower than 0.20 W/m² K, and in
four houses this value even lower than 0.10 W/m² K. The fenestrations used also far exceeded the code
requirements. The code establishes that windows U-value must be lower than 3.5 or 3.0 W/m² K depending
on the window-to-wall ratio. Ten houses had windows U-value equal to or lower than 1.0 W/m² K.

SDE 2012 Houses: geometric characteristics and ratios

The houses that received the highest scores in the interior temperature sub-contest, during the Passive
Monitoring Period were selected for the analysis of the geometric parameters. Table 2 shows the ratios
and average values of these houses. H16, H01 and H13 have the lowest thermal exchange surface per
conditioned volume, having the lower aspect and compactness ratios. H16 and H01 received the highest
scores in the passive period.

The use of direct solar yield during the heating periods was also a common strategy for all these houses.
H7 had the highest values of transparent surfaces ratios. However, H11 and H01 had the highest South
Glazing to South Wall ratios. In terms of solar yield this is far more beneficial in the northern hemisphere.
An average of 41% of the glazed surfaces of these houses were located on the south facade. All the houses
have high South Glazing to Wall ratio, except H15 and H13. High performance glazing reduces both heat loss
in the heating periods and gathered heat in the cooling ones. Glazed areas are protected with overhangs and
fixed or mobile elements to minimizing overheating in warm temperatures.

40
Fig. 5. Thermal properties of the
houses’ envelope compared with
the Spain Building Code (CTE)
requirements.
Notes:
1. South oriented fenestration, if the
glass-to-wall ratio is lower than the
30%, 3.5 W/m2K is the maximum
permitted U value. For ratios
between 51% and 60%, 3.0 W/m2K is
the maximum permitted U value [29].
2. For South oriented fenestration,
the Solar Factor maximum value
(0.6) is only required when the glass-
to-wall ratio is between the 51% and
60% [29].

Sde 2012 Houses: Other Passive Strategies And Hybrid Solutions

Other passive strategies and hybrid solutions used in the SDE 2012 houses are summarized in Table 3.
In this table, these strategies and solutions are classified as envelope, passive heating, passive cooling,
interior space planning, the exterior design, thermal energy storage systems and hybrid solutions. Fig. 7
shows the percentages of the houses which applied some of these strategies. From Table 3 it can be seen
that the envelope was a key passive design element of the houses. As explained in Section 4.1, they all have
a thermal transmittance lower than that required in the Building Code. In addition, 83% of them had an
exterior insulation layer (Fig. 7a) which is an effective way to minimize the thermal bridges. And, as shown
in Fig. 7b, 39% of the houses had ventilated facades.

As pointed out in Section 3.3, evaporative cooling is a key strategy for the cooling periods in Madrid. 67% of
the houses used evaporative cooling systems. Also for the cooling periods, 17% of the houses took advance
of the typical clear sky of Madrid, and included night sky radiant cooling systems. The low temperature
radiant surfaces provide an efficient way to heat or cool buildings, especially if they have natural thermal
sources as in the SDE2012 houses. 60% of the houses used radiant systems. These systems were installed
on the floor, on the ceiling, or in both places.

In terms of interior space planning, thirteen houses placed the living spaces in the south, taking advantage
of the direct solar yield and the daylight. However, the use of a foyer or vestibule, which is an effective
strategy in preventing thermal loss through the entrance door, was only seen in three houses (H5, H14 and
H16). Also, only six teams clarified in their documentation that they had purposely placed the service spaces
in unfavorable positions so as to use them as thermal buffers.

The SDE 2012 houses included a commercial or custom made heat recovery system to reduce the heating
and cooling loads for ventilation. In their functioning, thermal energy is exchanged through moving currents,
typically air, which is entering and leaving the house. The entrance air is pre-heated and pre-cooled without
the use of energy from heating or cooling equipment [34].

Another key strategy is the Thermal Energy Storage (TES), used both for cooling and heating periods. 87%
of the houses used one or more TES system, some being Sensible TES systems (based on heavy materials
such as concrete, stone or sand), and others Latent TES systems (based on the thermal storage capacity of
the Phase Change Materials (PCM)). From the earliest competitions, many houses participating in the Solar
Decathlon have used Latent TES systems [35]. In the 2012 competition, the PCM were used in both passive
and active applications.

Sde 2012 Houses: High Efficiency Active Solutions

In addition to the application of passive and hybrid solutions, the SDE 2012 houses were equipped with high
efficiency HVAC systems, lighting, appliances and Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS).

41
 Table 2

As explained in Section 2, most of the energy consumption in houses in Spain is through the HVAC systems
(mainly because of heating), followed by the use of appliances, the DHW and the kitchen. Table 4 shows
some solutions of the HVAC and DHW, used in the participating houses. Fig. 8 present an analysis of the
different heat pumps used.

The interior comfort of H13 and H18 relied entirely on passive and hybrid systems. These were the only two
houses that did not use any active HVAC system. In most of the houses, the domestic hot water, as well as
the hot water to feed the low temperature radiant heating surfaces, was supplied by solar systems whether
by solar thermal panels or hybrid photovoltaic systems as shown in Fig. 9. Many houses, up to a 72%, also
used their heat pump to produce hot water. However, only two of them use the heat pump as the only hot
water source (Fig. 9d). The teams took care to select high efficiency appliances and kitchen equipment. All
the houses used low consumption lighting systems; most of them based on LED lights.

Finally, another important aspect of the SDE 2012 houses was the Building Automation and Control
Systems (BACS). These systems played a decisive role in many of the houses, providing an efficient energy
management. With some of then also is possible to know the house energy production and consumption in
real-time, obtain advice on the operation of active systems as well as information aimed at improving the
energy consumption habits of the occupant.

SDE 2012 HOUSES: THERMAL AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE

Net zero energy is a measure of a building’s energy performance [34]. A Zero Energy Building (ZEB) produces
at least as much renewable energy as it uses over a balance period. Periods of one year are commonly used.
As explained above, Net ZEB is a very high energy performance, grid-connected building. These buildings
may use non-renewable energy but over the course of the balance period, they produce enough renewable
energy to offset, or exceed, the use of non-renewable energy.

Long term monitoring is the best way to get accurate information regarding the performance of the
buildings. In the design phase, a detailed energy simulation can help to determine the buildings’ energy
performance. An analysis of the performance of the SDE 2012 houses was done using the ‘Villa Solar’ short
term monitoring and the houses’ own energy simulations. The analysis was carried out in two parts: the
first one concerned the performance of the houses during the Passive Monitoring Period and the second
one focused on the overall energy performance of the houses. The energy performance of the houses was
analyzed in terms of production and consumption, taking into account both the performance in the ‘Villa
Solar’ and the estimated values obtained from energy simulations of the houses.

The energy and thermal performance of the houses in the ‘Villa Solar’ was directly influenced by the weather
conditions during the days of the competition. Fig. 10 shows the climatic conditions of the monitored period.
During the first six days, the temperatures varied from 15° to 30°C. However, on the seventh day the weather
changed. The Passive Monitoring Period occurred between September 24th and the morning of the 26th.

42
Table 3

Table 4

43
 Fig. 6

Fig. 6. Analysis of passive and hybrid strategies used by the SDE 2012 houses

As shown in Fig 10, during that time there were cloudy skies, temperatures barely exceeded 20°C (in the
middle of the day), and at night fell to 10°C. On September 25th, the temperatures and the direct solar
radiation were significantly reduced. In addition, the humidity in the early hours of the 26th registered the
highest values of the Passive Monitoring Period.

SDE 2012 houses: thermal performance

The thermal performance of the house was evaluated during the Passive Monitoring Period. Since the
temperatures at that time remained mostly below the comfort zone; the strategies for the heating periods
were most appropriate. The key strategies are related to the appropriate optical and thermophysical
characteristics of the houses’ envelope, an airtight construction, the direct and indirect solar yield and the
use Thermal Energy Storage.

The thermal performance of most of the houses during the Passive Monitoring Period was remarkable. As
the SDE houses needed to be assembled and made fully functional in only a few days, all of the houses had
some degree of mechanization, either in 2D pieces or 3D modules. Some buildings constructed with similar
systems could have had problems with air-tightness or thermal bridges, affecting the interior thermal
conditions. However, the result of this sub-contest suggests that in general these potential problems were
overcome. Ten houses secured more than 90% of the points available for that period in the sub-contest
of Interior Temperature as shown in Fig. 11. Only three houses obtained less than 80% of the score of
thermal comfort during this period. The five houses that obtained the highest scores during the Passive
Monitoring Period maintained the interior temperature all the time between 21° and 26° C, using only
passive strategies and systems. The H16 had the best score; it kept the living room temperature between
23.1° and 25.4°C, and the bedroom temperature between 23.5° and 24.8°C.

While, as shown in Table 3, the houses had many passive strategies, only some of them were really useful
under the weather conditions experienced during the Monitoring Passive Period. The U values of the houses’
envelope were compared with the thermal comfort results of the houses to determinate the effect of the
envelope in the performance of the house. Table 5 shows the envelope U values of the eight houses that
achieved the highest scores on the thermal comfort sub-contest. Six of these eight houses were also among
the eight houses with the lower thermal transmittance of walls and floors. Similarly, five of them were
among the eight with lower thermal transmittance ceilings. Based on these results, it can be concluded that
a low U-value of the envelope significantly contributes to the attainment of thermal comfort in the house.
Consequently, H16 had the envelope with the lowest thermal transmittance and achieved the higher score
in the thermal comfort sub-contest as indicated in Table 5. Moreover, even though H18 was not among the
houses with the lower envelope U values, its double envelope strategy, inspired by a greenhouse, helped it
to maintain an adequate comfort level during the Passive Monitoring period.

With regard to systems for storing gathered heat, the eight houses in Table 5 had Sensible or Latent Thermal
Energy Storage systems. Furthermore, as shown in Table 4, it was found that four of them (H01, H11, H14,

44
 Fig. 7

Fig. 7. SDE 2012 houses: heat pump types

Fig. 8. SDE 2012 houses: hot water solutions

and H13) used both systems. Another strategy that helped to reduce heat loss in H16 was the inclusion of
a foyer or vestibule at its entrance. Therefore, houses without a vestibule registered interior temperature
fluctuations when their doors were opened. The documentation of the houses showed that they had a high
level of air-tightness. However, the Energy Efficiency Jury noted that without a vestibule or sliding door
solutions, some houses barely reached the level of airtightness expected.

Energy performance of the SDE 2012 houses: during the competition

In order to verify if studied houses behaved as Plus Energy Buildings during the competition, it was necessary
to analyze the balance between energy production and consumption. SDE houses are all-electric buildings,
electricity is the only energy supplied and demanded. This simplifies the energy balance equation since no
weighting factors are needed.

SDE 2012 houses: energy performance during the competition. During the competition, Comfort Conditions
and House Functionality were the contests which required energy consumption. For that reason, only the
houses that obtained more than 70% of the points in these two contests were included for the energy
performance analysis. The analysis includes fifteen of the eighteen participating houses.

The Comfort Conditions contest consisted of several sub-contests. However, for the energy performance
analysis only those requiring energy consumption were evaluated: interior temperatures, relative humidity,
air quality and lighting level. Even though the comfort conditions were measured continuously, the
scoring period stopped during public visits and started again one hour after these periods finished. The
energy consumption and production of the houses were continuously monitored in a similar manner. The
consumption values in the analysis include the HVAC, DHW & lighting demands, as well as the appliances
and other plug-in loads.

The energy consumption of the houses during the twelve days of the competition was greater than their
normal consumption, since the competition required an intensive use of hot water and appliances (such as
ovens, washing machines and dishwashers). Even so, the fifteen houses analyzed had a positive balance
during the competition period as shown in Fig. 12. The average consumption of the houses at the ‘Villa Solar’
was 146 Wh, and the highest consumption was 198 Wh. In terms of energy production, the average electrical
energy production was 208 Wh, and the highest production was 421 Wh.

SDE 2012 houses: estimate annual energy performance. The Passive Monitoring Period provided data
which helped understand the passive performance of the houses and the contribution of some passive
and hybrid solutions. Similarly, the twelve days of the competition provided a general idea of the efficiency
of the participating houses. However, these monitored periods were not enough to determine the effect of
passive strategies throughout the year or the annual energy performance of the houses. However, detailed
energy simulations can help predict the energy performance of the house, and the annual energy production
and consumption. For the annual energy balance, the results of the energy simulations carried out by the

45
 Fig. 9

Fig. 9. Climate conditions during

the competition days. Passive
Monitored Period highlighted with
shaded area
Fig. 10. SDE 2012 houses: thermal
performance during the Passive
Monitoring Period. Bar represents
the points earned in the Interior
Temperature sub-contest.

participating teams were used.

Houses, in the continental climate zone, have the highest energy consumption in Spain [30]. The average
annual consumption of a detached house in this zone is 19,774 kWh. The average energy consumption is
distributed as follows: heating 69.5%, appliances 12.6%, DHW 9.5%, kitchen 5.8 %, lighting 2.1% and air
conditioning 0.5 %. The SDE 2012 houses are smaller than the average detached house in Madrid, but their
estimated consumption is significantly lower. The average estimated consumption of the fifteen houses
analysed was 5,328 kWh, the highest estimated consumption being 7,587 kWh.

In terms of energy production, the photovoltaic production exceeds the consumption in all the cases studied.
The average estimated electrical energy production is 13,396 kWh, the highest estimated production being
21,157 kWh. If the final energy balance of these houses is similar to the estimated one, all of them would
qualify to be Plus Energy Buildings, see Fig. 13. Indeed, since they are grid-connected houses, they can be
classified as Net Plus Energy Buildings [6,7].

CONCLUSIONS

The building sector is primarily responsible for a major part of total energy consumption. The European
Energy Performance of Buildings Directives (EPBD) emphasized the need to reduce the energy consumption
in buildings, and put forward the rationale for developing Near to Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). The EPBD
Recast stated that the Near to ZEB must be, first and foremost, very low-energy buildings. The use of
passive design strategies and high efficiency active solutions is crucial for reducing energy consumption
and achieving very low-energy buildings.

Solar Decathlon Europe rules are aligned with European Directives. Consequently, they encourage the
reduction of energy consumption, the increase of building energy efficiency, and the use of renewable
energies, preferably produced on-site. Moreover, the SDE has been successful in disseminating the
importance of passive design strategies, not just to university students but also to professionals and the
general public.

In the present study, the passive strategies were classified and analyzed into five groups: envelope,
orientation, geometrical aspects, passive solutions and hybrid solutions. The effect of these strategies and
the use of energy efficient active systems were analyzed using houses exhibited in the SDE 2012 competition
as cases studies. The appropriate passive strategies for the climate of Madrid were identified. The
passive design strategies used by the houses were compared to the recommended solutions for Madrid.
Additionally, the thermal and energy performances of SDE houses were also evaluated, verifying if they
could be classified as ZEB.
All the participating houses included passive design strategies and energy efficient systems. Many of
them achieved an excellent balance between envelope, orientation, geometrical aspects and other passive
strategies. The results of the Passive Monitoring Period show that the use of passive design strategies

46
Fig. 10 Table 5

helped to maintain the interior comfort of the houses while consuming zero or very low energy.

Fifteen SDE 2012 houses were analyzed to see if they could be classified as ZEB. It was discovered that all
of them had maintained a positive energy balance in both the annual energy simulations and during the
monitored period at the ‘Villa Solar’. If the final energy balance of the houses is similar to the estimated one,
they will not only be ZEB, but Net Plus Energy Buildings too.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank his colleagues in the SDE Competition Area: Claudio Montero, María Porteros
Mañueco, María Barcia, Mónica Almagro, Álvaro Gutiérrez, Iñaki Navarro, Manuel Castillo-Cagigal and
Eduardo Matallanas. Their help and valuable comments were fundamental in the writing of this chapter.

REFERENCES

[1] European Commission, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2002/91/EC (EPBD), European Parliament (2002)
[2] European Commission, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (recast) 2010/31/EU (EPBD), European Parliament
(2010)
[3] A.J. Marszal, P. Heiselberg, J.S. Bourrelle, E. Musall, K. Voss, I. Sartori, A. Napolitano. Zero energy building - a review of
definitions and calculation methodologies. Energy and Buildings, 43 (4) (2011), pp. 971–979
[4] P. Torcellini, S. Pless, M. Deru, D. Crawley. Zero Energy Buildings: A Critical Look at the Definition. ACEEE Summer Stud,
Pacific Grove, California, USA (2006)
[5] I. Sartori, A. Napolitano, A.J. Marszal, S. Pless, P. Torcellini, K. Voss. Criteria for Definition of Net Zero Energy Buildings.
EuroSun Conference, Graz, Austria (2010)
[6] K. Voss, I. Sartori. Nearly-zero, Net zero and Plus Energy Buildings – How definitions & regulations affect the solutions.
REHVA European HVAC Journal 6 (2012) 85-89
[7] K. Voss, E. Musall, M. Lichtmeß. From low energy to net zero energy buildings –status and perspectives. Journal of Green
Building, 6/1 (2011) 46–57
[8] International Energy Agency (IEA). Oil Crises and Climate Challenges: 30 Years of Energy Use in IEA Countries. Paris, 2004.
[9] C. Warner, S. Farrar-Nagy, M. Wassmer, B. Stafford, R. King, S. Vega, E. Rodriguez-Ubinas, J. Cronemberger, J. Serra.
The 2009 Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and the 2010 European Solar Decathlon: expanding the global reach of zero
energy homes through collegiate competitions. 34th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, Philadelphia, USA (2009)
[10] Solar Decathlon Europe Organization. Solar Decathlon Europe 2010: Rules and Regulations. Madrid (2010)
[11] Solar Decathlon Europe Organization. Rules of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012. Madrid (2012)
[12] I. Navarro, A. Gutierrez, C. Montero, E. Rodriguez-Ubinas, E. Matallanas, M. Castillo-Cagigal, M. Porteros, J. Solorzano, E.
Caamaño-Martin, M. A. Egido, J. M. Paez, S. Vega, Solar Decathlon Europe 2012: A multidisciplinar educational competition,
Tech. rep., Robolabo, ETSI Telecomunicacion, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (2013).
[13] A. Gutierrez, M. Castillo-Cagigal, E. Matallanas, I. Navarro, Monitoring of a solar smart house village, Tech. Rep. TR/
ROBOLABO/2013-003, Robolabo, ETSI Telecomunicacion, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (2013)
[14] K. Voss, S. Herkel, J. Pfafferott, G. Lohnert, A. Wagner. Energy efficient office buildings with passive cooling - results and

47
 Fig. 11

48
Fig. 11. SDE 2012 houses: interior
temperature during the Passive
Monitoring Period. Non scoring
times due public visits are
represented by the shaded areas.
Fig. 12. SDE 2012 houses: energy
balance during the Competition.
Dots represent the energy
balance of the 15 analyzed houses
during the 12 monitored days.
Graphic Model from University of
Wuppertal, BTGA [6,7]
Fig. 13. SDE 2012 houses: annual
estimated energy balance. Dots
represent the annual estimated
energy balance of the fifteen
analyzed houses. Data provided
by the participating teams.
Graphic Model from University of
Wuppertal, BTGA [6,7] Fig. 12 Fig. 13

experiences from a research and demonstration programme. Solar Energy, 81 (3) (2007)
[15] G. Todesco. Super-efficient buildings: how low can you go? ASHRAE Journal, 38 (12) (1996) 35–40
[16] G. Koc¸ l. Oral, Z. Yilmaz. Building form for cold climatic zones related to building envelope from heating energy
conservation point of view. Energy and Buildings 35 (2003) 383–388
[17] U.T. Aksoya, M, Inalli. Impacts of some building passive design parameters on heating demand for a cold region. Building
and Environment 41 (2006) 1742–1754
[18] U. Eicker. Cooling strategies, summer comfort and energy performance of a rehabilitated passive standard office
building. Applied Energy 87 (2010) 2031–2039
[19] D. Chiras. The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling. Chelsea Green Publishing.Vermont, 2002.
[20] CEN EN 15217. Energy performance of buildings - methods for expressing energy performance and for energy
certification of buildings. European Committee for Standardization, Brussels (2007)
[21] B. Su. Building passive design and housing energy efficiency. Architectural Science Review 51(3) (2008) 277–286.
[22] B. Su. The impact of passive design factors on house energy efficiency, Architectural Science Review, 54 (4) (2011) 270-276
[23] H.E. Mechri, A. Capozzoli, V. Corrado. Use of the ANOVA approach for sensitive building energy design. Applied Energy, 87
(2010) 3073-3083.
[24] A. Gasparella, G. Pernigotto, F. Cappelletti, P. Romagnoni, P. Baggio. Analysis and modelling of window and glazing
systems energy performance for a well insulated residential building. Energy and Buildings, 43(4) (2011) 1030-1037.
[25] I. Susorova, M. Tabibzadeh, A. Rahman, H.L. Clack, M. Elnimeiri. The effect of geometry factors on fenestration energy
performance and energy savings in office buildings. Energy and Buildings 57 (2013) 6–13.
[26] U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Low-Energy Building Design Guidelines. DOE/EE-0249, Washington, D.C. Last accessed
in May, 2013 and available at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/25807.pdf
[27] S. Attia, M. Hamdy, W. O’Brien, S. Carlucci. Assessing gaps and needs for integrating building performance optimization
tools in net zero energy buildings design. Energy and Buildings 60 (2013) 110–124
[28] A. Brownlee, J. Wright. Solution analysis in multi-objective optimization. Proc. Building Simulation and Optimisation
(BSO12), IBPSA-England, Loughborogh University, UK (2012)
[29] E. Rodriguez-Ubinas, B. Arranz Arranz, S. Vega Sánchez, F.J. Neila González. Influence ofthe use of PCM drywall and the
fenestration in building retrofitting. Energy and Buildings 65 (2013) 464–476
[30] IDAE. Análisis del Consumo energético del sector residencial en España: Informe Final. Proyecto SECH-SPAHOUSEC.
Instituto para la Diversificación y el Ahorro de la Energía. Madrid, 2011.
[31] Ministerio de vivienda-Gobierno de España: Código Técnico de la Edificación: Parte 1, 2007, http://www.codigotecnico.org
[32] M. Milne, R. Liggett, A. Benson, Y. Bhattacharya, Additions to a Design Tool for Visualizing the Energy Implications of
California’s Climates. Development and Technology, University of California Energy Institute, Berkeley, 2009.
[33] ASHRAE. Handbook of Fundamentals. American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
Atlanta, 2005
[34] Hootman, T. Net Zero Energy Design: A Guide for Commercial Architecture. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New Jersey, 2012.
[35] E. Rodriguez-Ubinas, L. Ruiz-Valero, S. Vega, J. Neila. Applications of Phase Change Material in highly energy-efficient
houses. Energy and Buildings 50 (2012) 49–62

49
Smart Grid at the
Solar Decathlon 2012
J. M. Solans (Schneider Electric Spain)
R. Muñoz (Schneider Electric Spain)

50
SMART GRID AT THE SOLAR DECATHLON 2012
J. M. Solans (Schneider Electric España), R. Muñoz (Schneider Electric España)

INTRODUCTION

The Solar Decathlon is a university competition originally organised by the US Department of Energy
focussing on the design and construction of self-sufficient houses in their energy requirements and powered
exclusively by solar energy. Nineteen university teams take part in the competition with their designs of
solar-powered homes self-sufficient in their energy needs. The various houses proposed are assembled
at the Solar Village located in Casa de Campo, Madrid, and connected to a low-voltage grid managed by
Schneider Electric.

Schneider Electric, the main sponsor of the event, has provided its experience in energy management and
efficiency solutions to design the low-voltage Smart Grid for the Solar Decathlon 2012 competition, managing
all energy flow in the Solar Village during the competition in Madrid. This smart grid provides power for
other loads as well as the competing houses: charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, organization
facilities, 60 Hz house connection equipment, energy accumulation system, solar pergola, etc. All of the
energy flow through the Smart Grid is monitored and supervised using a SCADA system, which is the smart
part of the grid. Furthermore, the company has sponsored and worked with some of the competing houses,
helping them become energy efficient and self-sufficient.

DESIGN OF A SMART GRID

The design and operation of a traditional electricity distribution grid is based on the principle that energy
generation is centralised and should be adapted dynamically according to variations in demand. Hence,
energy flows have just one pre-defined direction -running upstream to downstream, balances between
production and consumption are carried out by the utilities, and customers are passive users.

However, the philosophy of a traditional grid was not valid for the specific characteristics of the Solar
Decathlon. With regard to energy, the nineteen competing universities were asked to design strategies for
solar energy management to meet the power requirements of each house as efficiently as possible, keeping
a minimal degree of habitability (use of facilities, stove, washing machine, bathroom, daytime and night time
activities) and comfort (temperature, humidity and air quality) which also carries points. Normally, these
strategies are based on using photovoltaic –and sometimes thermal- solar collectors; electric and thermal
energy storage for use during non-daylight hours; and the use of high-quality thermal insulation, ventilated
air cavities in walls and roofs (double envelope), passive solar house design, green walls and roofs, etc.

Strategies are also based on integrating the monitoring and management of the houses’ parameters into
domotics systems oriented towards energy efficiency; and the inclusion of highly energy-efficient lighting

51
systems and electrical appliances. This way, it will be possible to power a house using the external electricity
grid when the house’s energy requirements are greater than the available solar supply and internal energy
storage.

These strategies lead to the use of larger photovoltaic collectors than the average requirements of the
houses; and this in turn explains that, during most daylight hours, there is an excess of electrical energy
which must be released.

Given that the Solar Village includes not only the competing houses which generate and consume energy
but also other facilities which are net consumers of electricity (organisation offices, electrical vehicle
infrastructure, data processing centre, snack-bar and vending areas, street lighting, etc.) and net
generators of energy such as solar pergolas, it is not suitable for the grid powering the complex to be a
traditional passive network.

The goal was to design a low-voltage network connected to the Gas Natural FENOSA public distribution
network, allowing the integration of bidirectional energy flows from the decentralised generation (competing
houses, solar pergola, energy storage equipment) and using a system for energy flow supervision and
monitoring in order to perform smart management.

The requirements of the Solar Village grid can be summarised as follows:

• Connection to the Gas Natural FENOSA public distribution network via an MV/LV substation supplied by
Schneider Electric. Connection to the distribution network gives stability to the system, as power island
operation are not foreseen.

• To power of the 19 houses taking part in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 competition.

• To allow the energy generated by the houses to be managed for use (self-consumption) .

• To collect any AC surplus generated by the competing houses and by the photovoltaic pergolas of the
organisation and delivering it to the grid.

• To integrate power generation from a micro wind turbine.

• To power the remaining facilities of the Solar Village (organisation, services, vending, etc.

52
 Fig.1 Vijeo Citect SCADA display
with a general layout of the Solar
Village Smart Grid and demand
curve.

• To power and manage the electric vehicle-charging infrastructure.

• To integrate an energy storage system that uses batteries to reduce demand peaks, and which is charged
with the energy surplus generated during daylight hours.

• And, furthermore, to couple the 60 Hz Brazilian house over the 50 Hz grid keeping the energy flows
bidirectional...

The 630 kVA transformer substation is equipped with bidirectional energy meters to record energy flows in
both directions in a similar manner to an industrial facility using cogeneration.

In short, the Solar Village electricity grid is designed as a Smart Grid, with distributed generation and radial
architecture. All protection devices have been executed with circuit breakers and current coordination. The
main principles in the design of the grid are as follows:

• The houses can be consumers or producers, with a maximum power of 15 kW in each direction.

• The houses can manage the energy generated internally and store it in batteries for later use; with a
maximum power of 5 kVA according to the limits of the competition.

• There are net generating elements (solar pergola, wind turbine, etc.) which must deliver their energy to
the Solar Village grid for use.

• Energy storage equipment is provided to collect some of the excess energy generated during the hours of
maximum sunlight and deliver it to the grid during peak demand hours, reducing the value of demand from
the public distribution network.

• Auxiliary installations and services (organisation facilities, contest monitoring, vending areas, street
lighting, etc.) are net consumers which can be powered by the energy surplus generated by the houses, or
by the utility, or both.

• The energy flows in the smart grid are not pre-defined: they may be downstream in the case of net
consumption, horizontal between generators and consumption, or upstream to the public distribution
network in the case of net generation of the whole Solar Village.

53
 Fig.2 Vijeo Citect SCADA display
with the single-line diagram of the
Solar Village Smart Grid.

• The low-voltage smart grid is connected to the medium-voltage public distribution network to provide
support energy, define the voltage and frequency references for photovoltaic generation and collect any
overall excess energy generated from the entire Solar Village.

• The electrical parameters of the main nodes of the grid and from the competing houses (voltages, currents,
powers and accumulated energies) are recorded, so it is possible to know the status of the grid and make
decisions regarding its management.

• The technical parameters for each competing house (room temperature, humidity, air quality, lighting,
appliance temperatures, etc.) are collected by a Schneider Electric Twido PLC equipped with ambient
sensors and temperature probes. This system is managed independently from the smart grid.

SCADA Supervisory System

For the low-voltage grid to be smart, Schneider Electric has integrated all the grid information into a Vijeo
Citect (Schneider Electric) SCADA system for the display, monitoring and supervision of all energy flows and
grid statuses. The Vijeo Citect SCADA integration allows the network to become a Smart Grid.

A local communications infrastructure (VLAN) and the installation of over 50 Schneider Electric ION 6200
power meters at different points of the installation process were required to integrate all the information
into the SCADA system. These meters are grouped on each board through an EGX100 gateway via ModBus
and are connected to the communications network via Ethernet.

In addition to the information on energy flows and electrical parameters, the SCADA provides information
(lower right of the display shown in Figure 1) on:

• Renewable generation forecast (wind speed, temperature and global horizontal irradiation) through a
service from the Schneider Electric company Telvent.

• Reduction of CO2 emissions in kg and the equivalent in trees planted.

Grid Supervision

The overall status of the grid can be analysed using the SCADA supervisory system: either as a whole or
separately, analysing the different services it includes (grid, MV/LV substation, competing houses, wind

54
 Fig.3 Vijeo Citect SCADA display
with net energy consumption of a
competing house.

turbine, energy storage and other Solar Village services). The real-time status of power consumed or
generated can be viewed for each service, together with the energy aggregate. In addition to the status, the
demand curve for the past 24 hours and the reduction of emissions from the generated energy delivered to
the grid (curves shown in Figure 1) can be viewed for each competing house.

A Schneider Electric Flair 200C remote monitoring unit has been installed in the MV/LV substation for the
SCADA supervision of the status of the switchgear, the power flow and the statuses of the technical alarms
of the substation (phase or zero-sequence fault detection, transformer temperature, intrusion, etc.). There
is also a technical parameter display screen where all the electrical parameters of each node equipped with
a power meter can be viewed (Figure 2).

Integration of the Distributed Generation

Competing houses are “prosumers”, i.e. they sometimes behave as energy consumers and sometimes as
energy producers. The energy produced by the houses is photovoltaic and they can also store energy (up to
5kVA), allowing for more a efficient internal energy management.

The contribution of energy by the houses to the smart grid can be monitored on the SCADA:

• Behaviour as consumers (Figure 3) during grid-tie operations due to an internal energy deficit (photovoltaic
generation and storage).

• Behaviour as energy producers (Figure 4) when delivering energy to the grid due to excess generation.

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

In the latest edition of the SDE2012, Schneider Electric introduced an electric vehicle infrastructure with
five EVlink 22 kW three-phase vandal-proof posts in smart charging mode 3, each with a Scame charging
socket (type 3).

The 5 posts are managed by a Schneider Electric M340 PLC. Charging is accomplished through a radio-
frequency card and the system records the post where the vehicle is being charged, the time of charging and
the energy supplied to the vehicle. The SCADA, which has access to the charging infrastructure, displays the
status of the charging post and the accumulated consumption for each vehicle.

55
 Fig.4 Vijeo Citect SCADA display
with net energy production of a
competing house.

60 Hz Connection of the Brazilian House

An item which presented an additional challenge was the inclusion, by a Brazilian university, of a house
whose electricity system had been designed for connection to the distribution network in that country: 220
V phase-neutral and 60 Hz frequency.

The solution for the bidirectional connection between both frequencies required the use of Schneider
Electric Xantrex WX inverter units which were also used in several houses for photovoltaic generation
(Figure 5). Two groups of AC-DC inverters were used for the Brazilian house, running against a shared
battery bank; one with three 230 V 50 Hz inverters star-connected to the three phases of the low-voltage
distribution network; and the other with three 220V 60Hz inverters parallel-connected to the 60 Hz line.
Each group was connected using a Xanbus, with one of the inverters acting as the master and the other two
as slaves to balance the loads of each inverter.

When the Brazilian house operates as a consumer, the 60 Hz inverters activate the grid powering the house,
using the electro-chemical energy stored in the batteries. The 50 Hz inverters monitor the charge level in
the batteries, and begin to charge them using energy from the 50 Hz grid when the level reaches a certain
value. However, when the house is generating energy, the 60 Hz side inverters – which define the reference
voltage and frequency used by the house’s photovoltaic equipment for generation – begin to charge the
battery with energy injected by the inverters associated to the solar panels. The battery voltage begins to
rise and, on reaching a certain level, the 50 Hz inverters start to inject energy to the distribution network.

Hence, the Brazilian house has been able to compete with the other houses in the Solar Village under equal
conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 competition has enabled Schneider Electric to ensure the integration of
19 houses producing photovoltaic energy together with other sources of distributed generation into a low-
voltage Smart Grid by means of a Vijeo Citect SCADA system.

Low-voltage grids (micro-grids) with decentralised generation are becoming increasingly common
in different countries and the only way of suitably managing them is by integrating management and
supervision intelligence as in the Solar Decathlon 2012 Solar Village.

56
 Fig.5 Connection diagram of the
Brazilian house.

Micro-grids connected to the distribution network are a viable solution for an optimised integration of
renewable energies into the electric system, because micro-grids behave like a generation system which
only delivers its excess energy and consumes only when there is a deficit of renewable energy inside.
Providing generation and consumption in the micro-grid are balanced, there will be minimal impact on the
distribution network.

Smart grids optimise the generation and distribution of electricity (fewer transmission losses), increase
supply reliability (in the event of a fault in the distribution network), facilitate energy efficiency (demand
management) and reduce external energy dependence and CO2 emissions (renewable energies).

Low-voltage smart grids can be a part of a smart grid operating at a higher layer (high voltage). In this case,
the SCADA management system for the micro-grid is responsible for communications with the management
system of the entire smart grid, which would manages energy flow between several micro-grids.

Moreover, the electric vehicle is the solution to one of the most significant energy challenges of the future:
the impact of transport on the environment. So-called smart grids will be the key to ensuring cleaner, more
sustainable transport.

REFERENCES

FENERCOM (2011) . Guide to smart energy grids and communication.

GONH Bob Gohn (2012). “Ten Smart Grid Trends to Watch in 2012 and Beyond”. Pike Research.
SILOS Ángel, MITJA Albert. Smart Grid: The first step towards integration in the grid of the electric vehicle. Schneider Electric.

57
Description of SDEurope 2012
Houses
by the participating universities

École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture de Grenoble, France.

Universidad de Sevilla + Jaén + Granada + Málaga, Spain.
Università degli Studi di Roma TREE + Sapienza Università di Roma
+ Free University of Bozen + Fraunhofer Italy, Italy.
University of Applied Sciences Konstanz, Germany.
RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Budapest University of Technology & Economics, Hungary.
Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, Spain.
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain.
“Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism + Technical
University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest + University Politehnica
of Bucharest, Romania.
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark.
Tongji University, China.
Bordeaux University, France.
Universidad del País Vasco (Euskel Herriko Unibertsitatea), Spain.
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina + Universidade de Sâo
Paulo, Brasil.
Chiba University, Japan.
Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture Paris-Malaquais + École
des Ponts ParisTech +Università di Ferrara + Politecnico di Bari,
France + Italy.
Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain.
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.

58
Canopea
École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture de Grenoble

Nº.1 / 908,7 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives
Context – The French Context. The architectural
concept developed by our team is rooted in general
observation of the national situation combined
with specific analysis of the local Rhônalpine
environment and its complexity (natural resources,
geography and urban economics, lifestyles of the
inhabitants and their different cultures).
The Nanotower is a series of individual homes
stacked up to form a small tower. This concept
allows people to share scarce and expensive
land while taking advantage of common spaces.
Elevators, stairways, walkways, meeting places,
elevated gardens, and vertical farms interconnect
several Nanotowers grouped in a cluster.

The questions our team has attempted to answer

are as follows:
-How to design collective housing which provides a
high level of comfort with a minimum of energy and
natural resources?
-What kind of architecture can help people live
together in a dense urban environment, taking
advantage of pooling services, culture and energy,
while maintaining the spatial qualities of detached
homes?

Canopea - The Nanotower Concept. France´s

natural territory is shrinking by 20 000 hectares
per year due to urban sprawl. More than 77,5 % of
the population is now living in urban areas. People
prefer to live in individual homes set in the suburbs
or small peripheral cities. This phenomenon has
accelerated over the past twenty years and leads to
a significant increase in traffic jams, noise pollution
and carbon dioxide pollution, not to mention social
stress. Meanwhile, in the heart of the cities, land
shortage results in prices skyrocketing. Finding
a place to live has become a problem for many
people. It is expensive and puts a huge pressure on
salaries… leading to a crisis in French industrial
competitiveness.

Given this worrying situation, Team Rhône- Alpes

wants to address the issue of sustainable and
affordable housing in a dense urban environment.
The answer we have chosen to explore is the
Nanotower.

59
60
Nanotowers are also connected to the city; transit
networks, services, and shops... On the top floor,
a common space enables inhabitants to socialize
around a playground for kids, a summer kitchen
for barbecues, a sports event broadcast on TV or a
common laundry.
The team proposes to develop this architectural
concept into an urban ecosystem, with
“physiological connections” between buildings
currently operating at district- scale, at city-
scale tomorrow, and at territory-scale in the near
future. Team Rhône-Alpes´ proposal is based on
the assumption that linking different elements
results in a better energetic optimum than the
61
sum of the individual optimum. The study shows
that each building, each activity, each facility, each
factory has its specific environmental and energy
“signature” characteristics. The idea is to analyze
each actors’ signature to identify its specific
needs according to the moment and how it could
contribute to the community by cooperating with
its neighbors; energy-efficient architecture moves
from the addition of efficient but isolated buildings
to urban design reaching a global performance
at territorial scale by pooling energy between
buildings.
Architectural Design
An Urban Ecosystem. Integrated into the urban
ecosystem of the Grenoble Peninsula, all the
elements that make up Canopea® project are
inter-connected to merge functions and services in
order to limit energy losses and optimize the sizing
of all networks and equipment.
Connections in the ecosystem are realized at
several levels: smart grids, mobility, and social life
can be managed by information systems, including
and coordinating home automations systems,
telecommunications and social networks through
the Internet.
62
The “smart grid” is a “smart” distribution
network that uses computer technology to
maximize production and distribution, to improve
the relationships between supply and demand,
producers and consumers. Smart grids also
increase the energy network security through
the presence of decentralized and distributed
generation sources.
Canopea® Project deals with two main types of
smart grid:
• A heating and cooling grid that manages the
thermal exchanges in the urban ecosystem thanks
to a low temperature loop.
• An electric smart grid that manages electrical
energy of varied productions and consumptions.
To complement the urban ecosystem, the City
of Grenoble offers a mobility package based on
adapted transport means rather than individual
vehicles. People who need to move within a 5 km
perimeter can easily access public transportation
systems such as buses and tramways that cover
the new district. Light electric vehicles (scooters,
segways, i-real) and bicycles are also available
for residents who want to travel to places located
outside the range of public transport. For those
who move in a larger perimeter - 15 km to 40 km-
and need to transport goods, electric rental-cars
to share are available in a nearby silo parking. The
parking is built above ground level in order to avoid
expensive underground structures (Grenoble soils
are facing the presence of a high water table). The
electricity produced by PV installations set on top
of buildings is stored in vehicles’ batteries in order
to provide autonomy and reduce consumption from
the national network.
These different means of transportation are
managed by an automation system using a tactile
tablet as an interface in each housing unit. The
tablet provides schedules for trains, tramways and
buses, but also informs the citizen about availability
of bicycles and electric vehicles in the nearest
locations. You can also book and access car sharing
from the silo parking. In addition, tablets provide
cultural events information, such as movie times
and upcoming shows in the neighborhood.
63
On the top floor of the tower, people can share
services: washing machines, tumble dryers,
summer kitchen, barbecue, gym and leisure area
are accessible to all. Once again, using the tablet,
you can book a time to do your laundry or register
for cultural activities specific to the Nanotower’s
community.
The tablet also serves as a remote control for
the inner comforts of the house, as you can
open shutters or choose lighting atmospheres
through it. Furthermore, it allows you to contact
other members of the Nanotower and exchange
information or personal services such as baby
sitting, home service, house keeping or assistance
to the elderly.
The Nanotower is not just a building. It is a medium
for a richer life in a dense cultural environment.
Construction & Materials
Canopea® Prototype - The Top Of The Nanotower.
Team Rhône-Alpes project for Solar Decathlon
2012 displayed the top of a Nanotower and explains
how it interacts with other buildings and city
infrastructures. The project is called Canopea®
because the upper floor of the Nanotower works
like the rainforest’s canopy, which represents
80% of the tree foliage, collecting 95% of the solar
energy and 30% of the rainwater. It represents
an independent ecosystem above the ground
with a enormously rich biodiversity. Canopea®
also meets specific aspects of the cultural
relationship between the French people and
nature. A recent social survey has shown that
Germans love the dark deep forest, while the
English prefer controlled “wilderness”. As far
as French people are concerned, it appears they
like “belvederes”more than anything else. They
particularly enjoy looking at landscape from an
elevated point of view. And the Nanotower provides
an approach to this dream.
• The first floor of the prototype includes a one/
two bedroom apartment, comprised of three load
bearing boxes. Each box represents one function
of the home: a technical core, a master bedroom
and an evolving space which can be turned into a
working studio or a second bedroom. The boxes are
laid out so that they create a flexible central living
space which can be extended outdoors.
• The second floor is the collective outdoor space
of the Nanotower. It is protected by several passive
systems with the ability to adapt to different
seasons. PV solar panels generate electricity and
PVT solar panels produce both electricity and hot
water. PV cells encapsulated in silk-screened bi-
glass panels provide natural light and an enjoyable
shady space, giving the feeling of being under the
forest canopy.
Constructive Strategy: Following The Footsteps
Of The Armadillo Box®. Canopea® uses the
64
same Core-Skin-Shell building composition as the
Armadillo Box®, a former prototype designed by
TRA for previous SDE 2010. CORE is a central block
containing all technical and complex equipment
and which can be produced industrially, in a factory,
and in any country. This high tech-component will
be installed as a single piece on the building site
after being transported by truck.
SKIN is the general high-performance envelope of
the house which can be built on site by a semi-
skilled workforce. It contains the temperate areas.
SHELL is the high-tech part of the project. It
supports the photovoltaic system and the lateral
blinds to filter sunlight and to regulate the impact
of weather conditions.
This part can be prefabricated by some local
companies.
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
Thermal Strategy: Working With Efficient
Materials And Adaptive Façades. The goal of
Canopea® is to install very low power active
systems, and this makes passive design a very
important aspect in the design. The needs have
been reduced as much as possible, by designing
the thinnest possible thermal envelope with a
U value of 0.2 which allowed for minimal loss.
This high-performance skin is made of cellulose
wadding and vacuum insulation panels, placed in
a steel and wooden structure, and combined with
triple-glazed windows.
In order to make the best of the surrounding
environment, the envelope is very compact and
includes openings to provide extensive views of the
landscape at the same time as enhancing solar
gains. Peripheral walkway overhangs, shutters
and screens provide good sun protection. These
devices are adaptable to weather conditions and
give Canopea® a good reactivity to sudden climate
changes.
Several buffer spaces also contribute to the passive
strategy: the northern technical facade, the winter
garden, the peripheral passageways and the
common upper space protect the living area.
Passive Strategy: The housing unit includes an
airtight envelope, built with thin, high-performance,
insulating walls. The openings are protected with
operable louvers and rolling shutters. This way,
it ensures good protection while allowing natural
ventilation at night, and a high level of control
over natural light during the day. The outer
house envelope of the Nanotower is equipped
with textile solar screens which stop the incident
solar radiation and protect the living spaces from
65
overheating. In winter, operable glass louvers
on sliding panels create a second protective skin
in front of each bay window. A loggia enlarges
the interior living space and provides additional
acoustic protection as well as a winter garden and
a greenhouse buffer space.
Active Strategy: Heating, cooling, ventilation
and domestic hot water are produced by a Nilan
compact P machine equipped with a counter-flow
exchanger and an air-air heat pump coupled with a
sanitary hot water production unit.
The air supply passes first through an air shifter
and is then conditioned through an association of
the counter-flow exchanger and the air-air heat
pump, which heats the air in winter and cools
it during the summer. Heating and cooling are
ensured by radiative earth panels on the ceiling.
Furthermore, ground walls add inertia to the
housing allowing for a good control of temperature
and humidity.
Solar Systems
PV Installation: The roofing is made of photovoltaic
and hybrid panels ensuring the waterproofing of
the common floor.The 10 KWp installation is made
up of custom-made PV bi-glass panels (84m²) and
hybrid panels PV/T (16m²). The hydraulic system of
the PV/T is coupled with the Compact P machine to
produce and store hot water (ECS, heating) during
the day as well as producing cold water during the
night through radiative cooling. Storage enables
the re-use of this water through the radiant walls
(dephasing).
Singular Systems
Interior Design: Evolving Spaces. Each dwelling
in the Nanotower provides a living space as
well as a series architectural advantages to
families. Four-way orientation, with external
extensions and vegetated spaces, allow for an
effective appropriation of the space as if were a
real detached house. The house is designed for a
couple, with pleasant interior living spaces which
can unfold outdoors through a large convertible
balcony loggia or winter garden. The kitchen opens
onto the living space, which in turn offers a free
plan in order to maximize peripheral vision on the
landscape.
Interior design has been jointly developed by
students of architecture and interior design (DPEA)
at the schools of architecture of Grenoble and
Lyon, in collaboration with engineers of Polytech’
Annecy-Chambéry (University of Savoie) and
66
technicians from the IUT electrical engineering
department (Université Joseph Fourier). This
multidisciplinary approach combines a functional
and aesthetic vision focusing on the human scale,
comfort, form and the use of materials. The latter
were especially taken into account following market
and feasibility studies developed by students at
Grenoble School of Management (GEM).
The project focuses on space scalability needs
of the future dwellers. Mobile furniture allows
for the design of a guest room or an office studio
according to personal needs or preferences. It
can be initially pushed against the wall to clear
the space completely, and in the long term, if the
couple wishes to have a child, the mobile furniture
can also create an extra bedroom.
The top floor of the Nanotower is a common
space which can accommodate many activities.
Residents can do their laundry, organise barbecues
in the summer kitchen, hold meetings, celebrate
family events or give neighbourhood parties.
Children can play safely during bad weather, and
adults can sunbathe on sunny days…. A communal
life to enrich urban life.
Technical Data of the House: Canopea
Nº.1 / 908,7 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 120,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 71,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 87,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 87,1 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 114,9 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 116,9 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 77,3 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 72,9 points.
Contest 9: Innovation:75,0 points.
Contest 10:Sustainability: 86,7 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 0,0 points.

Team Name Model: Model NILAN JVP 6

Rhone Alpes Capacity Heating: 6,33 kW / Cooling 4,83 kW
Efficiency: COP: 4,22 / EER 3,22
Project Dimensions
Built Area (two floors): 195,9 m2 Terminal Unit 2:
Surface area: 150,0 m2 Type: capillaries in radiant panels
Net floor area: 68,8 m2 Model: KARO System
Conditioned Volume: 202,5 m3
Energy production Equipment 3 (Experimental
House Envelope semi-passive system):
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,08 W/m2*K Type: Thermal air phase-shifter
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,08 W/m2*K Model: Developed by Genève University
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,07 W/m2*K Capacity: Heating 0,60 kW / Cooling 1,20 kW
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,50 W/m2*K Efficiency: COP 10 / EER 12,5
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,35-0,38
Energy Recovery Ventilation:
Hvac Systems Type: counter-flow air exchanger
Energy production Equipment 1: Model: Included in the NILAN Compact
Type: Compact Air/Air heat pump with counter-flow
air exchanger Hot Water
Model: NILAN Compact P System 1: Heat pump, Included in the NILAN
Capacity: Heating 1,796 W / Cooling 1,300 W Compact P
Efficiency: COP 4,49 / EER 3,25 Potency:1,2 kW (Estimated)

Terminal Unit 1: System 2: PVT Collector

Type: Air transmission system Area: 12,9 m2
Model: NILAN Nilair
Electrical Energy Production
Energy production Equipment 2: Modules Type 1: BIPV by Tenesol (39 modules)
Type: Water/Water heat pump Area 1: 84,26m2

67
Modules Type 2: PVT panels by S2G+Auversun (8 Vacuum insulation.
hybrid modules) High performance triple glazed wooden folding
Area 2: 12,9 m2 windows (Menuiseries André).
Earth plastered radiant walls and ceilings
Installed PV power:10,7 kWp (CRAterre).
Compact P machine + air distributing system
Estimated energy production: Madrid 12733 kWh/ (Nilan).
year, Grenoble 11377 kWh/year Cascading HVAC and Plumbing system at
Nanotower scale.
Energy Consumption Radio electric fixtures and sensors (Schneider
Estimated energy consumption:7023,0 kWh/year Electric).
Estimated energy consumption per conditioned Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collectors
area: 86,7 kWh/year per m2 SunEezy inverters (Schneider Electric).
Power capping capacity. 4,7 kW storage in lithium
Energy consumption Characterization: batteries and inverter-charger (Studer).
Heating: 6 % Silk-screened bi-glass PV panels (Tenesol).
Cooling: 6 % Radiative cooling PVT panels (Auversun& Solar2G).
Ventilation: 12 % Energy management system and control tablet
Domestic Hot Water: 9 % (Vesta System).
Lighting:12 % Energy savings features: zeolite in dishwasher,
Appliances and Devices: 55 % PCM emulsion in DHW tank, pre-heated water inlet
for washing machine, clothes dryer with integrated
Energy Balance heat pump, grey water heat recovery and night sky
Estimated energy balance: +5713 kWh/year radiant cooling system.

List Of Singular And Innovative Materials And Cost

Systems Construction Cost: 700.000 €
Air Phase shifter (Institut Forel - University of Industrialized Estimate Cost:140.000 €
Genève).
Operable louvers rolling shutters (Bubbendorf)

68
Patio 2.12
Universidades de Sevilla + Jaén + Granada + Málaga

Nº.2 / 897,4 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives

Patio 2.12 revives the qualities of the Mediterranean

lifestyle by proposing a new contemporary
interpretation of home spaces and traditional
building technologies. As in Andalusian traditional
houses, the “patio” is the centre and the heart of
the home, many different functions and developing
an inside/outside relationship which creates a
gradient on the comfort conditions.

Patio 2.12 is a new concept in self-sustaining

modular houses, based on the ideas of “Kit of
Spaces” and “Intermediate Scale of Prefabrication”.
Domestic space is designed as the addition of
prefabricated modules, each containing a series
of compatible uses (kitchen-dining; living-study;
bedroom-bathroom; technical-spare). Several
“pavilions” are assembled around an intermediate
space, the “patio”, which accommodates the
extensions of the rooms surrounding it. The
dweller can choose which room to place on the
perimeter of the patio.

Patio 2.12 is built by adding fully prefabricated

modules, transported by road for their assembly on
site, using the “patio” as a connecting element.

Architectural Design

Reinterpretation Of Mediterranean Spaces. The

traditional “Mediterranean Patio” continues to
be the ideal architectural space for the house to
connect with the climate and environment. Patio
2.12 proposes a reinvention of the courtyard,
the concept of spatial organization around it, a
multipurpose space which extends the house.

The living modules that make up the residential

prototype relate to one another through an
intermediate space which recreates the
Mediterranean courtyard under a “technological
vine”.

69
70
Kit Of Prefabricated Modules
The domestic space we propose is innovative, no
longer a sum of conventional spaces (living room,
plus kitchen, plus bathroom, etc.) but a set of
compatible uses larger than a room. We propose a
house as a sum of small lofts, which can increase
in number whenever necessary, change position
or even alter their use according to the shifting
requirements of family over time.
71
Spatial Organization
The prototype is not arranged by a division of the
space to create rooms, but rather by the addition of
4 autonomous living modules connected through
a flexible and alterable space -the courtyard-,
a spatial concept drawn from Mediterranean
tradition. The courtyard is the “core” of the house,
a linking space which can accommodate different
combined uses with many potential scenarios. The
patio is the place that brings life to the house.
 Prefabricated Technological Isles. Kitchen and Bath,
Specialized Submodules Within The Living Module.
We formulate an experimental concept involving
the relationship between habitable modules and
patio, and a second order involving furniture,
capsule spaces (kitchen and bathroom) and living
modules. This proposal is developed from the
aggregation and arrangement of different industrial
elements that make up the house. The result of the
aggregation of capsule-pieces and technological
isles is a manufactured and transformable house.
These technological areas have been disconnected
from the walls and their elements can be placed
anywhere around the house.
With these assumptions, the concept and global
idea of “Capsule or Technology Isle” is a “concept
of integration” of all the elements of the house into
compact prefab elements.

Construction & Materials

Structure
• Horizontal structure:

- Ground Floor. Perimeter steel beams (hollow

tube 200.200.8 mm) with steel joists (hollow tube
80.200.6 mm) separated 65-70 cm centre-to-
centre.
- Roof Floor. Perimeter wooden beams and joists

72
with the same section (70x140 mm). Joists 40 cm
centre-to-centre coinciding with the distribution of
studs.
• Vertical structure: Wooden studs, 40 cm centre-
to-centre, and section 70x70, 70x140 or 70x210
mm. The span between studs is determined by
the anchoring necessary for the façade ceramic
sheets.
Envelope (The Intelligent Skin)
There are two types of envelopes, one for the
habitable compact modules and another for
the Patio. The first envelope uses an external
layer of ceramic sheets as its more visible and
characteristic feature. The second is the Patio
envelope, formed by a double skin which controls
light, shade and ventilation.
• Habitable Modules’ Envelope. Its composition,
from the outside to the outside, is as follows:
Porous ceramic tiles + Ventilated air gap + Reflexive
aluminium insulation + Waterproof sheet + OSB
panel + Mineral wool Insulation between the studs
+ Thermopanel + Natural cork panels
Within the kitchen and the living room’s northern
façade, a drip irrigation system is installed to
induce the evapotranspiration process in the
ceramic sheets, in order to cool the air gap. On
the lower part of this air gap, a series of motorized
slats will drive the cooled air towards the interior of
the room.
• Patio´s Envelope (The artificial vine system).
Inspired by the Andalusian Courtyard House,
but made with new materials, geometry and
technology, this type of envelope includes two
layers. One is completely glazed but adjustable
in a way that allows for both an open ventilated
scenario and a completely closed one. The other
layer is a series of adjustable louvers reminiscent
of the image of a vine’s leaves. This envelope
provides shade, cools the air, captures light, and
can even become a thermal collector in winter…
All these functions have been devised to generate
a multipurpose and habitable space for the
house. The louvers, adjustable and programmable
by automation, reinterpret the traditional role
of a courtyard vine, so frequent in traditional
Mediterranean patios.
Interior Construction and Finishes (Natural and
sustainable materials)
One of the main aims of the project is to use
technologically advanced and sustainable
materials, reminiscent of the Mediterranean
essence, easy to assemble and disassemble, and of
the best quality and durability.
73
For instance, natural cork sheets have been chosen
for the internal skin of the house. The patio`s
flooring uses slats made of a composite material
made from recycled wood and PVC bottles,
resembling traditional Andalusian wooden floors.
Singular Elements (Kitchen And Bath Islands.
Indoor Fixtures)
There are two monolithic prefabricated pieces
inside the habitable modules. One of them provides
almost all the functions of a kitchen, and the
other is a compact box which integrates all the
elements that usually make up a bathroom. Both
are designed as containers of technology, including
state-of-the-art toilets, bathtubs and extraction
hoods, etc. The exterior finish is also Corian
cutting-edge material, specially suitable for humid
spaces.
Storage-Closet Furniture (Storage And Integrated
Equipment)
In addition to shelves and drawers for storage,
closets also include specific mechanical equipment
depending on the type. Closets have integrated air
conditioning fan coils, air slats to allow air from
the natural ventilation system in, and are internally
lit with embedded LEDs on the top boards. They
contain all the elements for water supply, drainage,
and electric systems necessary for the integrated
equipment to work. The closets are made of MDF
boards and veneered with natural oak wood and
water varnish.
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
Passive Heating Strategies
Sun Space
The flexible arrangement of the patio glazing can
alternatively transform it into a green house or a
ventilated shaded space. Under the winter sun,
this glazed space can be closed to heat the rooms
around it. Adjustable louvers on both the ceiling
and the walls of the patio allow for a careful control
over the quantity of radiation in every case.
Passive Cooling Strategies
Air Pre-Cooling By Evapo-Transpiration.
Passive Ventilation
The prototype ceramic finish includes a system of
capillary irrigation which allows a natural cooling of
the envelope through a water evaporation process
inside the ceramic material. This way, the air gap
in the façades can be cooled up to 10ºC below the
exterior temperature. The cooled air is channeled
into the interior space through motorized grilles at
the base of the walls, and subsequently removed
through a solar chimney located on the roof of
every living module.
74
Semipassive System for Heating and Cooling
Automatized Air Admission Gates Without Thermal
Bridging.
The regulation of air admitted from the envelope
air gap to the rooms through motorized gates for
passive ventilation is automatically controlled by
the home automation system of the prototype.
Active Systems
Air Conditioning
The system is formed by an air-water device
“Aqualis Inverter”, and a fancy “Major Line” with
two pipes in every room, with an additional battery
located in the admission duct of the fan coil which
allows prior cooling (free cooling type using the
water in the main pond). The supply of hot water by
solar panels is supported by a thermal air/water
pump using the “SANI 300l” tank.
With regards to the energy efficiency:
- The “Inverter” equipment allows regulating
electrical power over a C.O.P. of 4, saving up to
60% compared to a conventional heating system.
- The “Major Line” fan coil allows a reduction of
up to 20% in motor power thanks to its smart
construction. Its HEE CIAT motor with Brushless
technology allows up to 85% energy saving.
- The hot-water production cost with the support of
the “Aqualis Inverter” heat pump with the SANI 300l
tank is two times lower than a classic electrical
tank.
- The cooling system used in the main pond
reaches up to 25% of energy saving.
Heating
“Aqualis Inverter”, 33H air/water reversible heat
pump is designed for household use. Its “Inverter”
technology allows modulating its power to adapt
to all needs of the house, in order to improve the
75
comfort and energy efficiency. “Aqualis Inverter”
reaches a C.O.P. over 4 and ensures up to 60%
energy saving compared to traditional fossil-fuel
heating systems.
Solar Systems
The prototype achieves an optimum architectural
integration of the photovoltaic solar system
through the shape of the house. Photovoltaic
panels are integrated into the living modules,
which are located on the roof so as to create a
ventilated air gap on very little supports. The roofs
of the living modules have the appropriate incline
to get better efficiency during the competition.
Therefore, the photovoltaic system has a dual
function: roofing and electricity generation.
Furthermore, the panels placed on the top of the
Technical Box are hybrid units, so that the thermal
solar panels are added under the photovoltaic units
for water conditioning.
Another highlight is the large area used for
solar capture systems, as Patio 2.12 takes full
advantage of photovoltaic energy using the entire
roof of the house.
Patio 2.12 proposes two types of Photovoltaic
Systems connected to the grid. Their size (2kW
and 2.5 kW) depends on the usable area of each
habitable module. The total power of the PV
generator is 11,3 kWp in Standard Test Conditions
while the inverter’s power is 9 kW. All four
systems (2 of 2 kW and 2 of 2,5 kW) can operate
independently. Their connection to the general
system of the house and the grid is located in the
“technical module”.
76
Technical Data of the House: Patio 2.12
Nº.2 / 897,4 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 95,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 73,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 100,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 106,5 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 92,9 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 110,3 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 80,0 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 64,9 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 68,9 points.
Contest 10:Sustainability: 95,9 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 10,0 points.

Team Name Hot Water

Andalucia Team System type: Photovoltaic/Thermal Panels (PVT)
Model: Hybrid Atersa
Project Dimensions Area:13,89 m2
Gross area:107,1 m2
Net floor area: 69,6 m2 Electrical Energy Production
Conditioned Volume: 128,7 m3 Modules Type 1: PVT modules (Hybrid Atersa)
Area 1: 13,89 m2
House Envelope Modules Type 2: Monocrystalline PV panels
Walls Thermal Transmittance:0,20 W/m2*K Area 2: 55,46 m2
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,19 W/m2*K
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,12 W/m2*K Installed PV power:11,32 kWp
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,70 W/m2*K Estimated energy production:16355 kWh/year
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,39
Energy Consumption
Hvac Systems Estimated energy consumption: 2982,0 kWh/year
Energy Production Equipment: Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Type: Air/Water heat pump area: 42,7 kWh/year per m2
Model: CIAT Aqualis Inverter
Capacity Heating: 10,2kW / Cooling 8,9 kW Energy consumption Characterization:
Efficiency: COP 4 / EER 3 Heating: 24,3 %
Cooling: 10,7 %
Terminal Unit: Lighting: 12,5 %
Type: Transmission mode Fancoil Appliances and Devices : 40,0%
Model: CIAT Major Line Others: 12,5 %

77
Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +13372,57 kWh/year

List Of Singular And Innovative Materials And

Systems
Ceramic Envelope with evapo-transpiration effect.
Patio envelope for natural conditioning
(“technological vine”).
Chimney effect for natural ventilation.
Compact prefab isles for kitchen and bathroom
equipment.
Solar roof. Integrated PV modules and Photovoltaic
thermal hybrid solar collectors.
Domestic natural purifying system for grey water.

Cost
Construction Cost: 500.000 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 150.000 €

78
Med in Italy
Università degli Studi di Roma TRE + Sapienza Università di Roma + Free University of
Bozen + Fraunhofer Italy

Nº.3 / 863,5 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives
Tradition and innovation are the two fundamental
criteria behind the “MED in Italy” house. The
former is the inspiration of the project and provides
a bioclimatic model suited to the Mediterranean
latitudes. The latter is prompted by the need to
adapt the traditional model to modern demands
and technologies.
Following tradition, we worked with the
Mediterranean climate of the Italian peninsula,
where protection from heat gains has the same
importance as protection from cold and, in many
cases, is even more relevant. The basic strategies
to avoid heat in such contexts provide protection
from solar radiation, inertial heat storage and
thermal dissipation, alternating day and night
temperatures, and the culture of living in outdoor
spaces.
intermediate spaces and transitions between inner
and outer space, producing ante litteram buffer
zones.
In our design, the outdoor space is an integral part
of the residential area and accomplishes specific
bioclimatic functions to moderate the temperature
difference between the inside and the outside,
strongly reducing psychometric problems in the
building envelope.
Outdoor plant sensors reveal the presence of
pollutants and indicate potential biological damage
to living organisms in actual situations of air
pollution.
Internal comfort control derives from traditional
Mediterranean typological and morphological
solutions to “passively” manage inside temperature

Architectural Design

Despite their variety, most architectural models

developed in Mediterranean areas in the past
share a strong integration between open spaces –
generally delimited- and enclosed build volumes.
Additional architectural elements such as loggias
or porches have always played a role in controlling
climate conditions, and their association with
adjustable dimming systems and openings for
ventilation control, has enabled the creation of

79
and “buffer zone” areas, frequently designed as
loggias, courtyards or patios.
The Mediterranean climate can create
complications for energy efficiency due to the dual
need to cool in the summer and heat during the
winter. This duality implies a need for a changing
configuration and requires the building to adapt to
various external dynamic stresses.
This is especially true during the summer, when
the building must remain more closed to the
exchange with the outside during the day, while at
night it should be kept open to increase ventilation
and free cooling.
For this reason, the envelope was conceived in
order to:
- Work as a climatic damper to reduce energy
loss;
- Favour energy gain through the use of PV
installations;
- Provide intermediate buffer zones for the house ;
- Adapt to seasonal and daily climatic stresses.
Because of this behavioral pattern, the envelope
works as a living organism, divided into two main
layers:
- An inner layer, supplied with inertial mass in
direct contact with the indoor area, which allows
heat to be stored at any time. In fact, the mass
works as a thermal fly-wheel both in the winter
80
and summer months. During the summer, in
particular, it preserves the average radiating
temperature, producing a pleasant sensation
of coolness, different in quality from the feeling
generated by air-conditioning systems. During the
winter, it keeps the inside space warm and avoids
quick thermal energy losses; an outer layer, which
provides continuous insulation around the building
with careful attention to the prevention of thermal
bridges and monitors joints through FEA analysis.
Construction & Materials
The entire image of the house is based on
the contrast between low-tech and high-tech
construction.
The exterior view of the low tech part is reminiscent
of a textile layer created with a hemp canvas (the
same canvas used for the sails of the historical
ship Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian Navy training
ship) stretched over wooden frames. This casing
reinterprets an ancient Mediterranean building
tradition, which historically precedes the use of
stone. Hemp canvas is part of an important Italian
tradition and it is a culturally essential to give this
material a new chance to be useful. We also use
hemp to create shade in the patio.
In truth, textile is an uncommon finish for the
walls of a building. Cutting edge research is
currently being developed on this topic, and we
believe that textile, if properly explored, could be
a high performer, and be suitable for building
envelopes in temperate to hot climates. However,
the modular cladding system of the “MED in Italy”
prototype could pave the way for future housing
with other finishes, more common and suitable
from a marketing point of view, such as laminated,
TRESPA, brick, metal sheets, and wood panels,
depending on the construction environment.

These textile formworks, strengthened with

wooden structures, are filled with loose material,
available in the building area, such as sand,
soil, rubble… The infill heavy materials conform
to a common feature in buildings around the
Mediterranean area: a wall thermal inertia in sharp
contrast with the lighter North European systems
(framed). Walls act as thermal fly-wheels both in
winter and during the summer. In the prototype
created for the contest the massive material is
wet sand, contained in aluminum tubes, in order
to be transported and easily assembled and
disassembled.

The concept behind the furniture design and

prototyping is the same as with the house: easy
assembly and disassembly, in few steps repeated
numerous times. Dry joints (thanks to the use of
mechanical joints only, and the absence of glues
reducing formaldehyde emissions to zero) and
traditional materials are combined with high-
tech and contemporary designs for chairs, table,
bed, desk and kitchen. The latter belongs to the
range of Made in Italy flexible products for interior
design: its system has been designed to be built
around the absence of matter, in empty spaces,
using only shelves and jumbo drawers to achieve
a light and modern style of furniture through de-
materialization. Even the innovative wooden and
metal doors are de-materialized thanks to their
very slim panels and the materials used: a faced
frame for the wooden doors and a 2mm thick panel
for the metal parts.

To recover one of the finest qualities in

architectural expression and production typical of
the Mediterranean area, we redesigned classical
tiles. From Turkey to Italy, through France and
Greece, tiles represent, with a huge variety in
shape and type, the union between tradition and
modernity. Our research focused on the 20cm
square-shaped tile, inserting different objects
into it (bowls, cups, hooks, etc) to create new
accessories.

Ceramic was also introduced into the lighting

design project, creating biomorphic lamps which
are transformed from a sculpture to a lighting-

81
 emitting object. In our project, natural and artificial
lighting are based on the following concepts:

- Daylight comes from windows and skylights.

They allow light to enter from different directions
creating a perfect balance of luminance on different
surfaces, with special attention to visual tasks and
painted surfaces;
- Electrical lighting and home automation integrate
perfectly with daylight, with minimum energy
consumption and maximum visual comfort;
- High efficiency light sources (last generation LED)
and high-performance optics minimize energy
consumption with no loss of visual perception and
comfort;
- LED Spectrum performance defines a pleasant
and relaxing visual environment, enhancing
materials and textures;
- Long-lasting technologies minimize maintenance
operations;
- Custom design of luminaries and feeding system
allows for optimal performance with different
furniture arrangements

The inside of the house also explores the potential

of conductive textiles with a new material called
Texsteel, which combines the easy workability of
metal with the softness and aesthetics of fabric.

A study of its main characteristics revealed

its innovative quality, sustainability, industrial
strength, low-cost, highly sensitive performance,
electrical conductivity to be an advantage for the
design of interactive components. Texteel can be
printed on, punched, plied, and draw-pressed.

82
Furthermore, it is a magnetic and conductive
material. These characteristics led us to the idea
of coating the office desk with it, therefore adding
to its natural properties (lightness, self-standing,
texture), energy transmission at low voltage (12v)
at any point of its surface. That way, it would be
possible to use the entire desk as an energy socket
for small appliances (watches, smart phones,
lamps, cordless phones).
From a spatial point of view, the house is conceived
as a traditional home, where the living room and
the bedroom are clearly separated. The kitchen
is also enclosed and clearly purpose-oriented.
However the continuity and fluidity of the space
is assured by an “art gallery”, a large, lit corridor
which evolves to different areas: from the living
room to the laundry, from the home office and
bedroom to the bathroom, through the use of
sliding doors which separate the toilet as an
independent separate room. The artwork lining on
the corridor wall gives and assures the continuity
of the space. It also helps enhance the positive
behavior of the dwellers, preventing them from
furnishing the northern wall and therefore letting
the wall optimise its thermal gain function.
Furthermore, the wall is painted with a special
bright material, which stores light and releases it
during the night. This way the wall acts not only
as background, but also provides safety at night by
creating a lightened path.
83
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
In line with the main purpose of design strategies,
the improvement of thermal capacity across
envelope elements has been thoroughly analysed.
The main strategy involves an increased mass
across walls compared to the lightness of
structures typical of wood technologies.
Different configurations of mass distribution have
been tested by a hot box in order to identify the best
one. The solution ultimately selected proposes a
cavity with aluminium pipes filled with wet sand,
which reduces the total weight of structures up
to 30% compared to a homogenous layer of dry
sand. Thanks to the increase in heat-exchanging
surface, through ventilation of the mass itself, it
has been possible to increase the total thermal
capacity of the walls (at least up to 20% higher than
a homogenous layer of dry sand).
This mass solution combined with a thick thermal
insulation achieves an average value of 0,149 [W/
m2K] of opaque envelope thermal transmittance
equal, and an average value of time shift of 19,85
[h], which makes the wooden wall comparable to a
traditional insulated brick structure. Appropriate
design features for night mass ventilation and solar
shadings further enhance the potential of solution
we have chosen to adopt.
84
The HVAC systems have been divided into two
main active circuits. Given that the main thermal
generator is an air-to-water heat pump, a
radiant system installed in the inner layer of roof
structures serves as a first active circuit to control
reasonable heating and cooling loads. This system
has been designed to guarantee the best comfort
conditions for a standard residential occupancy of
the building.
In order to control peaks due to extraordinary
occupancy during the contest and the latent loads
in both the residential and contest use, the air-
exchange system (standard equipment for a high
energy efficiency building) has been upgraded to
an air-treatment system (which serves as second
active circuit) in order to meet the humidity and
CO2 requirements for the contest. An intelligent
bypass of heating recovery system has been
introduced: when external conditions are similar
to comfort conditions, the system allows natural
ventilation across the building.
Instead of using batteries (which are too expensive
from the point of view of installation, maintenance
and environmental impacts), thermal storage
systems have been adopted to reduce the electrical
85
power demand and improve the concurrence of
energy production and energy demands.
Considering the energy demand for heating and
cooling, three different tanks have been designed:
• 200 l of 55 °C hot water for sanitary, shower and
kitchen uses;
• 100 l of 35 °C hot water for heating purposes;
• 100 l of 15 °C cold water for cooling purposes.
Solar Systems
The high tech is made up of an external and an
internal part. The PV envelope is the external
high tech part. It protects the roof´s surface and
the eastern and west façades from direct solar
radiation, and also provides shade for the southern
façade. This kind of solution is perfectly integrated
into the image of the building, transforming the
photovoltaic panel from an appliance to a building
component. The internal part is the “3D core” of
the house, which includes the kitchen and the
bathroom as well as the HVAC technical room. It
contains all the technical appliances so as to avoid
electrical diffusion, reduce water distribution length
and facilitate assembling phases.
In our design, PV Surfaces are not juxtaposed on
the roof of the house, but deeply integrated into the
architectural image, in such a way that the building
would lose its meaning if they were removed.
We use the PV surfaces as shading devices:
cantilevers have been fine-tuned to protect glass
surfaces (skylight and south windows) from direct
solar radiation during the hot season. They are
designed as a separate element, detached from the
waterproof envelope of the house, thus allowing for
an adequate ventilation of the space between the
two roofs, preventing a decrease in the efficiency of
panels due to overheating.
Another particular feature of our project is the
multi-orientation of the PV surfaces: horizontal
(roof), east and west walls. The multi-orientation
is linked to the architectural integration of the
panels, but also supports the optimization of the
temporary relationship between energy production
and consumption, since the surfaces will produce
energy at different times of the day, minimizing the
need for energy storage.
86
PV Surfaces are designed to maximize production
following the requirements of the contest.
The installed power is 9.62 KWp, divided in 4 strings
for a total of 64 polycrystalline (c-Si) panels.
Even from the energy-production perspective,
the design is flexible and allows for different PV
technologies to be used, maintaining an aesthetic
coherence with different optical and technical
options. We tested solutions based on either diffuse
or direct solar radiation and integrated them into
the design.
The most fascinating -but expensive- solutions
tested were based on CIS (Copper, Indium and
Selenium, together with Gallium and Sulfur),
alternating black, coloured and serigraphed
panels, but we also simulated the less efficient
thin film (a-Si). Since the shape of the roof is partly
unconnected from the number and type of panels,
the house can be configured coherently based on
different budgets, contests and energy needs.
Technical Data of the House: Med in Italy
Nº.3 / 863,5 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 100,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 72,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 87,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 93,9 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 96,5 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 115,9 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 66,7 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 64,0 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 57,6 points.
Contest 10:Sustainability: 100,0 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 10,0 points.

Team name Energy Recovery Ventilation:

Med in Italy Type: Heating recovery with heat pump integrated
Model: ULYSSE HP by Frost Italy
Project Dimensions
Gross area: 68,04 m2 Hot Water
Net floor area: 55,49 m2 System type: Heat pump (combined production)
Conditioned Volume: 143,89 m3 Capacity: 2,70 kW Heating sanitary water mode

House Envelope Electrical Energy Production

Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,14 W/m2*K Model: WINAICO, WSP 185P6
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,14 W/m2*K Area: 86,14 m2
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,14 W/m2*K
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,23 W/m2*K Installed PV power: 11, 84 kWp
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,50 Estimated energy production: 13572,00 kWh/year

HVAC Systems Energy Consumption

Heating/Cooling energy production equipment: Estimated energy consumption: 5070,03 kWh/year
Type: Air/Water heat pump Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Model:OMNIREC H5 by Frost Italy area: 91,37 kWh/year per m2
Capacity: Heating capacity 3,06 kW / Cooling 3,22
kW Energy consumption Characterization:
Efficiency: COP 4,77 / EER 4,20 Heating: 8,9 %
Cooling: 9,1 %
Terminal Unit: Ventilation: 7,3 %
Type 1: Radiant ceiling with cork thermal insulation Domestic Hot Water: 13,9 %
Model 1: Leonardo by Eurotherm Lighting: 9,0 %
Type 2: Radiant floor Appliances, Devices and Pumps: 51,8%
Model 2: ZEROMAX by Eurotherm

87
Energy Balance High efficiently polycrystalline silicon cells
Estimated energy balance: +8501,97 kWh/year Efficient appliances with remote control features
for energy savings
List of Singular and Innovative Materials and Optimized natural lighting on work areas
Systems Photo-luminescent products for safety indoor use
Thermal mass. Walls with interior layer of Mechanical filtering of grey water and UV
aluminium tubes filled with sand. disinfection device
Windows frame design avoiding thermal bridges
Selective glazing Cost
Advanced Building Automation and Control System Construction Cost: 160.000 €
(BACS) Industrialized Estimate Cost: 124.000 €
Active solar systems combined with thermal mass
Low embodied energy materials
Recyclable and reusable outdoor flooring made
of recycled plastic panels filled by vegetables
(exhausted olive pomace)
Ventilated walls with canvas cladding
Bitumen free waterproofing membrane based on
vegetal components
High concentration of plants in the “3D core”
Mechanized ventilation windows controlled by the
house automation and control system
Climate control system powered by a small power
air to water heat pump with controlled mechanical
ventilation and active heat recovery
Radiant ceiling
3 water buffer tanks: for space heating, for space
cooling and for DHW.
PV architectural design

88
Ecolar Home
University of Applied Sciences Konstanz

Nº.4 / 835,0 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives

The name ECOLAR includes the words “ecologic”

and “solar” as well as “economic” and “modular”.
With the aim of rendering these main objectives
into a building, we have developed the ECOLAR
building set system. It contains all the elements
needed to build an ECOLAR house.

ECOLAR is a new building system which allows

everyone to build his or her own individual home.
A house based on a simple concept, but offering
the greatest comfort to the dweller and designed to
provide shelter throughout his or her lifetime.
Therefore, the ECOLAR Home 2012 is only one of
many examples of what a home for two people can

89
 look like. It demonstrates the houses´ ability to
adapt to its surroundings and to climate conditions,
through the use of adequate elements included in
the ECOLAR building set. The ECOLAR Home for
Madrid consists of six room-modules, four of them
created as indoor spaces and two other modules
serving as a carport and a private patio.
The combination of all six modules forms a
compact and simple cubic shape.

Inside, the Super-cabinet offers a wide range of

opportunities for different everyday life situations.
By transforming the rooms and changing its
functions, the house adapts to its dwellers´
requirements and space can be used very
efficiently.

The main goal for ECOLAR project goes beyond

building a trendsetting house: its aim is to create a
cohesive master plan for a future living concept. For
this reason, several aspects became particularly
important during planning and construction:

90
91
92
 patio-entrance sleeping / working

DRAWING CODE SHEET TITEL SCALE DATE DRAWN BY

AR-211 Transversal Section 1 : 50 13.08.2012 P.K.
patio-entrance cooking / eating living

B 13,05
N

DRAWING CODE SHEET TITEL SCALE DATE DRAWN BY

30 3,95 30 3,95 30 3,95 30
AR-201 Longitudinal Section 1 : 50 13.08.2012 P.K.
30

bed patio-privat
washing

bath
3,95

sleeping / working
A 56,80 m2 eating A
30

8,80

living
3,95

cooking

technics multi-
media
patio-entrance
30

DRAWING CODE SHEET TITEL SCALE DATE DRAWN BY

AR-021
93 Floor Plan 1 : 50 13.08.2012 P.K.
• Modularity is one of the most important features.
The ECOLAR building set provides a great deal of
flexibility when designing a new home.
• Sustainability throughout the whole life cycle of
the house by employing fast growing resources and
fully recyclable materials.
• Using highly efficient technologies while creating
a comfortable and aesthetic environment, avoiding
an excessively technical appearance.
• Maximizing synergistic effects by drawing on
multifunctional building elements and the use
of one same space within the house for different
situations.
• Focusing on innovation by employing new and
forward-looking technologies, with several world’s
firsts!

Architectural Design

The ECOLAR Home for the Solar Decathlon Europe

2012 will consist of six modules. Four of them
serve as interior spaces; two of them are designed
as patios. The modular concept of the building is
clear from the outside.

The inserted wall panels can easily be

distinguished from the columns and beams.
The facades of the patios are glazed, so natural
light can reach the interior. In order to increase
protection from the sun and privacy, the patios can
be screened with curtains.
The other conducting facades are either lined
with transparent, or fitted with semi-transparent,
photovoltaics. The roof is constructed as a flat roof
and complements the overall cubic shape of the
house. It is separated, however, through a gap in
the actual building structure. This way it appears
more delicate and becomes more important.
The modular and flexible concept is resumed
inside with the “super cabinet“. Made up of
floor-to-ceiling cabinet modules, it contains all
the necessary functions for everyday life. From
furniture to bathroom and technical elements,
everything fades into the walls.
In line with the idea of modularity, the design of the
cabinet is also based on a regular grid. Because
every resident will have the opportunity to put
together his or her own super cabinet and later
replace optional modules.
and bring a part of the Lake Constance to Madrid.
Therefore, there will be typical features of the
Lake such as water or its characteristic wooden
walkways.
Construction & Materials
The modular principle places high demands on
the construction of the house. It requires that
all components are manufactured with perfect
precision and specific solutions are developed to
connect parts in a way that they are stable and can
be easily resolved.
Because of market viability and sustainability, a
wooden structure was chosen. Since the beams
and columns are formed as hollow box sections,
a very high load capacity can be achieved at a low
cost. In addition, the individual parts are very light,
and this facilitates the handling and the assembly
on site. Another advantage of this design lies in the
fact that the cavities of the columns and beams can
be insulated.

The kitchen is also included and formally matches
the round shape. This creates a flexible space
which adapts continuously to the needs and moods
of the dwellers.
The exterior space should suggest the native region
The basic construction is always the same.
Columns and beams are built as box girder
profiles. The construction material is wood and
the hollow spaces are filled with hemp insulation.
Therefore, the building´s construction provides a

94
high load-bearing capacity and good insulation.
Flexible joints allow for the extension and the
deconstruction of the building or parts of it at any
time. All columns and all beams are identical, so
they will be produced in series and with a high level
of accuracy. This also reduces the manufacturing
costs.
Although the façades are also produced in series,
several types are available. For the ECOLAR Home
2012 we decided to use three different façade-
elements, selected and optimized for Madrid´s
climate conditions and their solar orientation.
The northern and southern walls are designed as
translucent elements. The eastern and western
façades are opaque and include a newly developed
solar-hybrid-system. Room-high glass sliding
doors provide access to the patios.
The whole roof is covered with innovative solar
panels available in an opaque and a semi-
transparent design. The latter is used to cover
the patios for natural lighting. The multifunctional
panels serve many different purposes, such as
water bearing surface, passive and active heating,
cooling and generation of electricity.
Inside the ECOLAR Home, the concept of flexibility
and modularity continues with the Super cabinet.
Its floor-to-ceiling elements include all the
technical devices, the furniture and even the
bathroom. This allows different scenarios for
everyday use.
An intelligent home automation system provides
maximum comfort while fulfilling the highest
energy standards. By using only natural building
materials and renewable energy sources, the
ECOLAR Home is highly ecologic and sustainable.
95
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The PCM (Phase Changing Material) enriched clay
plates on the ceiling can absorb the heat from the
interior and regulate humidity.
The LUCIDO facade element is also an intelligent
construction component, storing heat to improve
the insulation value.
In extreme cases, the passive system can be
connected to a climate control unit. It can operate
both the heating and cooling if needed. In addition,
the air is preheated and can also support the
heating and cooling system.
In order to remain true to the concept of
sustainability, the wastewater is treated through
a filtration system. Later, it can be used again,
for example as grey water to flush the toilet. The
goal is to interconnect simple components in an
intelligent way in order to create an intelligent
house.
Solar Systems
Photovoltaic design. The roof is the PowerStation
of the house. The entire surface is covered
with photovoltaic material, and even the semi-
transparent solar cells covering the patios are
used.
The house, however, should not only aim to
produce as much energy as possible, but also
consume as little as possible. Therefore, it´s
conditioning is largely passive.
The photovoltaic system of the ECOLAR-house
is the main feature of the building, visible
throughout the design. The roof is covered with 24
poly-crystalline solar panels, eight of which are
perforated for light to come through into the patio
area. These panels have a 10 % light transmission.
covered with opaque solar facades. The thin layer
of PV-modules made of amorphous silicon use
the morning and evening light to produce energy.
These modules are 20 % light translucent.
Inverters nominal power were reduced for the
competition from approx. 13000 Wp to 9680 W [80
% of the nominal power].
The PV cells in our façade were not linked to the
house grid during the competition in Madrid.
Solar Thermal design. The principle sounds
simple: Keep the sun out when it is hot, and collect
the solar energy when it is cold (or if you need a
hot shower). And use as much daylight as possible.
If you look more in detail, it is about form, shade,
glazing, buffering, insulation and bringing together
gains and needs.
We use a self-developed combination (PVT) of a
flat plastic absorber (90x400cm) behind our PV-
modules to activate about 60 qm of our roof-space
for thermal purposes. Combined with a 2100l buffer
tank we can use it to support the passive heating/
cooling system and/or the heat pump. During the
summer, we buffer the thermal energy excess
to get rid of it through night radiation exchange,
while during the heating period we collect the heat
to support our heat pump. The cascade of three
single 700l tanks allows an efficient usage.
Our thermal energy concept is based on a complex
water-based collection and distribution-system
throughout the house. Circulating pumps manage
the flows between the PVT-modules, the cooling
ceiling, the heating floor and the two water-air
exchangers in the ventilation system. In addition,
the solar supported DHW-tank, the heat pump and
a cascade of three buffer tanks maximize usage.
Building Integrated Actives Solar Systems. Our
Solar Roof serves three different purposes. Of
96
course, the most important job is to create lots of
electricity. The design of the roof as been optimized
to maximize the photovoltaic area, so that it
appears to be one big solar panel. At the same
time, the flat roof is the water- containing layer.
And, as described earlier in the section on
Solar Thermal Design, it is also used to adjust
the temperature inside the house to make it
comfortably cool during the hot months and
pleasantly warm in winter.
While serving all these different technical
purposes, the roof also constitutes an important
aesthetic feature in the design of the house. No
matter what dimensions the building adopts, it will
always be the final element, a feature that hovers
over the body of the house and completes the
general shape of the building. Also, the perforated
photovoltaic cells covering the patios modulate
daylight to create the effect of a pleasant half-
shade similar to shadows cast by trees.
A second area where solar systems are integrated
in the design of the house, are the façades.
As mentioned earlier in the section on Photovoltaic
Systems Design, the façades on the perimeter
of the house will be energy- activated with
photovoltaic cells. These glass panels will also
function as the final skin for weather protection,
replacing conventional cladding materials. They are
very durable, virtually clean themselves and, above
all, over their span of life produce far more energy
than the energy used to produce them. When we
stack up our building, we need more energy. The
roof cannot meet the additional demands from an
pre-determined size. So we activate the façade and
extend the area of production. Therefore, these
houses can be regarded as extremely sustainable.
Technical Data of the House: Ecolar Home
Nº.4 / 835,0 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 95,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 80,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 93,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 72,8 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 95,4 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 113,9 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 56,0 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 80,0 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 54,7 points.
Contest 10:Sustainability: 86,7 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 7,5 points.

Team Name Hot Water

Ecolar System (in addition to the heat pump):
Type: PVT, Hybrid Photovoltaic modules
Project Dimensions Thermal collector area: 57,6 m2
Gross area: 78,40 m2
Net floor area: 67,60 m2 Electrical Energy Production
Conditioned Volume: 175,76 m3 Modules Type 1: Multicristalline cells glass/glass
modules
House Envelope Area 1 (roof): 103,50 m2
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,10 W/m2*K Modules Type 2: Façade PV panels
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K Area 2 (facade): 35, 87 m2
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,63 W/m2*K Installed PV power: 13,29 kWp (only roof)
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,52 Estimated energy production: 14371 kWh/year (only
roof production)
HVAC Systems
Heating/Cooling energy production equipment: Energy Consumption
Type: Water/Water reversible heat pump Estimated energy consumption: 5480,0 kWh/year
Capacity: Heating capacity 5,0 kW / Cooling 4,0 kW Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Efficiency: COP 3,5 area: 81,1 kWh/year per m2

Terminal Unit: Energy consumption Characterization:

Type: Radiant heating floor and cooling ceiling Heating/Cooling/Water: 25,1 %
Ventilation: 6,4 %
Energy Recovery Ventilation: Lighting: 17,0 %
Type: Counterflow heat exchanger Appliances and Devices: 51,5 %
Efficiency: 85%

97
Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: + 8891 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
Building Integration Photovoltaic (BIPV).
Lucido facade system: Innovative glass façade
panels with a PV cells layer in front of an air cavity
with wooden fins that reflect most of the sun`s
rays during summer months and absorb solar
energy in the winter time, insulated with wood-
wool.
Latent Thermal energy storage (LTES): PCM
enriched clay plates in the radiant cooling ceiling.
Humidity regulation: Clay plates at ceiling help to
regulate the humidity level.
Daylight system with the use of optical fiber
technology.
Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collectors for
passive heating/cooling.
Night sky radiant cooling system.
Grey water heat recovery.

Cost
Construction Cost: 360,000 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 200,000 €

98
Counter Entropy House
RWTH Aachen University
Nº.5 / 819,3 points
Introduction & Main Objectives Of Project
The unique design of the “Counter Entropy House”
is based on the idea of a resource efficient,
energy-optimized life cycle of a building in which
the production of components, their transport, and
eventual disposal are taken into consideration. In
addition to the products being made of recycled
material, house also includes direct or indirect
“object recycling“, thus achieving an individual
architectural solution, e.g. a facade made of
panels from melted and polished CDs, flooring
made of old beams from the Aachener stadium,
and furnishings made of reused wooden boards
collected from bulk rubbish.
99
Besides the architectural design, the interior
design and the furnishings reveal a unique
combination of multifunctional, space-saving
configurations to create maximum space,
optimized usage, and adapt to changing
circumstances through the storage of glass
elements in “functional blocks”. The private area
is enlarged through a large cantilevered roof and
ensures maximum protected private space by
means of a revolving curtain.
Based on the SDE rules, the outstanding and
unique energy systems developed by the team
could be described as “passive”. Energy is supplied
only by transferring heat-flow through carrier-
fluids. No enclosed thermodynamic cycle is
needed. The only electrical energy consumed is
100
generated by circulation pumps for the different
fluid cycles.

The “Counter Entropy House“ uses a thermal

cooling system which is much more sustainable
than climatizing the house with electricity.
Therefore, the main aim is for mechanical heat
pumps to no longer be the central element of
the building service engineering. In its place, a
far-reaching use of solar thermal energy (night
and day) provides the energy needed for air-
conditioning. The solar thermal energy provides
a significant advantage over the exclusive use of
photovoltaic cells.

The second system which contributes to comfort

conditions of the house is the cooling ceiling fed
by a special fluid cycle. In the cooling mode, the
process is as follows: rain water from the storage
tanks cools down the dispersion, water is blended
with PCM within the cold-storage tank via a heat
exchanger. The dispersion in the cold-storage
tank is pumped through the cooling ceiling and
lowers the room temperature by means of radiation
cooling.

Architectural Design

The “Counter Entropy House” is a single-storey,

clearly structured building designed for two people.
In order to achieve optimal usage of the small
footprint predetermined by the organisation, a
smooth transition between interior and exterior is
created. Thus the main focus is not drawn only to
a visual enlargement of the living space but also to
the actual enlargement of the private living zone.
The building can be classified in three vertical
zones of privacy, which are either raised from
the ground and remain unroofed, raised from the
ground and roofed, or raised from the ground,
roofed and thermally or visually covered. The three
horizontal zones – the solid base which serves as
building foundation, the open floor made of closed

101
102
block elements and transparent glass surfaces, located on the roof‘s edge can be stowed in the
and the large cantilevered roof – are decisive in blocks and functions as sunshade and defines a
determining the stages of privacy for the vertical new private living space. To emphasize the smooth
zones. The first horizontal zone – the solid base – transition between inner and outer space , the
creates the first stage by raising the building from facade of the “Functional Blocks“ extends into the
the ground and defining a clear border between interior.
the public space. The second horizontal zone – The living space can be divided into four areas,
the roof – creates the second stage of privacy by each with one “Functional Block“; the bathroom,
clearly defining the space from two sides. The third
vertical zone is the most private area created by the
building envelope within the open space. In order
to enlarge the inner private zone, a curtain can be
pulled around the roof‘s edge. By dissolving the
building‘s envelope the zones are joined as one and
held together by the large cantilevered roof.

Due to the clear zoning there is a smooth transition

between the interior and exterior generated by the
strong visual axes and intensified by the continuous
use of the same floor and ceiling material and the
glass facades.

The layout of the building develops through two

rectangles displaced sideways and divided into
a private area on the west side and a public one
on the east. This way, two roofed outdoor spaces
are created and defined by two sides – the public
entrance area and the private terrace.
In order to keep the room as open as possible
and at the same time well structured, every area
has its own “Functional Block“. These are the
only closed elements, providing the room with
most of the furnishings and hosting the building
service engineering. Designed as a wooden frame
construction, they allow a column-free space
despite the large cantilevered roof, which not only
serves as protection against sun and rain but also
provides space for photovoltaic and solar thermal
elements. The remaining facade consists of glass
elements which can be stored in the “Functional
Blocks“ to enlarge the living space. The curtain
however, is an exception – the dining and cooking
area is in the northeast, the living area is oriented
towards the southwest, the sleeping and working
area are in the west and the bathroom in the north.
Construction & Materials
The design of the interior follows the idea of
“Counter Entropy” associated with the concept
of reuse. To create a pleasant order despite the
mainly loud reused objects, the “Functional blocks”
need to exhibit simplicity. They not only form the
constructive structure but also the design frame
of the blocks, generating a calm backdrop for the
free standing objects carrying the idea of “Counter
Entropy” to its most striking. The framing function
of the blocks is visually strengthened by the coarse

103
surface covering the whole structure from outside
to inside contrasting with the calm front face which
is clearly separated from the surrounding frame.
In the “Functional block” itself, there are individual
boxes made of reused wooden boards collected
from bulk rubbish or particle boards rejected after
production; these boxes are defined for particular
functions based on the size of the found material.
The space-saving arrangement and the multi-
functional furniture allows for a flexible adaptability
so residents can adjust it for individual use
requirements.
As already mentioned, one of the main aspects
of the “Counter Entropy House” is the idea of
saving energy together with saving resources
and minimising solid waste. Whenever possible,
materials are reused or at least recycled
repeatedly. Therefore the use of composite
materials is avoided as much as possible. This is
either achieved through a construction which can
be easily disassembled or through the material
itself. For example, in the “Counter Entropy House”,
old beams from the “Tivoli” Aachen stadium are
used for indoor and outdoor flooring. The facade is
made of polished and melted CD‘s and the interior
is mainly made of old wooden boards.
The integration of architecture and building
service engineering is an important aspect in
104
the design of the “Counter- Entropy“ house.
Only when the architecture itself is elaborate
and efficient will the whole concept of the house
work out. A house which does not fit the energy
efficiency requirements in architecture can hardly
be improved through building service engineering,
and with the latter it will not be efficient anymore.
The “Counter Entropy House“ is a compact building
protected by a large cantilevered roof. The roof
fulfills all thermal requirements and is therefore
absolutely compact. For this reason, there will not
be any significant thermal bridges in the building.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The outstanding energy system developed by the
team can be described as completely “passive”
according to the SDE rules.
No enclosed thermodynamic cycle, like cryogen in
heat-pumps, is needed. Electrical energy is nearly
the only requirement for circulation pumps. The
“Counter Entropy House” is based on the idea that
a thermal cooling system can be more sustainable
than climatizing the house with electricity. Thus,
the aim is to avoid the use of mechanical heat
pumps. Instead, a far-reaching use of solar
thermal energy (operating night and day) provides
the energy needed for the house´s HVAC system.
Three technological innovations form the core of
the “Counter Entropy House’s” energy concept.
Firstly, a self-developed air-handling (AHU) unit
featuring a dehumidification unit based on an
open process for fluid sorption and an adiabatic
evaporative cooling. Secondly, the house can
be cooled down through a pumpable PCM-
material which circulates in a cooling ceiling. The
necessary cooling energy is supplied by a system
for nocturnal radiation cooling, which is used as
a replacement for a compression refrigeration
machine.
An energy efficient building requires a reliable
automation control. For this reason, the team has
developed a sophisticated system on its own.
Solar Systems
For the supply of the domestic demand of electric
energy and in order to reach a positive energy
balance, photovoltaic modules are installed on
the roof. For energy purposes, only modules are
worth considering, as their production process
is more environmental friendly than crystalline
cells. That is why, thin-film modules are installed
on approximately 80 m² of the roof. The process
of their production only requires a small amount
of embodied energy. These modules are laid out
in pairs, placed against one another, aligned east
to west, so that the entire roofing surface can
be used for the installation without concern for
shade. With an efficiency rate of 9.1% thin-film
105
modules seem to have a reduced output compared
to mono-crystalline cells, but this deficit can be
compensated for. Thanks to the high efficiency of
thin-film modules with diffused light and a better
performance during hot periods, higher yields
can be achieved over a year-long period. While
the improved performance with diffused light
is advantageous at the future location in rainy
Aachen, the good performance in extreme heat is
advantageous during the competition in hot Madrid.
In addition to the area for the photovoltaic panels, a
solar thermal system is installed on about 13 m² of
the roof. The decision was made to use evacuated
tube collectors which are operated by a water
cycle instead of glycol. This increases the heat
assimilation capacity of the system over a year-
round period and has ecological advantages. The
collectors are directly fed with processed-water
from the heat storage tank. Domestic hot drinking
water is warmed through a freshwater station.
As described in the corresponding “Innovation
Report”, the regeneration of the brine solution for
the sorption process will also be fed directly by
solar hot water.
106
Technical Data of the House: Counter Entropy
Nº.5 / 819,3 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 110,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 59,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 87,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 72,6 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 82,5 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 113,0 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 66,7 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 71,1 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 55,6 points.
Contest 10:Sustainability: 91,8 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 10,0 points.

Team Name Heating system:

Counter Entropy Team RWTH Aachen University Type: Radiant surfaces
Heat source: Solar thermal modules
Project Dimensions Efficiency:COP 8
Gross area:77,6 m2
Net floor area: 61,82 m2 Energy Recovery Ventilation:
Conditioned Volume: 170,25 m3 Type: cross-counter-cross flow air-air heat
exchanger
House Envelope Functions: For evaporative cooling and thermal
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,09 W/m2*K energy recovery
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,11 W/m2*K Efficiency: Temperature efficiency 94% / heat
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,08 W/m2*K recovery 78% (DIN EN 308:1997)
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,80 W/m2*K
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): o,45 Hot Water
System type: Vacuum tube collectors
HVAC Systems Area: 13 m2
HVAC Solution: Only passive and hybrid systems
Electrical Energy Production
Cooling system 1: Modules Type: Schüco MPE 125 - BL 01
Type: Radiant ceiling (2,5 kW) Area: 77,22 m2
Transfer medium: PCM dispersion regenerated by
night sky radiation Installed PV power: 6,75 kWp
Efficiency: COP >20 (from simulations) Estimated energy production: 8886,6 kWh/year

Cooling system 2: Energy Consumption

Type: Ventilation system with indirect adiabatic Estimated energy consumption: 6365 kWh/year
evaporative cooling Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Transfer medium: Air area: 103 kWh/year per m2
Efficiency: COP 8 Energy consumption Characterization:

107
Heating: 4 % detailed solutions).
Cooling: 27 % Innovations in industrialized construction (e.g.
Ventilation: 10 % connectors).
Domestic Hot Water: 2 %
Lighting: 15 % Cost
Appliances and Devices: 42 % Construction Cost: 542.000 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 241.000 €
Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +1765 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
PCM-dispersion as heat carrier fluid (test phase).
Night sky radiant cooling system (test phase).
Ventilation system with indirect adiabatic
evaporative cooling of rainwater.
Open liquid sorption system for space conditioning
(test phase).
Vacuum insulation panels.
Highly energy-efficient household appliances (e.g.
Zeolite in the dishwasher machine).
Special toilet-sink-element.
Recycled, re-use-objects or „super-cycled“
products used as building material (Counter
Entropy).
Ventilated facade made of recycled CDs.
Totally storable glass facade.
Combination of multi-functionality and space-
saving configuration of furnishing (self-planned

108
Odoo
Budapest University of Technology & Economics

Nº.6 / 767,0 points

Introduction & Main Objectives Of The Project Architectural Design

The Hungarian team believes that we cannot live
a sustainable life without changing our habits
and lifestyle. The main goal of the Odoo project is
to design a small house with an intensively used
outdoor living area. The Odoo is a design concept
aimed at creating a new type of living space which
combines the benefits of traditional Hungarian
lifestyle and modern, contemporary comfort
conditions. In the Odoo, activities also take place
on the terrace through the functional units fitted
in the summer wall - such as the kitchen and
relaxing area. This way, the time spent indoors
and outdoors can be almost equal, while the use
of the interior conditioned space is minimal so we
save energy and building materials. The dweller
develops an intense contact the house, which is not
only healthy but the basis of a sustainable lifestyle.
Choosing a sustainable building design and
lifestyle is becoming a viable option in Hungary. As
its main goal, the team set out to encourage and
motivate people to exploit this potential. The team
wanted to set an example with the Odoo project and
send a message that eco-friendly households and
lifestyles do have an alternative solution. The team
hopes to initiate a process to increase the demand,
a process through which people keen on this idea
will try to adopt a sustainable lifestyle themselves.
The concept also serves an educational purpose.
The house raises questions based on the
Hungarian lifestyle, and the primary goal is to
propose alternative solutions, to stimulate critical
thinking, to encourage innovative thought. The
team finds it important to share with an audience
of professionals the knowledge they gathered
during the design process and the preparations for
the Solar Decathlon Europe competition so that the
Odooproject itself can make a contribution to this
progress. One of the team‘s communication goals
is to present a new method of teamwork, so that
it can help inspire future projects with a similar
profile.
The main design goals which included outdoor
living, ideal utilization of solar energy, and easy
presentation determined the geometry of the
house. The house has three main components:
air conditioned residential units, a terrace, and
a southern side multi-functional wall or the
“summer wall”. The three parts make up a single
unit in its systems and appearance too.
The team designed the geometry of the house to
optimize active and passive solar power utilization.
With the addition of the summer wall the team
doubled the preferred southern façade surface.
This way the team was able to apply solar cells on
a vertical surface. At the same time they provided
a fully glazed façade achieving passive heat gain
which is used for heating during winter. Solar cells
cover also the roof. The installed system produces
3 times more energy than required. The aesthetical
integration of the solar cells into the roof and walls
characterizes the appearance of the house. Also,
the substitution of the traditional covering is an
economical solution.
Energy Efficiency-Active-Passive. The main
characteristic of the designed building is the
positive energy balance, which means that it
produces more energy than it consumes.

109
The building is a single-storey house with serves
as a residential building and an exhibition pavilion.
It will be presented to a large number of visitors
hence the structure has to meet enhanced safety
and durability requirements. The exhibition also
requires the structure to have a high quality
distinctive appearance both on the inside and the
outside. The building has a trapezoidal appearance
in its layout. It has a low-pitch roof with a lean-to
design. The roof surface is defined by the inclined
plane laid on the southern façade of the building.
The structural system of the building is lightweight.
The building consists of two distinct parts each
with their own entrance. The mechanical room is
located in the north-west corner of the building and
is functionally separate from the bathroom and the
living space which is the largest area of the house.
There is no passage connecting the two parts. The
mechanical room on the west side has its own
entrance that can be hidden behind the façade
cladding. The living space is divided for functional
and visual reasons and the entrance is on the
southern façade through sliding doors.
On the south glazed side we have placed a
construction with a separate support structure
but connected to the building. The terrace is
functionally an integral part of the building.
110
The layout of the terrace is trapezoidal too, which
extends towards the proposed approach. All along
the south side of the terrace we have designed a
summer wall with a boxed structure. The plane
of the upper surface of the wall is identical to the
plane of the roof of the building. The summer
wall – besides its function of collecting solar
energy – includes functional units that allow for
daily activities to be feasible and just as enjoyable
outdoors and with the usual comfort.
Construction & Materials
While designing the building, besides meeting the
technical requirements, the team aimed to create a
functioning, realistic, logical and coherent system
with an original architectural character, shape and
mechanical design.
The building structure forms a complex system
which is intricately connected throughout the
entire building and the building environment, and
which meets the functional requirements imposed
on it through the rules of construction. Building
constructions are continuously developing with
the advancements in construction techniques and
solutions and the introduction of useful materials
and structures. Our goal with this building design
is to create a technically path-breaking house that

meets today’s building construction requirements
and aims to show the direction for future design
and construction practices.
To design the most energy efficient home heat
loss should be minimized. For reaching this we
need proper thermal envelope, thermal mass
and shading system. The house has excellent,
continuously 24 cm thick-eco-friendly cellulose
insulation, modern triple glazed sliding doors and
ventilated multi-layer façade coating.
weather and predictably changing conditions with
thick insulation.
In the case of buildings with light-weight
structures, the level of insulation performance
is determined by the quality and thickness of
the insulating layer. Because of its lightweight
construction, the thermal mass is mainly present
in external water tanks and the concrete interior
flooring which plays a part in the unique, semi-
passive cooling-heating system developed for the
house. In winter, heat from the glazed surface
of the south is utilized for heating the house. On
summer evenings, sprinkling water on the roof
cools it down and during the day it works with the
cooling system. On sunny days to prevent excessive
heat a horizontal and vertical shading system was
designed.

Due to the continental climate in Hungary, summer

is hot. During the day, the temperature is above
30ºC and at this time it can be continuously hot.
Winter is harsh and cold, and when it cools down
it can drop as low as -15ºC for weeks. Buildings
can be adjusted effectively for this multi-seasonal

111
As the structure of the building was being
designed, the aim was to develop a thick coating
of thermal insulation. The thermal insulation is
cellulose which is made of recycled paper shredded
into tiny pieces. The manufacturing of this product
is going to start in the immediate future in Hungary.
On the glued-laminated timber panels a wooden
framework, which supports the OSB outer cover, is
fastened from outside. The cellulose is compressed
into the space between the OSB and the timber
panels with blown-in technology. Regarding the
windows, we tried to select airtight ones with the
best heat insulation. The supports for the modules
of the building are heavy-duty Purenit blocks
made of recycled PUR foam. The well-insulated
Purenit blocks placed into the heat insulating layer
reduce the heat bridge cause by traditional transfer
structures.
The air streaming in the space behind the facade
cladding cools down the warmed up facade and so
reduces the heat in the interior of the house. The
façade is made of glued-laminated timber boards
painted black. On the summer wall and on the
roof of the building, the air streaming behind the
solar panels cools them down and increases their
performance.
The black solar panels are placed on the low
pitched roof leaving narrow gaps. Under the panels
PVC waterproof membranes are laid. The solar
112
panels are attached with a special parallel rail
system developed for PVC insulation. With this
system the piercing and damaging of the insulation
can be avoided.
There is dropped ceiling everywhere in the living
space. A unique, transportable dropped ceiling
system, invented by us, is integrated with the
cooling-heating pipes, ventilation, and lighting in
the interest of creating a uniform appearance.
In the bathroom and the living area there are
ceramic tiles. Because of the ceramic tiles, the
floor structure has a great thermal conductivity
value enabling an efficient operation of the heating
and cooling system. The floor slab is made of a
special high-strength screed which can withstand
transportation and lifting without any damage.
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The core of the building service system in the Odoo
is the air-to-water heat pump, closely connected
to the semi-passive cooling-heating system, the
ventilation system and to the photovoltaic system.
The air handling unit provides the desired indoor
air quality while the doors are closed, so we protect
the interior from the extreme weather conditions.
The proper interior thermal comfort is reached
through surface heating-cooling through the floor
and the ceiling, which is highly energy efficient. To
reduce water consumption we collect rainwater
113
from the roof, which can be used for washing, toilet
flushing and irrigation.
The automation system in the Odoo controls the
building service units - shading, interior settings
of the house, observation, multimedia match,
weather conditions and inhabitants. In the system,
the connected devices form a decentralized,
distributed intelligence. The multi-platform system
can be controlled through many devices: smart
phones, tablets, touch screen, any interface using
the internet, or even while away from home.
Passive Water Cooling. The sky is used for
the cooling process. The cloudless sky can be
seen as a radiating surface of a constant -30°C
temperature. The surface of the cooled solar
panels is ideal for cooling down the water which
warmed up during the day. In one night, we can
cool 3000 liters of water to 17°C or less and store
it in a thermally insulated buffer tank. This is
perfectly suitable for cooling the house during the
day by circulating water in the pipes of the dropped
ceiling.
Thanks to this system, the heat pump performs
only reduced cooling functions, because it has to
work in the cooling mode only under high ambient
temperatures (~ 35°C). This saves a significant
amount of energy on the cooling side. If the water
did not cool back sufficiently at night, the heat
pump would help out with cooling during the night.
Naturally, rain water will continue to fill up the
tank.
The system will be set up with garden irrigation
sprinkler heads. We attempted to cover the surface
of the roof with a minimum flow rate in order to
reduce the demand on power for pumping. On
average, the cooling performance of the system is
20-times higher, than the energy consumption of
the circulating pump (200W).
Floor. In all four building modules, two piping
circuits have been installed in the floor. The first
circuit is located in front of the windows, in the area
which is subjected to direct sunlight, the second
circuit falls is placed by the north wall of the house.
The two-circuit floor system is practical if
within a single day heating and cooling needs
emerge together. This might happen when in
the transitional period (fall or spring) the solar
radiation falls on the surface before the window
and heats it up. Then we have the opportunity to
launch this separate circuit in the floor, and thus
channel away this passive heat gain into one of
the buffer tanks. If there was just one floor piping
114
circuit, we could only distribute the heat within the
premises, on the entire floor surface. In this case
we could not transfer a sufficient amount of heat to
the buffer tank. The heat stored in the buffer tank
can be discharged at night and used for heating
and tempering.
Ventilation. Artificial ventilation can provide an
energetically feasible solution for appropriate
indoor air quality only if the fresh air sucked from
outside is pre-heated in winter and pre-cooled in
summer by the tempered air inside. This process
takes places in the counterflow flat-plate heat
recovery unit built into the air handling unit,
allowing up to a 90% decrease in heat energy
entering the living space via ventilation.
Energy efficient Ecofit EC-motorized, infinitely
controlled fans are used on the blowing and the
suction sides. The dust and other solid pollutants
are filtered through an F5 category filtering panel
installed in both the exhaust and the fresh air
branches. The appliance contains both cooling and
heating elements, the cooling energy is provided by
the air-to-water heat pump via a direct evaporation
cooler. This solution allows skipping a heat
transfer step (refrigerant to water), thereby making
air cooling more efficient. With an electric heater
drying out air can be also achieved if necessary.
The ventilation air, tempered to the desired
internal temperature is delivered to the main
air space by three slot diffusers installed above
the sliding doors of the southern glazed surface.
The suction from the main air space is also done
above the southern glass surface, through the
gaps between the slot diffusers. This way, the
heat entering through the glass can be channeled
away immediately via the ventilation system, which
reduces the summer heat load of the interior. In a
normal operation mode 90m3/h fresh, tempered
air is diffused indoors, in the one hour after the
public tour the diffused air volume is increased to
300m3/h to provide the required indoor air quality.
We simulated the air movement (CFD) in the living
room in order to find out the rate and temperature
distribution, and to discover if there was any
stagnant zone.
Electrical System Concepts. The energy
consumption/production of the electrical consumer
circuit and photovoltaic system is measured by
separate electrical meters. The measurement
devices communicate with the matching KNX
gateway through an optical interface so the data
can be displayed on the touch panel in the building.
After the building has started being used, for
research related to smart metering, the system
115
provides the foundation for the necessary data for
the further optimization of the algorithms of the
complex building engineering control and the active
electrical energy storage (accumulators, electrical
car).
and the DC side voltage of each string configuration
stays under the inverters’ MPP voltage range
even with high cell temperature. The simulation is
useful for comparing the most diverse range of PV
systems.

Due to the dilatations needed for the building’s
transportation, circuits not exceeding 16 A we
used standard connectors in favour of easier site
installation. During the shaping of heavy power
current tracks we put great emphasis on not
only making sure that the wires and cables were
halogen free but also, if possible, the flexible
protective conductors, junction boxes and cable
glands too.
Solar Systems
In our project, taking the geometry into
consideration, to establish whether the thermal
heat collectors would fit into the cladding would
have taken too long because of their infrequent use
and besides, there was a need for heat pump either
way. We decided that thermal heat collectors are
not necessary and the supply of the domestic hot
water would be made entirely by the heat pump.
The photovoltaic system integrated in the building
appears in the wall and roof cladding of the
summer wall surface. The exterior claddings of
the building in accordance with the characteristic
dark appearance of the solar panels creates a
strong contrast with the solid white cladding of the
enclosed inner space.
In emergencies, additional relays connected to
the DC side of the inverter switch off. The power
switches on the DC cables lying under the terrace
turn off too, and the miniature circuit breaker in
the mechanical room operates through a low line
voltage.

PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM CONCEPTS. On the roof

there are monocrystalline PV modules that are
cabled to two inverters with a nominal output
power of 3,0 kW while on the summer wall there
are thin-film PV modules that are cabled to an
inverter with a nominal output power of 2,0 kW and
these are attached to the low voltage distribution
network.

The MPP control of the inverters is able to regulate

the optimal working point even in partial shade
thus it is maintains maximum efficiency at all
working points of the system. There is usually a
significant adjustment at these kinds of working
points when the sky is overcast.

For the selection of the inverters an important

criteria was the smooth working in high
temperature because they could only be placed in
the middle section of the summer wall and in the
case of the systems on the roof the inverters were
overloaded on the DC side.

Because the DC side overload and the modules’

dark colour requires warmer operating
temperature, the possible critical operating
conditions of the inverters were put through
a special test; they were analysed through a
simulation made in the Matlab environment.
According to the breakdown of the results, a
thermic overload of the inverters is not expected

116
Technical Data of the House: Odoo
Nº.6 / 767,0 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 70,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 77,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 93,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 71,0 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 109,1 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 106,2 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 54,8 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 54,2 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 42,1 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 86,7 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 3,0 points.

Team name Electrical Energy Production

Odoo Project Modules Type 1: Schüco MPE130 BL 01 (thin film)
Area 1: 20,2m2
Project Dimensions Modules Type 1: Schüco MPE255 MS 96 (mono)
Gross area: 67,0 m2 Area 1: 47,5 m2
Net floor area: 45,1 m2
Conditioned Volume: 116,0 m3 PV total area: 67,7 m2
Installed PV power: 9,03 kWp
House Envelope Estimated energy production: 13301 kWh/year
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,16 W/m2*K
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,15 W/m2*K Energy Consumption
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,15 W/m2*K Estimated energy consumption: 5775 kWh/year
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,97 W/m2*K Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,50 area: 120 kWh/year per m2

HVAC Systems Energy consumption Characterization:

Heating/Cooling/Ventilation/Hot water: Clothes washer & dryer: 4,1 %
Type: Air/Water heat pump compact system Dishwasher: 5,3 %
Model: Samsung RD060PHXEA A2W Cooking: 7,6 %
Capacity Heating: 6 kW / Cooling 6 kW Refrigerator & freezer: 8,1 %
Efficiency Heating: COP 4,60 / Cooling COP 3,40 Home entertainment: 3,6 %
Lighting: 10,6 %
Energy Recovery Ventilation: Building services & occasional loads: 60,8 %
Type: Counterflow flat-plate Heat Exchanger
Efficiency: 90% Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +7750 kWh/year
Hot Water
System: Same Heating/Cooling heat pump
Capacity: 6 kW

117
List Of Singular And Innovative Materials And
Systems
Nighttime evaporative and radiant water cooling
system– using rainwater.
Surface heat removal system.
Singular air handling unit– free cooling with
by-pass.
Industrialized building construction system.
High performance floor screed with plastic
admixture, serving as a heat retaining mass.
Building Integration Photovoltaic (BIPV).
Naturally ventilated roof and façade increasing
BIPV performance.
High density load- transmitting insulation
elements integrated in the floor structure
preventing thermal bridges.
Insulation elements serving as doors’ and
windows’ blind frames in order to avoid thermal
bridges.

Cost
Construction Cost: 360.100 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 278.790 €

118
SML System
Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera

Nº.7 / 766,0 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives

The College of Engineering and Architecture of

CEU at Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia
participated in Solar Decathlon Europe 2012
encouraging its students to develop a Project
which will undoubtedly mark their professional
careers and open a new horizon in their education
and research. It is an opportunity to develop
their capacity for innovation and creativity in
an incomparable context: sustainable energy.
The educational success achieved during our
participation in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010,
which proved highly enriching and productive in
terms of research and technological development,
entailed our dismissing any limits on enthusiasm
and promoting a free use of the energetic and
scientific advances discovered through this
experience. With this goal we set out to participate
in Solar Decathlon Europe 2012.

The approach of the competition affects

a multitude of formative aspects, both in
Architecture and Engineering, and therefore
encourages the involvement of all degree
programs at CEU, to a greater or lesser extent.
A selection of our students and researchers
from Industrial Design, Computer Engineering
and Architecture, as well as a number of
postgraduates, have had the opportunity to
participate in the event from their different
fields. In addition, thanks to our involvement
in the competition as a multidisciplinary team,
the project offers a unique opportunity in which
students, professors and researchers from
different degree programs join forces for a
common goal regarding an efficient use of energy
resources.

SMLsystem stemmed from the research for

SMLhouse (Small, Medium and Large), the
project CEU proposed at the Solar Decathlon 2010
Edition. SMLsystem returns to prefabrication
as a starting point to respond to the new ways

119
120
of inhabiting. The challenge of the SML system
proposal lies in defining an architectural language
where structural, compositional and functional
values are introduced in a coherent way. It allows
users to configure the space according to their
needs by providing a catalogue of prefabricated
elements available. The unit or basic module is
entirely formed by prefabricated materials and
dry-assembled, with wood as the predominant
material in the SMLsystem, to create an entirely
prefabricated module. Each of these units is
transported fully equipped, and only lack the joints
between the different systems and their assembly,
where special attention is paid to tightness and
thermal bridges, an aspect studied from the initial
design.
Architectural Design
The decomposition of sustainable phenomena
in various fields, that is, specialization in every
parameter of sustainability, is the path we followed
in the constructive development of SMLsystem,
from bioclimatic design, to the use of materials
and efficient building systems, a fast assembly and
disassembly, prefabrication and industrialization,
and an optimization of the capture and use of solar
energy. This allows for an evolving bioclimatic
design, technology and innovation in construction,
and an overall improvement of the architectural
design.
The main constructive innovation in SMLsystem
is changing the concept of building. SMLsystem is
not built, but rather assembled. Its design using
industrialized and prefabricated components
allows for rapid and easy construction processes.
121
Everything is based on an analogy to the “plug
& play” system of computer components, from
the joints between modules to the connection of
installations. This optimization in construction
technology reduces both the time of commissioning
work and personal risks arising from construction
processes. Thanks to a construction design based
on these principles, the SMLsystem was assembled
within a few hours, the lowest mounting time in
the Solar Decathlon Europe 2012.
Therefore, rather than construction, we should
talk about SMLsystem´s sustainable assembly
ideas. As should be the case with everything that
is designed, every decision in the project is linked
to a number of constructive principles and their
solutions. Respecting the original ideas of the
project, SMLSystem has developed a continuous
work, showing its ability to define a comprehensive
and constructive proposal which reflects our main
starting points: sustainability, modularity, flexibility
and prefabrication.
Construction & Materials
SMLsystem is mainly made in wood. In particular,
it works with cross-laminated timber (CLT)
panels acting as structural elements, in both the
horizontal or vertical plans. The module is formed
by a structure materialized in spruce cross-
laminated timber of visible quality. The horizontal
structure consists of cover CLT panels only 60mm
thick for the roof and 120mm thick for the floor.
These slabs are supported on L-shaped pillars
which are transversely braced with CLT beams and
vertical CLT panels, used as the main components
of the prefabrication idea. The ventilated façade is
a composed closure in wood (wood + air camera
+ breathable waterproofing + waterproof board +
insulation+ +double gypsum board), which contains
a vertical louvers system in the short end walls.
These louvres are made of Oregon pine wood and
have a dynamic rotation system, which allows for
different opening options to get different thermal
inertia depending on outdoor conditions. This
system is dynamic, and allows the owner to create
transition spaces between exterior and interior,
by expanding them into the longitudinal module
axis, as well as providing solar protection to the
openings.
The courtyard acts as a compositional and
conditioning element in the house; all constructive
units (base modules) include a courtyard which
divides the space, creating an access of the house,
offering lighting and ventilation control and adding
great space value. The inclusion of the courtyard is
not part of the constructive SMLsystem unit as an
element, but it is projected to serve as a guidance
and linking space between the modules. The patio
will vary in length, as an extension from the façade.
In our proposal, the courtyards play an important
role in air conditioning, favoring cross ventilation
in the interior of the houses. It also acts as a
passive system of energy saving and increases its
effectiveness through the use of the horizontal and
vertical louvers on the façades. As well as reducing
excess radiation during certain times of the day,
this will provide shade and offer more privacy to
the house. Furthermore, the fact that the prototype
is largely made of wood, which is a fully recyclable
material, allows us to drastically reduce the weight
of the building.
122
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The engineering facilities have been distributed
between two main places: the Engineering Box
located outside the house (favoring modular
design and flexibility) and the technical room
located inside the house. The Engineering Box
is an approximately 1x13 meters long and 1.5m
high space. It is planned as a modular room, as
each part can be designed separately and then
assembled together on site. Our aim was to design
a “plug and play” facility in accordance with the
requirements of the competition. It includes the
heavy facilities -namely, the domotic and plumbing
elements, water supply tank, the PV and the HVAC
systems. It is linked to the house by means of an
under floor connection. The connection enters
the house through the floor of the technical room,
which also hosts the DHW and ventilation, both
essential facilities for a comfortable house.
The ventilation system is designed to control the
CO2 level of the house. It extracts the air from
the bathroom and the kitchen and renewed air is
driven into the bedroom and living room. A heat
exchanger has been installed to recover up to 92%
of the thermal energy of the exhaust air. This way,
we spare the energy needed to heat or cool the
renewed air.
The DHW system consists of an accumulator linked
to two ultra-high vacuum solar panels installed
on the roof. These panels are highly efficient even
on cloudy days. The annual coverage of the DHW
system is 71% according to estimations. All the
solar panels were set in a pack and placed on the
top of each module.
As mentioned earlier, reducing the energy demand
is one of the main goals of the SMLsystem. The
main challenge of energy efficiency is to reduce
power consumption without affecting comfort
conditions. Passive systems incorporated into its
design minimize the need for and dependence on
active systems to cool and heat the house. Also,
the efficiency of active systems optimizes the use
of energy and reduces the demand. For the HVAC
system, a heat pump combined with a Thermal
Energy Storage (TES) system has been chosen. The
operation of the HVAC system for the optimization
of consumption compared to generation was linked
to a predictive domotic system.
As the performance of a heat pump strongly
depends on the temperature of the two sinks, a
heat thermal storage tank has been designed to
123
unlink the HVAC system from the outside thermal
conditions whenever necessary. Thus, when the
outside temperature rises above a certain level,
the heat pump can dissipate the heat in the
storage tank, while with lower temperatures it can
dissipate the heat outside. For example, when the
temperature drops at night, the system will reject
the heat stored in the tank to the outside. The cold
tank will allow a cold storage strategy. The tank
can be cooled at night with a good COP for later
use when the outside temperature rises. The tanks
have been filled with Phase Change Materials
(PCM) to guarantee constant temperature in the
sink. These tanks allow for the use of different
strategies which can be implemented in the
domotic system, thereby choosing the best
functioning mode given the environmental and use
conditions, and favoring low energy consumption
without affecting comfort conditions.
Solar Systems
Different configurations of PV Electric Power
Generator were simulated and implemented
for optimal conditions in particular energy
balance applications for the SDE12 competition.
The implementation and validation during the
two-weeks competition confirmed the design
objectives, allowing the necessary autonomy for
the prescribed loads, and an optimal temporary
generation-consumption correlation. The system
was sufficient to cover the energy management
flexibility required by the SMLsystem architectural
design based on modular design with active PV
façades and roof.
124
An Electrical PV Power Generator system was
designed, build and tested at the SMLsystem
during Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 competition,
to cover purposes of the contest such as:
evaluating the prototypes capacity for electrical
energy balance in terms of self-sufficiency,
low energy consumption and the temporary
generation-consumption correlation demanded.
Design and evaluation developed in accordance
with competition rules, which set out a framework
for a kind of nearly-Zero Energy House (nZEH), with
the specific criterion of obtaining all the necessary
energy from the sun. Other aspects considered in
the design of the PV system were: energy demand
and disposability, possible grid connection, power
installed, adequate battery capacity, Electrical-PV
system configuration (AC-coupling and/or DC-
coupling), and temporary generation-consumption
correlation demanded. In order to achieve an
optimal energy balance, the Electrical PV Power
Generator system design strategy presented
focused on the energy correlation analysis and
the efficient management of the energy system,
keeping the main load of a nZEH low enough and
time-controlled.
The photovoltaic systems were designed to make
the SMLsystem a nearly-Zero Energy House
(nZEH). A multi-coupling system (AC and DC
connections) provides electrical energy from the
sun using monocrystalline silicon modules on the
roof, CIGS technology on both lateral façades (east
and west), and polycristalline in an experimental
active pavement. The energy is managed through
a bank battery of 6 kWh. All potential photovoltaic
areas in the SMLsystem must be exploited and the
architecture design is a key issue in the integration
of the PV technology. The different orientations of
construction elements (roof, floor and façades)
require different photovoltaic systems with
appropriate energy management strategies.
125
Singular Systems
The house integrates different technologies to
improve its overall energy efficiency. One of these
technologies is a predictive system based on
artificial neural networks, and developed to create
energy saving policies through the automation
of systems. In order to implement this predictive
system, an artificial neural network (ANN) has
been designed to predict indoor temperatures
in the short term, from the captured data. The
goal is to maintain acceptable comfort conditions
inside a home, keeping the lowest possible energy
expenditure. The experimental results of the ANN
show a high accuracy in predictions and serve as an
introduction to controlling the HVAC system (which
is the highest energy consumer in a house like the
SMLSystem).
The research has been focused on how to
predict indoor temperature in a house, as it is
directly related to HVAC system consumption.
HVAC systems represent 53.89% of the overall
power consumption in the SMLSystem house.
Furthermore, in a preliminary analysis of the
SMLSystem competition data, the energy used to
maintain temperature was found to be 30–38.9%
of the energy required to cool it. Therefore, an
accurate forecast of indoor temperature could
yield to an energy-efficient control. An analysis
of time series forecasting methods to predict
indoor temperature was performed. A multivariate
approach showed encouraging results using
ANN models. Significant improvements were
found combining indoor temperature with hour
categorical variable and sun irradiance. The model
achieves an MAE* ≈ 0.11 degrees Celsius (SMAPE*
≈ 0.45%). With these results, we set out to design
a predictive control based on the data acquired
from ANNs, like the aforementioned example used
to calculate indoor temperature, and apply the
method to other domestic energy subsystems but
not implemented in the current Competition.

126
Technical Data of the House: System
Nº.7 / 766,0 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 95,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 66,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 80,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 95,4 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 85,5 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 100,7 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 60,7 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 48,9 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 44,2 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 81,6 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 8,0 points.

Team name Electrical Energy Production

CEU Team Valencia Modules Type 1 (roof): Policrystalines
Modules Type 2 (facade): CIGS thin-film solar
Project Dimensions technology
Net floor area: 56,60 m2 Area: 51,6 m2
Conditioned Volume: 141,25 m3
Installed PV power: 9,5 kWp
House Envelope Estimated energy production: 18758 kWh/year
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,35 W/m2*K Energy Consumption
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,38 W/m2*K Estimated energy consumption: 4602,0 kWh/year
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,60 W/m2*K
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,46 Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
area: 81,3 kWh/year per m2
HVAC Systems
Heating/Cooling system: Energy consumption Characterization:
TypeWater/Water: heat pump HVAC: 16%
Capacity: Heating 1,2 kW / Cooling 1,2 kW Lighting: 10%
Efficiency: Heating COP 4,8 / Cooling COP 4,4 Fridge: 5%
Special fixtures: Hot and Cold storage tanks with Television: 5%
Phase Change Materials (PCM) Dishwasher: 4%
Washer + Dryer: 27%
Energy Recovery Ventilation: Oven: 7%
Type: Air/Air Cooking: 8%
Efficiency: 92% Building Automation System: 19%

Hot Water Energy Balance

System type: Vacuum Tubes (4968 W) Estimated energy balance: 14155 kWh/year
Area: 7,8 m2

127
List Of Singular And Innovative Materials And
Systems
Industrialized and prefabricated components: easy,
safe and quick construction processes
Sustainable construction solutions: using wood as
the predominant material.
HVAC system: a heat pump combined with a Latent
Thermal Energy Storage (LTES) with Phase Change
Materials (PCM).
Predictive control system based on artificial neural
networks: to establish energy saving policies
through Building Automation and Control System
(BACS).
PV power production system designed for became
a nearly-Zero Energy House (nZEH); optimizing low
energy consumptions and temporary generation-
consumption correlation.
CIGS photovoltaic technology at east and west
façades.
Polycristalline PV in an experimental active
pavement.
Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV): PV
modules incorporated in the house architectural
design.

Cost
Construction Cost: 194.856 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 108.860 €

128
(E)CO House
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Nº.8 / 731,5 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives

The (e)co project aims to expand on the original

meaning of the word eco, focusing on the
importance of this concept. By reviving the origin
of “eco”, we will be able to associate it with its
dual interpretation in our project, and integrate
it into a social and physical/architectural project.
On one hand, a deep understanding of the
etymological meaning of “Eco-logy” (“oikos”=house
+ logos=knowledge) presents it as “the relationship
between human beings, and between humans and
their environment”. This concept is linked to the
social part of the project, focusing on the impact
of architecture on society and people´s need for a
cooperative and integrated process. On the other
hand, the etymological meaning of “eco-tono”
(oikos=house + tono=tension) can be defined
as “the place where ecologic elements are in
conflict or tension”, and this is associated with the
architectural project. It represents the relationship
and filters between different ecosystems.

Secondly, the (e)co project aims to give a new

meaning of the word “eco”, redefining it as an
equilibrium through cooperation. An equilibrium
between all fields requiring sustainability, a model
based on the harmony between the environment,
economy and society, and achieved through
cooperation.

Environmental Equilibrium. The (e)co house has

3 closed cycles: a material cycle, an energy cycle
and a water cycle.

• Material cycle: to make (e)co a zero-waste

prototype. The construction materials employed
incorporate different strategies: to REUSE the
exterior industrialized and mechanized skin;
to REINTEGRATE wooden modules into the
environment; to RECOVER, transforming waste
(such as furniture from landfills) into useful
objects.

129
 • Water cycle: to reduce the demand for potable
water and rely on recycling systems. Accumulating
rain water and gray water to later treat it in
wetlands, low energy natural systems with
clarification plants which filter and clean water
for reuse. The final result is 70% energy saving in
potable water through the system.

• Energy cycle: to decrease demand and increase

energy efficiency. The energy production of the
(e)co is achieved through its photovoltaic panels,
which cover 100% of the electricity demand, while
solar collectors produce hot water and reduce the
energy demand by almost 55%. The strategy to
reduce consumption is based on making the most
of bioclimatic systems through the second skin.

Architectural Design

ECONOMIC EQUILIBRIUM. The second main

equilibrium aimed at by (e)co project is economic
equilibrium. Given the current economic climate,
low-cost technical and architectural solutions
for the majority of the population are not readily
available in genuinely sustainable architecture.
The aim here is to accomplish more for less: more
sustainability at a lower cost. The best way to lower
costs is to be efficient in every process or phase of
the project: in its design, its construction and its
use.

• Design: Efficiency in design entails reinterpreting

available resources and technologies in order to
innovate and achieve more sustainability without
necessarily creating new or advanced technology.
Reinterpretation of existing technologies for a
cost efficient result, includes transforming a
greenhouse used for agriculture into residential
housing, or recovering furniture from landfills, etc.

• Construction: Economic reduction in the

construction process is achieved by using low-cost
technology optimized for easy and quick assembly,
without the use of heavy machinery.

• Use: Low-cost is also achieved by using 95 m2

of unheated buffer spaces. While accepting the
advantages of a very low-cost space, the dweller

130
will also have to assume that the spaces will meet
comfort standards for 20 % of the year.
Social Equilibrium. The (e)co project engages
in social equilibrium. This concept involves
reconnecting architecture with its inhabitants
in order to achieve a more active and conscious
use, where dwellers save energy, recycle, lead a
sustainable and enjoyable life. (e)co facilitates this
exchange through different mechanisms:
• The use of 3 identical inhabitable modules in
which the user resides according to his/her needs
or tastes. The aim is for the dwelling to be readily
adaptable to changes in use. It is a flexible and
adaptable house for a rapidly changing society.
• The intermediate spaces introduce a new way of
understanding comfort levels. These spaces vary
in light, temperature, and noise levels depending
on the day, the hour or the season. They are spaces
131
with different levels of privacy balancing private
and public areas. The intermediate spaces are like
public places for exchange and socialization, while
the inner modules ensure a high level of privacy.
• Home automation introduces a new form of
interaction between the user and the house. In this
scenario, the house provides information which the
dweller can use to improve comfort and efficiency.
Construction & Materials
The prototype consists of an exterior industrialized
skin covering 150 m2, which behaves like a
greenhouse in winter and a shading structure
during the summer. Beneath this outer skin are
three heated and thermally isolated wooden
modules, each is 15 m2.
We propose a new interpretation of housing
based on interconnecting and harmonizing
132
components and the balancing of intermediate
passive spaces and high performance spaces. (e)
co operates like a “box in a box” where each layer
has its own characteristics, appropriateness, and
requirements. On one hand, the outer skin has to
be the primary most effective element, capable of
coping with external agents. On the other hand, the
inner skin is protected from external agents, but it
has to produce high standards of comfort and a low
environmental impact.
These two entities are architecturally expressed
through a “positive tension” between the two
building skins. Our analysis of the current economic
133
system shows that industrialized processes are
the antithesis of local micro economies, and our
reflection on this subject takes shape in the division
of the prototype into two basic cycles:
• Exterior industrialized module.
• Interior organic module. The tension between
these two components generates a third entity that
we refer to as:
• Intermediate space
First Skin. Industrialized module. Agricultural
greenhouse. The purpose of the first skin
(Industrialized module) is to manage the
relationship with basic environmental phenomena.

This is achieved by using industrialized systems
like an agricultural greenhouse as well as a
secondary structure made of industrial materials.
In order to make use of the maximum volume
at a lower cost, we chose an existing standard
greenhouse system from the market.
Intermediate spaces. Acclimatization equipment.
This first skin acts as a filter. Thanks to its
adjustable enclosure walls, it allows the
greenhouse to work as an acclimatization device.
All the façades are covered with prefabricated,
cellular polycarbonate panels. The transparency
and proprieties of polycarbonate enables this layer
134
to store solar energy in winter. The greenhouse
also includes internal shade screens which can be
adapted to meet the needs of the different seasons.
This feature, along with the option of opening the
polycarbonate skin, transforms the greenhouse
into a shaded terrace protected from the sun.
The opening of the polycarbonate skin which
takes place through the use of big sliding doors,
allows for spatial continuity and connects the
intermediate area to the exterior.
All the solar energy capture systems are integrated
into the greenhouse structure. Photovoltaic panels
are modulated to cover the ventilation windows
at the top of the structure. Solar collectors are
located on the south façade following the modular
structure of the greenhouse.
Second skin: organic material modules. Physical
and spacial features.The second building skin
(Organic module) defines maximum comfort and
quality spaces. Its blueprint occupies the minimum
area allowed by the competition regulations
regarding climatized spaces: 45m2.
The separation and distribution of light and open
elements allows for a much easier management
of energy and a variety of options for the division of
spaces by the user. In addition to all technological
and climatic features, plumbing and other facilities,
the exterior building skin allows for an organic/
natural design of the interior modules, which
are biodegradable and recyclable. This way, the
dichotomy between the two defined modules is
complete.
The three modules are conceived as three volumes
for the dweller to define. The three modules
incorporate spaces to be used as a bathroom or
kitchen.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The layout of the electrical, home automation
and water facilities is formed by a perimeter ring
attached to the outer skin. The lack of a marked out
connection between facilities and the interior space
of each module, and to the placement of furniture
enables the user to adapt the spaces to his/her
own needs. The perimeter ring generates flexible
and adaptable entry and exit points for the user to
change throughout his/her life. The only elements
linked to the outer skin are the photovoltaic panels
which support the performance of the greenhouse
climate increasing air pressure and generating
artificial ventilation.
The (e)co project aims to generate maximum
comfort levels inside the micro climatic space all
year round in order to achieve a minimal economic
cost and energy consumption. The concept of
“useful climate area” is introduced for this purpose.
The space is not conditioned, so its comfort
depends on the correct use of climatic conditions.
This implies the space will be different depending
on the time of the day and the season. Therefore
the house, with its spaces, varies according to
the day and the season. The (e)co uses different
passive systems to adapt to environmental
changes: the greenhouse effect, ventilation,
insulation and shade and vegetation adiabatic
process.
Our climatic support strategy is based on energy
capture and accumulation. For the greenhouse-
shaded house system to be fully efficient, it is
necessary to include an energy-storage system,
a buffer tank. The greenhouse-shaded house
conditions both the intermediate and the indoor
spaces when the energy demand is low; the
buffer tank helps to condition the house when the
demands are at their highest level. Our system
uses gravel as a heat source (during the winter)
and a heat sink (during the summer). This design
takes advantage of moderate temperatures in
high-mass objects through inertia or heat storage
capacity, to boost efficiency and reduce operational
costs of heating and cooling systems. Also, it can
be combined with solar heating to form a geo-
solar system with even greater efficiency and set
consistent monitoring based on external conditions.
135
This requires the development of different
strategies depending on the season. For each
system, we distinguish between winter operation
and summer operation. The mechanical ventilation
of the house draws air from the intermediate
spaces (spaces with sufficient air changes per
hour). The fact that this air is pre-heated means
that its impact on the temperature of the modules
will be less than if we drew the air from the outside.
Solar Systems
Solar electricity is the main energy source of
the house. All active systems, in addition to the
reinforcement of passive elements, are powered
by electricity generated from solar rays falling
on the house. The (e)co prototype could therefore
be defined as a zero energy building, because it
produces all the electricity it needs to operate using
renewable sources.
The (e)co prototype incorporates a unique power-
generation system which uses the energy from the
sun through a photovoltaic system. Its location in
the mobile upper ailerons means that the efficiency
of solar radiation collection is determined by the
demand of ventilation inside the greenhouse.
This does not require a reduction in the efficiency
of the photovoltaic system, quite to the contrary.
During the summer, when ventilation demands are
high, the flaps are opened in a horizontal position.
The sun is high and the angle of solar rays is
therefore more vertical. In winter, when ventilation
demands are lower, the flaps are closed with a
greater incline in relation to the horizontal angle of
solar rays. These different angles favor a varying
production of photovoltaic energy according to the
angle of the solar rays at each time of the year,
causing a greater efficiency in power production.
The photovoltaic panels are not incorporated into
the enclosed space, but are used to cover the top
of the greenhouse, thus reinforcing the integration
of active systems into the architecture of the
project. The north wing at the ground level also
incorporates solar panels. Although these are less
efficient because of their orientation, their incline
can be varied which increases their efficiency
considerably. The purpose of their location, apart
from seeking maximum collection efficiency,
is to cast a shadow on the highest point of the
greenhouse and reduce unwanted overheating
stratification in the intermediate space.
The incline of the south mobile wing of the deck´
varies depending on time of year, and according
to the needs of ventilation inside the gap. That is,
its operation is entirely justified by an increased
efficiency of electricity generation and by an
improvement in passive cooling of the gap.
The size of photovoltaic system is designed to
supply 100% of the power needed in the prototype.
The mobility in the horizontal axis of the system
added to a detailed study of power consumption
allows for a clear optimization of the facility and the
resulting reduction in the total usage.
136
Solar Thermal
The solar thermal system works as the main
production source for the ACS of the prototype. The
installation consists of heat-pipe solar collectors
placed in a vertical position in front of the façade,
covering 100% of the hot water demand. It includes
an electric water heater, also powered by solar-
generated electricity to back up consumption peaks
exceeding the production at that time. The vertical
position of the collectors generates a constant
production curve balance throughout the year.
This phenomenon is a consequence of the solar
radiation angle on the level of uptake. In cases
where this angle is most favorable, solar radiation
is low because it is winter.
However, when solar radiation reaches its upper
limits, the angle of incline on the plane of capture
becomes less favorable, decreasing the production
of hot water and reducing the risk of the system
overheating.
In addition, the vacuum tube system chosen for this
installation adds several qualities to the facility.
These include variability in production according to
the requirements of the user, guiding the operation
of the collection tubes depending on the needs
of the home. Another advantage of using this
technology lies in the reduction of the total area to
encourage users to maintain the rate of production
or even surpass it at times.
Technical Data of the House: (E)co House
Nº.8 / 731,5 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 95,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 67,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 53,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 87,2 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 102,9 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 104,7 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 44,4 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 71,1 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 35,0 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 66,3 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 5,0 points.

Team Name Cooling system:

(E)CO Team Type: Passive precooled air and hybrid ventilation
system
Project Dimensions Cold source: Night ventilation and night sky
Gross area: 144,95m2 radiation cooling
Intermediated area: 82,00 m2 Additional support 1: Sun protection and thermo-
Net floor area: 46,36 m2 symphonic effect ventilation
Conditioned Volume: 103,99m3 Additional support 2: Air humidification system
with vegetation adiabatic solution
House Envelope Thermal storage: Rock deposits
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,24 W/m2*K
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,19 W/m2*K Energy Recovery Ventilation:
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,19 W/m2*K Type: Hybrid system to recover the thermal energy
External Skin: 2,30 W/m2*K Hot Water
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,59 W/m2*K System type: Vacuum Tubes
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,30 Area : 3,3 m2

HVAC Systems Electrical Energy Production

HVAC Solution: Only passive and hybrid systems Modules Type:
Monocrystalline: Siliken SLK92 M6L
Heating system: Area: 29,24 m2
Type: Passive preheated air and hybrid ventilation
system Installed PV power: 4,60kWp
Heat source: Direct and indirect solar gains Estimated energy production: 5564,20 kWh/year
Additional support: Greenhouse effect with the
external translucent skin
Thermal storage: Rock deposit

137
Energy Consumption Cost
Estimated energy consumption: 4620,57 kWh/year Construction Cost: 150.000 €
Estimated energy consumption per conditioned Industrialized Estimate Cost:110.000 €
area: 99,24 kWh/year per m2

Energy consumption Characterization:

Kitchen: 56,5%
Thermoelectric: 6,3%
Solar Pump: 9,5%
Ventilation: 5,7%
Lighting+ electronic devices: 22,0%

Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +943,63 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
Flexible and adaptable architectural design.
Cumulative thermal mass system.
Semi-passive space conditioning system based
in ventilation and Thermal Energy Storage (TES)
units.
Thermal mass deposits cooled by night ventilation
and night sky radiation.
Vegetation adiabatic strategy, local evaporative
cooling plant.
Storm water treatment.

138
Prispa
“Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism + Technical University of Civil
Engineering of Bucharest + University Politehnica of Bucharest
Nº.9 / 719,1 points
Introduction & Project Main Objectives
Our main goal is redefining innovation, developing
low-budget innovation through alternative
solutions to expensive systems, and creating more
accessible solar houses. PRISPA House is a home
created to suit the Romanian Village, a sustainable
alternative to rural revival and an opportunity to
keep our traditional charm alive:
• AFFORDABLE. A project designed to allow the
development of a fully equipped industrialized
home below 70 000 Euros, the limit set by “Prima
Casa” (“First Home” governmental program).
• COMFORTABLE. PRISPA is a house all
Romanians can relate to, displaying contemporary
high-tech living standards without being
intimidating. These standards are set according
to both legalized European standards of living and
Romanian psychological thresholds. The house is a
complex structure hidden under a simple concept
and design.
• EASY TO BUILD. PRISPA makes good use of
139
prefabricated elements, structural simplicity
and technology aiming at minimum efforts in its
assembly.
• ADAPTABLE. Using reconfigurable features in the
living space and a modular structure which allows
extensions and easy changes in design without
losing the general idea of the project.
• CONTEXT WISE. By means of design, functions,
finishing, independence in use and all of features
mentioned above.
Architectural Design
PRISPA project set out with a simple house
concept, with a very specific mark which is easy to
remember:
• roof – shield : a dynamic system, offering an
active solar surface which defines and protects the
living space;
• house – living : compact volume, with north-south
orientation;
• the platform – connection : links the house to the
land and other people;
• “Prispa” – in-between : the transitional space,
protected by the roof.
“Prispa”, the specific Romanian porch, has been an
important part of traditional wooden architecture.
For centuries, it has been a key element in the
spatial and planimetric composition. There is a
strong symbolic dimension attached to this key
element in traditional wooden architecture. It
marks a turning point between private and public,
a gradual transition space between the building
(interior, privacy) and nature (exposure), a space to
socialize and share experiences. Or, as we usually
call it, a place to observe and be observed.
PRISPA House benefits from an universal design
approach. Bringing PRISPA house’s accessibility
up to standard was done in keeping with the
requirements to grant restriction-free access
and use of the interior and exterior spaces for
permanently or temporarily disabled people. The
house has to meet the needs of an average couple
(price, ease of living, adaptability, contemporary
140
comforts), but it should also keep a touch of
the national identity, creating the kind of space
Romanians can psychologically understand and
relate to. It is all about building an environmentally
friendly home that uses technology without being
intimidating and helps tear down the walls behind
which some people hide when it comes to being
part of a community.
The logic of storage is drawn from tradition
and aims to be a solution for the lack of space
experienced in urban collective housing. This
issue led to improvised attachments and altered
living spaces. PRISPA house managed to recover a
series of spaces in order to integrate storage into
the design, starting from the northern area to the
vestibule, the technical room and the split level.
Furthermore, part of the furniture has an additional
role: for example, the wall / closet between the
day area and the private area, and the space
under the seats. Thoroughly following PRISPA’s
strategy, the architecture of the house must use
contemporary technology in a non-threatening
way. Our intention is to use hidden, efficient and
low maintenance technology. In order to achieve
this, we grouped most of the HVAC systems in the
technical room and storage space (only the interior
air-air converters were placed on the walls). This
approach also helped maximize the efficiency of
the kitchen and bathroom plumbing (straight pipes,
proximity of water tanks). The photovoltaic system
is mounted on the metal roof metallic panels
using simple technology and includes its energy
converters in this technical area.
Construction & Materials
The envelope is the main innovative element of The
envelope is the main innovative element of PRISPA
house. The envelope is not merely the skin of the
roof, but the element which protects and collects
energy from the outside space and transforms it.
In order to keep our house easy to assemble and
disassemble, and to make expansion possible,
the structure of the house had to be modular and
simple. The constructive system of PRISPA house
is based on two different constructive elements:
structural prefabricated panels and transportable
modules.
141
Thus, we decided to use I-joists beams (double
T-shaped beams with an OSB heart and wooden
ends) we prefabricated ourselves. These have
an efficient material distribution in section and
a very good weight / resistance ratio, while their
low weight greatly facilitates handling. The beams
are coated on both sides with OSB 4 which uses
non-toxic binding agents and adds rigidity to the
structural panel. The whole structure will be placed
on a boarding platform made from a dense network
of I-joist beams. Moreover, this type of beams will
also be used to create the roof panels.
The materials of PRISPA House are chosen
following traditional principles on the one hand,
and based on their environmental friendliness
on the other hand. Wood is the material used
in a greater percentage, in different colors and
textures, because it is the most flexible material
provided by Nature. In addition to the advantages
related to sustainability, wood has several features
which make it suitable for its use as the main
building material for our house. Its light weight is
an advantage which allows prefabricated elements
to be easily manipulated both in the production
workshop and at the construction site. Another
great advantage is that wood may be processed, to
be used in a more rational and efficient way.

Also, wood is a material with lower thermal
conductivity than other construction materials (like
steel or concrete), so the level of thermal bridges
is lower.
Clay is another material drawn from vernacular
architecture. Besides being a natural material,
it has hygroscopic properties, so we decided to
use for interior wall finish. For it to adhere to the
142
OSB boards, we introduced a middle red drywall
coating which also provides fire protection. Stone
is another frequently used material in traditional
homes, playing an important thermal mass role,
which we exploited further down the process. Metal
will be used in different forms – zinc roof system,
including eaves fascia board finishing, zinc finish
for the mounting and industrialized connectors for
structural purposes and other constructive details.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
One of the very first sales strengths of PRISPA
House is natural light and natural ventilation in
every space. The house has an optimum compact
volume. There are no unused or oversized heated
areas. Moreover, the heating system also works
towards a minimum loss of energy. The interior air
vents are located on the East and West walls so
they face the fresh air intake grid, thus producing
better ventilation. The interior heated air is fully
reused, so the quantity of energy used diminishes.
Following the same principle, during winter,
from -5 ºC, heating is possible through infrared
panels in the living room, bedroom and bathroom.
Thermal comfort is also ensured by the strategic
placement of shutters in the window system, glass
treatment and mineral wool used as insulation.
 code

AR-
drawing title

Transversa

date

2012-12-19

phase

D#7

phase description

As Build
Documenta

sheet

A3

scale

1 : 50
designed

checked

code

AR-21
drawing title

Transversal Sectio

date

2012-12-19

phase

D#7

phase description

As Build
Documentation

Furthermore, since the design of the southern Solar Systems sheet

A3
façade allows for thermal substations, thermal
scale
balance is achieved through a natural stone The PV system design is based on the idea of 1 : 50
thermal mass placed in front of the windows. The combining traditional Romanian architectural designed

layer of dark colored stone stores heat from sun elements with solar active systems. The
radiation and releases it during the night. Photovoltaic System is designed so it can be checked

Windows are designed so as to ensure a balance
between incoming caloric energy and heat
reflecting outwards from the inside. Depending on
orientation, different treatments were applied to
the glass.
PRISPA House will use an air-to-air heat exchanger
(or heat recovery module) in heat recovery mode to
guarantee the fresh air required for hygienic living
conditions, and in free-cooling mode (using its by-
pass) to diminish the heat load during the summer,
whenever the external air temperature drops below
20C.
updated step by step, starting from a simple 16 PV
modules system, up to 32 PV modules or more,
depending on economic possibilities. Our system
includes a single photovoltaic surface, south
oriented, located on the roof of the building. We
chose an applied system because it offers a large
flexibility for the construction of any PV system,
even when it is isolated or grid connected. The
dimensions of the photovoltaic system respond
to the consumption of the house in the most
appropriate and realistic way. Consumption devices
can be divided into 5 groups: domestic appliances,
multimedia, HVAC, lighting and BMS.

Strategic placing of thermal mass materials on the
floor, near the South glazed surfaces (stone 1m
wide strip) to absorb natural heat from the sun, as
well as on the walls (clay finishing for regulating
Humidity).
The roof surface serves as the main source of
energy and includes 32 PV modules divided into
two strings, connected in series to an inverter; in
addition, there are 2 solar panels for hot water.
The technology of the PV modules was chosen to

143
satisfy not only the electrical energy demand of
the house, but also meet financial requirements,
CO2 emissions, high efficiency and good electrical
parameters. Monocrystalline technology has
the advantage of using the minimum surface
necessary to obtain a maximum energy through
high efficiency.
The solar thermal system produces heat to be used
by the hot water accumulator tank through the
following components: 2 flat surface solar panels
with a surface of 2 m²² each, a circulation unit, and
an insulated pipeline connecting the solar panels
to the solar module. Flat solar panels will be used
because of the good price - performance ratio.
The system is equipped with:
• An accumulator tank which includes a water
to water coil for the solar circuit and an electric
heater to be used as auxiliary energy sources.
• A circulation pump that creates a flow in the solar
circuit in order to transport heat from the solar
panels to the accumulator tank .
• Is equipped with an anti-scalding 3-way valve to
limit the hot water temperature and avoid injuries.
In addition:
• It is fully automated to control storage
temperature in the accumulator tank.
• All the equipment is insulated to minimize heat
loss.
As solar heating systems can be exposed
to temperatures below zero when used in
Romania, antifreeze fluids will be used as heat
transfer agents. Heat collected by the solar
panels is transferred via a water-water coil in
the accumulator tank, where it is stored at a
temperature of 70°C to eliminate Legionella risks,
in accordance with Romanian and EU laws, and
store as much heat as the capacity of the tank
allows.

144
145
146
Technical Data of the House: Prispa
Nº.9 / 719,1 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 50,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 68,0points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 97,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 90,6 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 97,1 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 108,0 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 60,7 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 55,1 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 13,3 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 71,4 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 8,0 points.

Team Name Secondary heating energy production equipment:

Prispa Type: Infrared radiant panels

Project Dimensions Energy Recovery Ventilation:

Gross area (ground level): 107,40 m2 Type: FALTA
Gross area (split level): 23,15 m2 Model: WOLF CWL-400 comfort domestic
Net floor area (ground level): 60,55 m2 ventilation system
Net floor area(split level): 17,05 m2 Efficiency: 95% (Max)
Net floor area (total): 77,60 m2
Conditioned Volume: 240,56m3 Hot Water
System type: Flat plate collectors
House Envelope Model: H1T Sunerg
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,15 W/m2*K Area: 4,0 m2
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,14 W/m2*K Electrical Energy Production
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,17 W/m2*K Type: Si-Monocrystalin module
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,81 W/m2*K Model: XM60/156-250 Black Series by Sunerg Solar
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,41 Area: 55 m2

HVAC Systems Installed PV power: 8,0 kWp

Heating/Cooling energy production equipment: Estimated energy production: 11594 kWh/year
Type: Air/Air heat pump (Madrid), 9501 kWh/year (Bucharest)
Model: Samsung RJ052F3HXEA
Capacity: Heating 5,2 kW / Cooling 5,2 kW Energy Consumption
Efficiency: Heating: COP 4,5 / Cooling COP 4,5 Estimated energy consumption:
6277 kWh/year (Madrid)
Terminal units: 7349 kWh/year (Bucharest)
Type: Samsung AQV09PSBN

147
Estimated energy consumption per conditioned List of Singular and Innovative Materials and
area: Systems
94,7 kWh/year per m2 (Madrid) Thermal mass. Clay wall and granite stone strip
80,9 kWh/year per m2 (Bucharest) in front of the south glazing areas working in
conjunction with the infra-red radiant heating
Estimated HVAC energy consumption: panels to conditioning the house at heating
22,23 kWh/year per m2 (Madrid) periods.
40,10 kWh/year per m2 (Bucharest) Passive heating: the granite stone strip receives
heat from the sun during the winter through the
Energy consumption Characterization: glazed surfaces from the south.
Heating: 22,46 % Humidity regulation based in clay wall finishing.
Cooling: 10,29 % Passive ventilation: in addition to the cross
Ventilation: 2,37 % ventilation, the roof slope facilities that the hot air
Domestic Hot Water: 11,55 % exits the house due to the thermosyphoning effect.
Lighting: 7,08 % PV natural cooling system: when the wind hits the
Appliances and Devices: 46,26 % top of the roof create a low pressure zone and force
the air to flow below the PV panels cooling them
Energy Balance and assuring a better energy production.
Estimated energy balance:
+5 316 kWh/year (Madrid) Cost
+2151 kWh/year (Bucharest) Construction Cost: 125.000 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 70.000 €

148
Fold
Technical University of Denmark
10
Nº.10 / 715,5 points
Introduction & Project Main Objectives
FOLD is naive... it believes in the dream of a greener
world. a world of responsibility towards nature and
culture. culture is the ultimate offspring of Nature.
It EMBRACES the conditions given to it by birth. like
any other responsible parent, Nature provides culture
with its resources. to make the most of Nature,
culture has to TUNE in to the premises of Nature.
adapt. adjust. reenact. play with its parental heritage.
grow up, learning from Nature and going beyond to
become strong. responsible. sometimes an annoying
overachiever. but when it boils down to basic values,
culture always keeps its head cool and remembers its
childhood lessons: always SHARE the good stuff with
your friends. ... and be realistic.
FOLD is a vision of the ground folding and wrapping
all its climatic, social, biological and ecological
resources around family to create a shelter
and a living space. Resources are transformed
into different features and incorporated into the
surfaces of FOLD: solar cells on the roof produce
electricity and heat for hot water. The largest
façade is a vertical garden, while the smallest
façade contributes to the urban cityscape with its
lighting. On the inside, FOLD comprises of one big
living space. Only the “superfurniture” – a technical
core with all the essential features including
bathroom, technical room and kitchen – has a fixed
position in the flexible space. The interior cladding
149
emphasizes the geometry of FOLD, while the
atmosphere of the living space endeavors to convey
a feeling of Scandinavia combined with site-specific
Spanish needs. FOLD is the vision of merging
technical features of today with the aesthetics and
responsibilities of tomorrow.
The concept of FOLD is a three step strategy: The
model folds up around the family to protect it and
provide it with local natural resources.
• EMBRACE. Climatic conditions change according
to geographical locations, but one thing is
common: The sun is always the greatest source
of energy. It defines the natural resources of
the model. These resources vary depending on
the geographical context, and when it comes to
creating a shelter, the designer incorporates solar,
biological, economical, ecological and cultural
resources in the design. The shelter is created by
folding all integrated resources, like a protective
membrane, around the family.
• TUNE. FOLD can take on countless
configurations. The size, incline, and orientation
of the different surfaces are adjusted to the site´s
specific resources. All surfaces are optimized to
function for that specific context. In Madrid. the
optimal surface functions are photovoltaics on
150
the roof for renewable energy production, a green
wall for the urban microclimate and a light wall to
increase security in the urban space.
• SHARE. Sustainable living is a collective mindset
which engages everyone. It calls for responsibility
and awareness. Society is a delicate organism,
and every individual is a crucial part of the
sustainable project. This project is all about how
we manage resources. And the only sensible
thing is to allocate surplus resources to places
with less resources. Establishing this kind of solar
democracy addresses all three aspects of the
general sustainability concept: economy, society
and environment.
Architectural Design
FOLD believes in both an inspiring architecture
and high energy performance - and it believes that
these two primary visions are not contradictory.
In fact, the architectural narrative can be directly
translated into the method applied to obtain the
optimal energy balance of the house: The REDUCE
- OPTIMIZE - PRODUCE triangle.
151
The triangle is a three-step method to reduce
the energy consumption of a house. The method
describes the three steps necessary to create low
energy consumption buildings - or energy-plus
houses like FOLD. It is developed with Integrated
Energy Design (IED) as its starting point. The three
steps follow a hierarchical structure:
• REDUCE: The first step is to reduce energy
consumption by limiting unwanted heat loss and
gain by means of improved geometry and the
transparency of the building envelope.
• OPTIMIZE: We then optimize the necessary
systems. This might be an additional cost in
the building budget, but operating costs will be
significantly reduced.
• PRODUCE: Finally, the building becomes a net
zero energy building through integrated energy
production methods.
The architectural narrative of EMBRACE - TUNE
- SHARE develops from these three steps and
therefore incorporates energetic design as a
central element of the architectural design. Team
 DTU understands architecture as an umbrella
concept, which is only successfully carried out if all
aspects of the sustainability concept are addressed.

• EMBRACE equals REDUCE. EMBRACING the

local resources and incorporating them into the
surfaces of FOLD requires an analysis of the
societal, environmental and economic conditions
of the building design. The geometry of FOLD
responds to these conditions. A similar analysis is
developed with regards to the energy design: The
climatic conditions shape the optimal geometry,
orientation, daylight conditions etc. to reduce the
energy consumption.

• TUNE equals OPTIMIZE. TUNING FOLD to fit the

specific model is for architecture, what OPTIMIZE is
for energy design. TUNE increases the architectural
value of local resources, while OPTIMIZE is a
specific action taken with regards to components
and installations.

• SHARE equals PRODUCE. Through the SHARE

dimension of FOLD, a principle of SOLAR
DEMOCRACY is established. However, this
dimension is worthless without the PRODUCING
strategies in the method triangle. The PRODUCING
part of the energy design allows for the SHARE
dimension of the architectural narrative.

152
Thus, the architectural narrative is a poetic story
about how we create sustainable living on a larger
scale - but it is also a story about turning the large-
scale vision into feasible results.
The first thing on the to-do list for a sustainable
built environment is an analysis of the context
including the identification of predominantly
available resources. The geometry of the house -
the configuration of the folded design – is essential
for the optimal utilization of resources. The
folding offers a great flexibility, which is crucial for
embracing the local natural resources.
Tuning FOLD to fit the local climatic conditions
means adjusting geometry to fit the design.
Surfaces are assigned specific functions – once
again, selected keeping in mind predominant
local resources. In the case of Madrid, the exterior
surfaces are optimized for different purposes, each
153
using a predominant natural resource:
1. The roof is covered with PVTs to supply the house
with electricity and heat for hot water from solar
energy.
2. The western facade displays “green jewelry”:
Patches of vegetation contribute to the urban
microclimate and to the quality of life of residents.
3. The eastern facade presents itself as an
occasional urban light source, reflecting the
location of installations in the technical core of the
house and contributing to the urban space with
urban lighting.
4. The surface covering the ground is used for floor
heating, making use of the heat from the ground,
and contributing to the energy balance of the
house.
Construction & Materials
The construction design will be optimized so as to
minimize the use of materials. In order to make
the design as appealing as possible and to meet
the requirements of different countries, it will
be possible to change façade elements, such as
glazing, windows and even the insulation thickness.
This adaptability gives an additional flexibility
to the house so it can be used in a wide range
of circumstances and locations, without using
unnecessary materials or creating the need for
costly fittings.
As part of the design of the constructive system,
the method of Cost of Conserved Energy (CCE) is
used. The CCE method will help the optimization
and selection of elements which can be further
optimized when it comes to comparing material
use and price of each component.
Since the pavilion is supposed to be reassembled
many times during its lifetime, the elements and
connections are specifically designed for this
purpose, e.g. to be airtight. A lack of airtightness
in construction and installation holes can increase
the risk of moisture in construction and also affect
the air quality in the house. All installation holes
and construction joints are airtight to guarantee
the best results for the climate of the house.
The design of the house aims to minimize
unwanted heat gain from the environment, and
makes use of the best possible placement for PV/T
panels on the roof. The larger glazing facade of the
house is oriented north, on a 19° degree incline
facing west.
The house is made of light-weight wooden slats.
Walls, roof and floor structures are built by placing
the slats next to each other and sealing the joints.
The glazed sides on the southern and northern
sides are inserted later, sealing the joints between
the glazing frame and the structure. The house is
supported on 20-30 cm concrete blocks.
The elements in the house are made of layers of
Kerto board (laminated veneer lumber) and mineral
wool insulation material. The house has two types
of insulation: 20 cm of conventional mineral wool
insulation (manufactured by Rockwool) and 8 cm
of compressed mineral wool insulation (Aerowolle,
manufactured by Rockwool).
Large glazed surfaces on the southern and
northern sides of the house are covered by
overhangs, which protect the house from direct
radiation during the summer. For the winter
season direct radiation enters the house, favorably
154
effecting the heating mode. No active shading
systems were designed and installed in the house.
The structural spine of FOLD is what we call the
”superfurniture”: the technical core. The technical
core is also built of Kerto wood, and is the only
structurally supporting element inside the house.
The technical core is equipped with all the essential
features of the house; bathroom, toilet, technical
room and kitchen. It is the ”brain of the house”, so
to speak, and fits into a single standard container,
enabling pre-fabrication to keep the cost down.
Inside the house there is one big space combining
the kitchen, living room and bedroom areas. The
shower and toilet areas are partially separated
through the use of partitions. The technical room
is completely isolated from the main indoor space,
and has its own separate entrance. The wall
between the technical room and the indoor space
has the same level of insulation as the outside
walls. The reason for separating the technical
room is to limit the heat released by the machinery
and equipment inside the room from entering the
main indoor space. The technical room is partly
exposed to the outdoor air temperature through the
implementation of a natural ventilation system.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
FOLD is an energy plus house which produces
more energy than it consumes. Surplus energy is
distributed to surrounding structures through a
connection to the local grid. This enables FOLD
to share surplus electricity and heat production
with non-energy plus houses, optimizing the
community´s energy balance. Furthermore, FOLD
also shares its light through a light wall. Research
shows that a well-lit urban space is safer, as it
prevents trespassing, burglary and assaults.
The key features of FOLD have one thing in
common: they take energy efficiency and
”liveability” to a new level. They are part of the
main strategy to create the sustainable house of
tomorrow, today! They are so integrated into the
architectural, structural and energy narrative of
FOLD that they become its defining factors. FOLD
would not be FOLD without these features.
The heating and cooling system of the house is also
a unique solution specifically developed for FOLD.
Traditional floor heating panels are placed on both
floor and ceiling surfaces. The ground is used
as a heat sink while a calibrated control system
guarantees the optimal performance of the HVAC
system as a whole, ensuring a precise interplay
between components.
The ideal design of the house should enable
autonomous performance. The maximum amount
of energy should be produced while the least
amount of energy should be consumed to run the
house and its appliances.
The cooling and heating system of the house is
water-based, with a low-temperature heating and
high-temperature cooling concept. The thermal
energy source used is a ground heat exchanger.
During the heating season, ground thermal energy
is boosted through a heat pump to reach the
required water supply temperature. For the cooling
season it is assumed that the ground temperature
is able to provide enough cooling capacity for the
house, thus bypassing the need for any additional
mechanical cooling devices.
The house requires the functioning of a large
amount of machinery and equipment. All this
equipment releases heat into the environment.
Given the need to limit heat production in the
house, one possible solution is to isolate all
equipment which is not used by occupants on
a daily basis. This equipment is placed in the
technical room, which has no direct connection to
the inside area.
To regulate air quality in the house, mechanical and
155
natural ventilation systems are installed. Since the
natural ventilation doesn’t consume energy, it is
preferable to mechanical ventilation.
Solar Systems
Electrical energy production is based on 67,8m2
PVT (photovoltaic thermal) installed on the roof,
with a 8° and 16° incline. The maximal electrical
power is 9,8 kWp for normal operation conditions
and the module efficiency is 15,8% at the STC. The
thermal part works with a nominal efficiency of
42,2% and factually cools down the cells during
operation. The extracted heat is transferred to a
DHW tank or to the bore hole, depending on the
decision of the control logic based on what is better
at any particular moment. This way, the active
roof area is more effectively used, and the PVT
modules serve as a final roof envelope to replace
conventional cladding or tiles.
Almost 70 m2 of customized photovoltaic thermal
(PVT) modules cover the roof of the FOLD, with an
18° incline. The angle chosen is the optimal angle
considering several parameters such as the Solar
Envelope, heat gains from direct sunlight and
optimization of the roof area available.
The aesthetic concept of the house follows an
enveloping fold and a uniform, slim structure.
The photovoltaic design therefore aims to integrate
the modules into the construction. This means
the PVT modules are a substitute for regular roof
covering. The integrated PVT panels are designed
to create a energy plus house, but always in line
with the aesthetic concept of the FOLD.
Integrating PV modules generated a series of
demands for PV cooling and its performance. As
the FOLD has a slim structure, there will not be
an air gap under the PV modules big enough to
sufficiently cool the PV, so the system is made
into a hybrid system through the use of PVT.
The thermal part will be able to cool the PV and
maintain a high level of efficiency in the cells. Apart
from cooling the PV modules, the thermal part will
also provide heat to the DWH tank.
textured glass will give 3 % extra efficiency under
IEC 61215. The concept is shown in Figure 1-
Textured glass visualizing reduction in reflection
and the light trapping effect. What´s more, from
an aesthetic point of view, the textured glass will
give the house a unique appearance, different from
regular blank PV modules. The textured surface
makes the PV modules look like solid components
and fascinates observers. The solar cells from
RAcell make up a unique system developed entirely
for FOLD. The elegant monocrystalline silicon
solar cells cover not only the roof – but also the hot
water system underneath the solar cells. This PVT
system provides the house with electricity as well
as heat for hot water. And it is only 86 mm thick.

The final assembly consists of Sunpower a-300

monocrystalline cells, textured glass Albarino G
from Saint Gobain, and embedded copper pipes
in absorber plates. The textured glass from Saint
Gobain will minimize reflection of incoming light.
The reflected light will strike the glass surface,
reducing the final reflection. The Saint Gobain

156
Technical Data of the House: Fold
Nº.10 / 715,5 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 60,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 65,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 75,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 83,9 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 96,8 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 106,4 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 51,8 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 64,9 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 32,9 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 71,4 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 7,5 points.

Team Name Energy Recovery Ventilation:

Team DTU Type: Integrated in the Nilan -Unit Compact-P+JVP
Efficiency: 80%
Project Dimensions
Gross area: 76,8 m2 Hot Water
Net floor area: 66,5 m2 System type: Custom PVT modules
Conditioned Volume: 200,0 m3 Area: 70 m2

House Envelope Electrical Energy Production

Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,09 W/m2*K Modules Type: RAcell custom PVT modules
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,09 W/m2*K Components: A-300 solar cells from Sunpower and
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,09 W/m2*K SGG Albarino G glass
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,04 W/m2*K Area: 70 m2
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,65
Installed PV power: 8,20 kWp
HVAC Systems Estimated energy production: 11391 kWh/year
Heating/Cooling/Ventilation system:
Energy Consumption
Energy production equipment: Estimated energy consumption: 6052 kWh/year
Type: Compact Heat pump Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Model: Nilan -Unit Compact-P+JVP area: 91 kWh/year per m2
Capacity Heating: 7,75 kW / Cooling system 7,10
kW Energy consumption Characterization:
Efficiency: COP 2,74 / EER 2,41 Heating: 9%
Cooling: 17%
Terminal Unit: Ventilation: 5%
Type: Radiant floor and ceiling Domestic Hot Water: 8%
Model: Uponor Gulvvarmesystem 17 (floor) and Lighting: 24%
Gulvvarmesystem 12 (ceiling) Appliances and Devices: 37%

157
Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +14.392 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
Custom PVT system with high efficiency solar
cells and patterned glass to increase energy
transmittance. PV are cooled with water, the
removed heat is used for the house DHW.
Building Integration Photovoltaics (BIPV). The
PVT panels are seamless integrated in the house
architecture.
Integrated monitoring and control system (HVAC,
light, etc.) based on iPad with feed-back on energy
consumption and indoor environment to the
occupants.
Aerowolle insulation: high performance composite
of aerogel and mineral wool from Rockwool.
Dishwasher waste heat is recovered by the heat
pump.
Ground Heat Exchanger and Ground Source Heat
Pump (GHEX and GSHP).

Cost
Construction Cost: 319.225 €
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 212.000 €

158
Para Eco-House
Tongji University

11

Nº.11 / 686,9 points

159
 Introduction & Project Main Objectives

The Para Eco-House introduces both parametric

and ecological strategies into the logic of
the architectural language used in house
design. Combining the “Active” and “Passive”
environmental systems in a symbiotic relationship,
the two philosophies merge and benefit from
their mutual interaction. Beyond functional and
environmental requirements, we create a model for
a low-carbon future.

Architectural Design

1. The design of the Para Eco-House space

dynamically combines a solar energy system on the
roof, a mist spraying system on a semi-open space,
a vertical garden, shading, and a ventilation system
on the western façade.

2. The living box consists of a living room, bedroom,

kitchen, etc, aiming for meticulous space logic and
the advantages of a minimum shape coefficient.
The best option is a rectangle facing south.

3. The living room and bedroom are more dynamic

and need more sunshine in the morning, while the
equipment is integrated into 2 smart cores, placed
in the center of the box and divided by a patio. The
interior space flows freely around this patio.

4. Because of the spatial form, the challenge of

building the living space is minimized. The living
box is divided into ten 1.2-meter-wide standard
modules, which can be easily extended. High-
performance VIP insulation board is filled into a
bamboo structural skeleton, and protected with
sunsheet decoration.

5. The semi-open space is covered by the energy

skin, and is connected with with the living box
which goes through the skin and opens to the
lake view. The skin also covers the platform on
the south, north, and the wetland on the western

160
side. Passive ecological strategies are applied on
the semi-open space, pre-adjusting temperature
and humidity, reducing energy consumption and
providing natural heating-cooling source.
6. The Para-Eco skin covering the semi-open
space is made of eco-bamboo plywood creating
a rhombus texture, connected with stainless
steel joints. The patent bamboo material has the
advantage of being low-carbon and high-strength.
It provides shade and integrates the energy system,
water system, ventilation system and green system
into one structure. It favors the environment in both
active and passive strategies.
Construction & Materials
1. The core material of the Para Eco-House wall
is VIP thermal. Considering the efficiency of this
air-tight enclosure, we designed a wooden double
skeleton frame to place the VIP thermal inside the
frame and prevent it from potential damage.
2. A vacuum insulated panel (VIP) consists of an
almost air-tight enclosure surrounding a rigid
core, from which air has been extracted. The
thermal conductivity of VIP is about 0.004W/m.k. Its
insulation performance is about five to ten times
better than conventional insulation.
161
3. The furniture is made of bamboo panels,
using low-carbon production. Bamboo is one the
fastest growing plants on earth. Its maturation
takes only 5-6 years, while trees take decades or
even hundreds of years. Bamboo can naturally
regenerate after logging without replanting. Using
bamboo as the furniture material can both enhance
the efficiency of natural material and protect the
environment.
4. Bamboo is a highly renewable resource
with a short life span. It will not harm the eco-
environment, but improve the regeneration of
bamboo forests under a reasonable harvest.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
1. Given the dry climate and huge temperature
difference between day and night in Madrid,
this system integrates an air source pump and
water source pump to achieve maximum energy
efficiency, with a hierarchical energy consumption
and with the benefit of using renewable energy in
composites.
2. The water can recover the waste heat from the
PV and the heat pump cooling module, and then
release the heat into the heat pump for heating
and into the environment through conduction,
162
163
convection and long wave radiation. This system
can be expanded to use ground-water source,
surface water source. etc. It can be applied to most
regions to make better use of renewable energy.
3. DESICA is used to manage the latent heat load.
Meanwhile, the dual source heat pump can supply
energy to eliminate sensible heat load. This system
can improve the efficiency of both the heat pump
and the humidity control unit.
4. Model A and B will alternate automatically for
continuous dehumidification and regeneration.
The air system helps to build a safe, healthy and
comfortable home.
Tongji Team, ensures the PV panels will keep the
optimum tilt angle and prevent mutual shading.
4. A motorized axis system has been developed
to ensure the solar panels are directly oriented
toward the sun throughout the day. Para Eco-
House is equipped with a single axis system which
enhances the operating efficiency up to 25%.
5. PVT is an integrated system of PV and solar
collector. This system can use water to cool the PV
cells for a better conversion efficiency. Warm water
can be stored in the tanks and later used for HP or
interior heating directly. It enables the multi-use of
the solar energy to maximize the use of energy.

Solar Systems

1. Photovoltaics are the best known method for

generating electric power using solar cells to
transform solar energy into a flow of electrons.

2. Our House includes 42 panels placed on the

roof. We have also generated an algorithm and
a mechanical base to optimize their orientation
depending on the time of day and the season as
well as preventing panels from casting shadows on
one another.
3. The solar tracking system, designed by the

164
165
166
Technical Data of the House: Para Eco-House
Nº.11 / 686,9 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 70,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 46,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 63,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 79,7 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 105,2 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 114,9 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 59,3 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 48,0 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 32,4 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 66,3 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 2,0 points.

Team Name Remark: Direct free cooling and free heating using
Tongji Team hot and cold water deposits.

Project Dimensions Terminal Unit:

Gross area: 65,2m2 Type: Air Handling Unit
Net floor area: 61,6 m2 Model: MHW015A by McQuary
Conditioned Volume: 133,9 m3
Hot Water
House Envelope System type: Flat plate solar collector
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K Area: 6,4 m2
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K Electrical Energy Production
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,20 W/m2*K Modules type: PVT hybid modules by Singyes Solar
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC) Area: 56,65 m2
Remark: PV tracking system
HVAC Systems
Heating/Cooling energy production equipment: Installed PV power: 8,76 kWp
Type 1: Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) Estimated energy production: 12802 kWh/year
Model: New product based on NRZQA56AV2C by
DAIKIN (China) Energy Consumption
Capacity: Heating 5,75 kW / Cooling 5,12kW Estimated energy consumption: 4274 kWh/year
Efficiency: Heating COP 4,96 / Cooling COP 3,26 Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
area: 76 kWh/year per m2
Type 2: Heat pump
Model: NRZQA56AV2C by DAIKIN (China) Energy consumption Characterization:
Capacity: Heating 5,75 kW / Cooling 5,12 kW Heating: 9 %
Efficiency: Heating COP 4,96 / Cooling COP 3,26 Cooling: 26 %
Ventilation: 1 %

167
Domestic Hot Water: 4 % Cost
Lighting: 13 % Construction Cost: 287.000 €
Appliances and Devices: 47 % Industrialized Estimate Cost: 240.000 €

Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +8528 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collectors (PVT).
PV Tracking System.
Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) with Heat
Recovery Unit.
Evaporating Water Cooling.
Mist Spraying System.
Thermal Pressure Ventilation.
Gray Water Treatment.
Wetland Filter System.
Rain Water Harvesting.
Smart Building Automation and Control System
(BACS).
Architectural Shading.
Composite Skin System.
Thermal Wall with vacuum insulation panels (VIP).
Vertical Greenery (Green Wall).
Bamboo Structure and furniture.

168
Ekihouse
Universidad del País Vasco (Euskel Herriko Unibertsitatea)

12

Nº.12 / 684,2 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives
Ekihouse is a house designed for the 21st century,
conceived to meet the needs of today. But, how is
it special?
Ekihouse is a solar house. Not only because of
its use of solar panels, but because its shape is
designed to take advantage of the sun. It has been
consciously constructed to make maximum use of
bioclimatic strategies.
Energy demands are increasing and the
environment cannot provide for them anymore.
This has prompted attempts to lower energy
expenditure as much as possible through passive
and active systems.
The main characteristic of the Ekihouse is its
flexibility. Double skin facades (north and south)
can have different configurations in order to adapt
to exterior climatic conditions. Inner space is also
flexible, so users can modify it depending on their
respective needs.
In addition to this, systems and materials have also
been selected for the lowest energy consumption.
The main strategy of the house is to reduce energy
needs, take advantage of the natural resources of
the area and use innovative systems to create the
proper conditions for living.

169
Architectural Design

The whole house is designed to lower the

expenditure of energy. This is achieved through the
shape and the design of the house, both of which
were analyzed at the beginning of the project.
The house is constructed to make use of solar
energy during winter and provide shade during the
summer. The purpose is to decrease the demands
for active solar mechanisms. In order to do so,
complicated operations were avoided.

Ekihouse is in the shape of a prism, that is, a
form which permits a minimum loss of heat and
coolness. In addition, we decided to open both
northern and southern facades to get natural light
for as many hours as possible in order to save
electricity. These openings will also help with
cross-ventilation. The technical rooms are located
on the other two sides -the western and eastern
facades- next to the kitchen and the bathroom.
This way, energy flows through the shortest path.
Flexibility. To achieve the main objective, the house
has a flexible design which can be adapted to meet
the requirements of the climate and the user. This
adaptability ensures suitable conditions inside the
house, during winter and summer.
One of the innovative systems introduced are
double layered facades. The interior skin has
a glazed surface while the exterior features
perforated steel panels. Different-sized
perforations create a personalized pattern as well
as helping control the amount of sun entering the
interior. These layers are movable, so the house
can have different configurations in order to adapt
to exterior climactic conditions. Taking the concept
of flexibility further, the house can even be opened
up to the terrace completely.
The design of the structure forms a continuous
interior space, and the furniture is adaptable,
allowing the user to move pieces in different
arrangements according to situational
requirements.
Conscious Design. A conscious design is the
team’s strategy to reduce energy needs, making all
areas of the house more efficient.

170
The house is designed to be transported by
standard trucks in two modules, thus reducing
energy costs in transportation.
The over-hanging roof in the south facade allows
the sun to enter the house during the winter
to warm it up, while in summer it helps keep
the house shaded to reduce the temperature.
Therefore, the solar roof, where photovoltaic
panels are located, includes both active electricity
production and passive bioclimatic devices.
Another innovative system is the exterior
Termogenik wood flooring. This is wood which has
been thermally treated, improving its durability and
171
stability without the use of chemicals.
The house is lit with natural light during the
day, taking advantage of south and north glazed
facades. At night, highly efficient artificial lighting
systems are used, including LED technology,
generating more light while using less energy.
Construction & Materials
Ekihouse is a solar house that meets all the
requirements of its occupants, from energy
demands to maximum comfort, through generous,
obstacle-free spaces created inside the envelope.
The two wide windows provide permanent natural
light, controlling the sunlight through several steel
sheets on the facade, outside the window. The
solar roof also provides efficient shading which
opens up over the entire facade on sunny days,
reducing excessive solar radiation.
The north facade is specially insulated for wintery
days, when the heating demand increases. These
needs can additionally be met by opening the
south facade and letting the heat from the sun into
the house.
Every strategy is designed following bioclimatic
concepts, and is combined with other active
172
systems which contribute to improve the comfort
level of the house.
All the furniture inside the house is designed for
flexible arrangement in order to meet the needs
of the owner. Central pieces of furniture and even
the kitchen equipment can be adapted to meet
different requirements during the day. The bed, the
desk, the table, the seats can all be moved… The
only limit is the imagination of the user!
In addition to the shape and the energy systems
of the house, another essential feature has been
thoroughly studied: industrialized construction
and easy transportation. This is one of the main
premises of the present competition, making the
house adaptable for any situation and place.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The main and only source of power generation
in the EKIHOUSE are photovoltaic panels, which
are integrated into the exterior surface of the
house. This way, the house is self sufficient when it
comes to the energy requirements of the user for
carrying out all daily activities. With regards to the
consumption of energy inside the house, strategies
have been studied for all systems, with the aim of
achieving minimum costs in energy consumption
and improving climatic conditions as much as
possible with passive strategies. Therefore, we will
only have electrical consumption when needed.
LIGHTING. So as to not waste energy, the position
of light fixtures was determined by the availability
of light after studying the accessible natural light
during daylight hours.
CLIMATIZATION. The house makes optimal use
of climatic conditions in every orientation, as
the north and south facades of the house are
173
fully configurable, eliminating the need for air
conditioning systems: during the summer, the
low temperature conditions of the north facade
are used to cool the house, and in winter the
windows of the south facade allow for significant
solar activity. At times of peak temperatures
where passive solutions are not enough to provide
comfort, air conditioning is incorporated using low-
power systems.
VENTILATION. Given the characteristics of the
facades of the house and their arrangement, cross
ventilation can occur naturally.
WATER. A grey water purification system is
included for its reuse it in irrigation, etc. The
devices used have low energy consumption. The
work of the pumps is reduced given the proximity
between its storage area and points of use.
APPLIANCES. All appliances used in EKIHOUSE
comply with A and B labeling, which guarantees up
to 30% energy savings.
Solar Systems
Active systems are usually extraneous elements in
architecture, added to buildings once the design is
completed. In this project, architects and engineers
worked together in order to completely integrate
the systems into the design. In the Ekihouse, solar
panels support passive strategies. These panels
protrude from the house providing shade during
the summer, when solar radiation is not needed,
and help to bring down high temperatures. They
also create the terrace space.
The photovoltaic system was specifically designed
to provide electric energy to the Ekihouse taking
into account its architectural requirements and
the solar radiation and temperature conditions of
Madrid. In general terms, the photovoltaic system
consists of two independent production units. Each
unit has been developed around an inverter and
56 panels arranged in four strings forming the
photovoltaic unit array. This individual configuration
had been chosen in order to provide a maximum
power tracker by string.
Following the PV Technology Limitations, the
photovoltaic system designed for the EKIHOUSE
has a nominal power output of 11984W.
The main elements used as inverters, panels, etc.
will be supplied by ATERSA (Ciclo-6000 inverters
174
and A-214P panels). The cabling will comply with
the minimum standards set out in the general
regulations.
PV Panels. The Atersa A-214P PV panels have
60 polycrystalline tempered glass solar cells in
series. Under standard test conditions of 1 kW/
m2 of solar irradiance (Air Mass 1.5) and 25°C cell
temperature, they typically give a maximum power
of 214Wp.
Inverters. Two INVERSOR CICLO transformers
have been considered.
Monitoring Devices. The inverter is equipped
with a communications port RS485 which can be
connected to a computer to obtain all important
data, such as energy produced, solar radiation,
ambient temperature, and any problems that may
arise.
Maximum Power and Energy Production Forecast.
Regarding the assessment of the daily peak of
production and the total energy provided by the PV
system, a methodology has been used involving a
calculation with PVGIS.
Solar Thermal Design. The estimated peak
175
demands to be met are: 3.35 kW of heating power,
1.84 kW of cooling power and 1.12 kW of power for
domestic hot water, keeping in mind a water supply
network at 12°C and output of hot water at 60°C.
Ventilation flow of 1 renewal / hour has also been
considered. To cover this demand, we propose the
following: firstly, we designed an installation for
the annual coverage of demands, and secondly,
another installation was considered to cover the
period of the competition (which is similar to the
annual demand, but simplified), and which will be
used in the competition stage.

We have proposed a system based on solar thermal

and heat pump support, to satisfy both heating
and cooling demands, as well as DHW production.
The main elements are: 3 SOLAR COLLECTORS,
a HEATER, an ACCUMULATOR TANK, a HEAT
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (heating module of five
tubes of air dispersion), a CYLINDER for DHW
heating, a HEAT PUMP, and all hydraulic fittings
(expansion vessel, pumps, valves ...). Priority was
given to the solar panels rather than the heat
pump. With regard to heating, the air that reaches
the heat pump is preheated by solar panels. The
heating system is fed with a buffer tank which is
not the same as the heat pump tank. This system is
designed to cover the basic demands, and the three
solar panels will be enough to exceed it, but this
excess is solved with the storage and the heater. In
case heating or DHW demands are not covered by
the solar thermal, the shortfall will be covered by
the heat pump.

176
Technical Data of the House: Ekihouse
Nº.12 / 684,2 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 70,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 58,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 57,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 73,5 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 91,6 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 111,1 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 44,4 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 63,1 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 31,0 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 76,5 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 8,0 points.

Team name Hot Water

EHU Team System type: Flat collector ROTH Heliostar
Area: 2,18 m2
Project Dimensions Features: Accumulator-exchanger by ALDER
Gross area: 89,13 m2
Net floor area: 54,60 m2 Electrical Energy Production
Conditioned Volume: 169,04 m3 Modules Type: ATERSA A-214P PV
Area: 91,28 m2
House Envelope
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,33 W/m2*K Installed PV power: 11,98 kWp
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,27 W W/m2*K Estimated energy production: 10000 kWh/year
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,24 W/m2*K
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,00 W/m2*K Energy Consumption
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,24 (south) 0,44 Estimated energy consumption: 5993 kWh/year
(north) Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
area: 91,45 kWh/year per m2
HVAC Systems
Heating energy production equipment: Energy consumption Characterization:
Strategic: Solar thermal collector + heat pump Heating: 18,2 %
support + accumulator exchanger Cooling: 18,2 %
Solar collector: Flat collector ROTH Heliostar Domestic Hot Water: 20,0 %
Heat pump (HP): Compact Air/Water heat pump Lighting: 13,0 %
with energy recovery ventilation system Appliances and Devices: 25,2 %
HP Model: TZEN 4000 provided by ALDER
HP Capacity: Heating 2,2kW / Cooling 2,0 KW Energy Balance
HP Efficiency: Heating COP 3,7 / Cooling EER 3,6 Estimated energy balance: +9992 kWh/year
Features: Accumulator-exchanger by ALDER

177
List of Singular and Innovative Materials and
Systems
High quality glasses with specifications tailored to
each orientation.
North-south orientation of the house: taking
advance of the sun radiation as well as natural
ventilation.
Control of the direct sunlight radiation on the
interior spaces: In south orientation the mobile PV
roof provides shadow in summer and permits solar
gains in winter.
Evaporative cooling system: to improve the
summer thermal sensation by means of increase
the humidity level.
Sliding panel system over glass façades: reduce
thermal losses (winter) / sun protection (summer).
Wastewater treatment.
Dry construction and assembly housing system.
Building Automation and Control System (BACS).

Cost
Construction Cost: 234.020€
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 219.873€

178
Sumbiosi
Bordeaux University

13

Nº.13 / 674,8 points

179
 Introduction & Project Main Objectives

Its name is of ancient Greek origin “Sumbiôsis”,

which means the intimate and resilient relationship
between two beings. A perfectly suitable choice for
the spirit of this habitat of the future which aims
to create a symbiosis between the inhabitant and
the home, the home and the environment, and the
inhabitant and the environment to enable then to
all live together in harmony. SUMBIOSI optimizes
all the technological systems of the building in
order to use as little energy as possible while
minimizing its overall impact on the environment.

SUMBIOSI is a house that connects with the

individual and the environment.

The whole structure is designed to provide the

best living environment based on the time of the
day, the season, or the occasion. The space can
be modified thanks to the modularity of the design
which allows this small house to function like a
bigger one, with a real study and a guest room. The
design process has basically followed bioclimatic
principles in order to create the most sustainable
house which can manage energy independently.

SUMBIOSI is a house that can be adapted to create

the best living environment possible. The house is
visualized as an open space that can be opened,
closed and divided depending on the season, the
time of the day, or the occasion. Through this
flexible space, SUMBIOSI presents a new way of
life connected to the environment and nature.
SUMBIOSI aims to reduce urban spread as it
allows more activity in a smaller space because of
its modular nature.

All the materials have been chosen from as close

to the building site as possible, so as to minimize
the energy balance and that is why SUMBIOSI is
made mainly of wood, from the building structure
to the furniture.

The results from research into energy savings

were integrated into all the technological
innovations. They are structured around three
main points:

The energy is generated by an innovative solar

system which follows the sun with trackers
making it converge on a reduced photovoltaic area
using Fresnel lenses. The energy is provided by
a solar system that makes use of Fresnel lenses
to bring together the equivalent of 500 times the
sun rays so as to reduce the area of photovoltaic
panels needed. A tracking system completes this
technology to optimize the efficiency of the system.

180
This allows for the creation of a cogeneration with
a 3 in 1 system producing electricity, domestic hot
water, and a heat transfer fluid.
The home automation system is designed to
facilitate the relationship between the house and
the inhabitant. It allows for the creation of an
interface between people and technology, and it is
easy to use.
An innovative semi-passive system based on
phase-change materials (PCM) is used to cool
down the house. SUMBIOSI uses both passive and
semi-passive systems. Placed on the roof, the
Ventec system is used to create a Venturi effect to
optimize natural ventilation and to cool the house
during summer nights. SUMBIOSI also uses a
cooling system based on phase-change materials.
This system uses a natural phenomenon and only
needs a fan to function.
To create a sustainable house with water recycling,
a “lombrifiltre” is used for grey and black water.
This installation functions with earthworms and
sedimentary layers filtering the water.
181
The water drained off from the tank can be used for
certain purposes. It can be reused to irrigate the
green roof or to wash the car.
More than just integration, all these technologies
become part of the structure as they are main
elements in the design of the house. SUMBIOSI is
really a combination of the occupants, architecture,
and technologies.
Architectural Design
SUMBIOSI is created from the symbiosis between
the occupant and the house, between the house
and the environment and between the architecture
and technology. This is really the main concept
of SUMBIOSI, the foundation on which the design
was created. For that reason, every architectural
and technical idea was taken from the design of
the human body. Like Le Corbusier, we compared
the individual functions of the building and the
human body, and we created a parallel with the
human body and all the exchanges made inside
it, especially comparing it with the skin, an organ
that breathes, reacts to wind, cold and heat and
protects the inside space. Skin pores can contract
or dilate to create the best « interior» environment.
For SUMBIOSI we used this concept of a living
organism that changes, reacts and replaces
according to the environment to create the best
living space possible. Thus, we took a sort of
biological approach to the architecture.
All our design processes were guided by
bioclimatic concepts which are very important if we
want to consume the least possible energy without
using any equipment. The plan was to orient the
house to get the maximum benefit from the sun
and the environment. That is why we gave the
house a complete north/south orientation allowing
it to capture the maximum amount of energy in
the winter. With this orientation we also wanted
to create an interconnected space from south to
north. By interconnected space we mean that the
occupants can easily move from the south space,
which is more dynamic and warmer, to the north
space, which is cooler and quieter; they can choose
their orientation in their house and move in it as if
it was an extension of themselves. We also chose
that fixed orientation to allow for better natural
182
ventilation to cool down the house in summer.
The air flows through the house entering from
the north and south facades and exits through
the upper windows. If we had to give one word to
describe the space created it would be fluid : fluid
for the occupants, fluid for the air, fluid for the
light, and fluid for the energy.
To create a sustainable house with bioclimatic
concepts, we worked on the materials. To use the
lowest grey energy for the house and to support the
local industry, we mainly used timber (maritime
pine) for the construction of SUMBIOSI. Actually,
we live near the biggest cultivated forest in Europe.
We used it for structural materials, for furniture
and for the exterior cladding. But timber doesn’t
have a great capacity for storing energy so it’s
difficult to obtain good thermal results. That’s why
we used a concrete floor, to increase the energy
storing capacity in the house. This floor allows
energy to accumulate during the day in the winter
so it can be used during the night. Each material
has been chosen for its thermal properties and
its aesthetic qualities, after an analysis of its
durability.
183
Construction & Materials
We also designed an original cladding for the
exterior facade: we wanted it to be like a protective
element of the house so we placed it on the two
thick walls which define the main space of the
house. This protection is created to respond to
the sunlight during the day. We randomly fixed a
number of vertical pieces of maritime pine in three
different sizes (44mm x 50mm, 44mm x 35mm,
and 44mm x 20mm) on a plywood sheet painted in
dark grey. Thus the sunrays reach the facade in a
different way all around the house, and create a
variety of shaded areas, a dynamic ambiance, and
a kind of depth in the facade. With regard to the
sustainability objective, this cladding is made from
waste pine wood from the pine forest which uses
green technology, making it even more sustainable.
Then, for the structural elements of the house we
used the best parts of trees, using the rest for the
cladding.
While the north and the south facades are the
most open with glazed surfaces, we wanted the
east and west facades to be more closed. This
is to accentuate the plan for an interconnected
space but it is also to protect the house from the
morning and evening sun, when the rays are at
their most powerful. That is why we created two
thick walls that protect the interior space. There
are a number of reasons for this thickness. First, it
accentuates the north/south orientation we desire,
184
and also the idea of an interconnected space.
It also reinforces the idea of protection for the
occupants. But creating these two thick walls was
above all to group the technical elements and to
free the middle space from any of them. Thus, in
one of these two blocks all the technical processes
the house take place. We placed the Vital Box, the
kitchen and the bathroom in this block so we could
reduce the length of the pipes and facilitate the
transport and the construction, as it is supposed
to be a grouped housing project. The technical
elements are integrated into the structure, we
use them to give it strength and have incorporated
them into the design.
In the second thick wall, we placed specific
furniture. Everything is consolidated in a block
but this furniture wall is in fact composed of two
layers which have different functions. The first
one has a multimedia function. When this first
layer slides, it creates a partition in the large living
space creating a new room for guests. It also gives
access to the second layer where you can store
things not in use all the time. For example, you can
store your winter clothes during summer and keep
only the summer ones in your dressing room. This
modularity is really needed so the inhabitants can
live in harmony with the seasons and according to
their own specific needs. Other multi-functional
furniture blocks are placed in the north space.
We worked on a structure that takes into
consideration the integration of technical elements
such as solar systems or ventilation. For us,
integrating doesn’t mean hiding these elements,
but on the contrary, to live with them. We use
these new elements of the house and create the
structure from and with these systems. They
become part of the architecture and important
elements of the design.
With our solar system, we created an over-roof
which serves as solar protection for the south
façade, but is also a structure that captures the
sun. Furthermore, this system of over-roof permits
the installation of different solar systems in the
future. It is a very modular concept, so it can be
used for an industrialized house, keeping in mind
the possibility of change in our experimental solar
systems. With this over-roof, we developed the
concept of a second skin based on the idea of
symbiosis and the biological approach. This is one
of the major elements which interfaces with the
environment to create a better atmosphere inside
the house. This « second skin » captures the sun’s
energy but it is also designed as protection against
it, for the indoor space and for the outdoor as
well. Indeed, the indoor space extends outside and
elements from the over roof are deployed to create
a new space and to protect it.
As for the solar system, we have created a new
185
architectural element on the house which is the
« Ventec » system. Its purpose is to accelerate
the natural ventilation through the Venturi effect.
Its form has been designed with aerodynamics
principles and integrated into the architecture: it
adds a strong architectural character. For us, the
operational changes we have to make today in our
design is not fate but a real opportunity to imagine
and create new architectural concepts, spaces and
forms.
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
High Performance And Environmentally Friendly
Thermal Envelope. Natural insulation: animal wool
& wood fiber are used and adapted to the building
systems of SUMBIOSI.
Very close attention is paid to the assembly in
order to optimize the structure and reduce thermal
bridges.
Exploitation Of Natural Ventilation. Natural
ventilation is introduced through the bioclimatic
architecture, an optimized form of roof and the
use of the Venturi effect, natural and accelerated
exhaust air circulation.
Heating And Cooling Functioning Autonomously:
The Phase-Change Material (PCM) Energy Storage
System. We have paired the ventilation system with
a very original exchanger containing phase-change
 Autonomously. The solar concentrators & trackers
cogeneration system produces its own electricity
and heat needs through the use of solar energy
and storage. A highly innovative solar solution is
developed using solar cogeneration (electricity,
domestic hot water and heat transfer fluid).
This innovation uses the process of concentration
with the Fresnel lenses concentrating sunlight 500
times, thus reducing the surface of photovoltaic
cells: an A5 size is enough to provide electricity for
the house. But for this technology to function, the
concentrated light has to be perfectly focused on
the cell. A «tracking system» has been designed
for this purpose. It follows the sun on two axes and
makes it possible for the light to be focused on the
cell with a precision of 0.1° all day long throughout
the year.

Intelligent Home Automation. The automation

materials (passive cooling of the air): some paraffin
which melts or solidifies at different levels of
temperature (21°C, 23°C, and 28°C). We have also
included, with success, natural animal fats in order
to test bio-sourced phase-change materials.
Efficient heat recovery ventilation allows capturing
energy in the outgoing air to pre-heat the incoming
air in winter. In summer, when the situation is
reversed, the system cools down the incoming air.
of all the energy systems of the house allows the
residents to manage the heating, air conditioning,
water production, management of opening and
closing of blinds efficiently and easily.
To improve performance, home automation
permits the residents to become real players in its
consumption. And an advisory tool (via a screen)
allows them to view all the energy costs and to
adjust them by adapting their behavior to the
functioning of the house.
An “octopus-shaped” system has also been
developed to combine the water, air, electricity and
home automation networks of SUMBIOSI.

Water Functioning Autonomously: The Earthworm

Filtration System (Lombrifiltre). This is a
technology which was developed a few years ago to
clean grey water. The system has been developed
enough to efficiently clean all water, including
black water.

The system is made up of a tank containing several

layers of earthworms, litter (specifically pieces of
timber) and finally pebbles.

These components clean, filter, and purify the

water. This system, still being developed today,
produces clear water for household use or
irrigation of the green roof, and the goal is to
eventually produce drinking water fit for human
consummation (research in progress).

Solar Systems

Electricity And Thermal Energy Functioning

186
Technical Data of the House: Sumbiosi
Nº.13 / 674,8 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 70,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 60,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 57,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 86,8 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 94,3 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 92,3 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 48,9 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 55,1 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 28,9 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 76,5 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 5,0 points.

Team name Model: Nilan’s VP 18 Compact

Aquitaine Bordeaux Campus Capacity: Heating 2,1kW / Cooling 1,0 KW
Efficiency: COP 2,96 and efficiency coefficient of 3,9
Project Dimensions
Gross area: 105,0 m2 Energy Recovery Ventilation:
Net floor area: 69,4 m2 Type: Counter flow heat exchanger integrated in
Conditioned Volume: 223,0 m3 the compact heat pump
Efficiency: 85%
House Envelope
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,17 W/m2*K Hot Water
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,14 W/m2*K System 1: Air/Water condenser integrated in the
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,15 W/m2*K Compact heap pump
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,5 W/m2*K Efficiency: COP 2,94 / Efficiency Coefficient 3,84
(south) 1,1 W/(m².K (west) 1,2 W/(m².K (north) System 2: Solar thermal collector with solar
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,63 /south) 0,51 (north tracking
and west) Area: 1,0 m2
System 3:CPV Solar energy concentration cooling
HVAC Systems system
Hybrid conditioning solution:
Type: Semi-passive air cooling system with Latent Electrical Energy Production
Thermal Energy Storage (LTES) Modules Type 1: Polycrystalline solar panels
Area 1: 32 m2
Heat exchange: Modules Type 2: CPV Solar energy concentration
LTES: Macro-encapsulated PCM (paraffin) thermal modules with a Fresnel lens and solar tracking
storage unit Quantity and Model: 15 modules Opel solar Mk-Id

Active Heating/Cooling/Energy recovery/Hot water Installed PV power: 5,0 kWp (polycystalline) / 5,0
system: kWp (concentrator)
Type: Compact system (heat pump) Estimated energy production: 6200 kWh/year

187
(polycystalline) / 3000 kWh/year (concentrator) black waters treatment.
Estimated energy production: 92000 kWh/year Green Roof.
(total) Solar thermal clothes drying system.

Energy Consumption Cost

Estimated energy consumption: 5561 kWh/year Construction Cost: 150.000€
Estimated energy consumption per conditioned Industrialized Estimate Cost: 70.000€
area: 79,4 kWh/year per m2

Energy consumption Characterization:

Heating: 4,4%
Cooling: 11,3%
Ventilation: 6 %
Lighting: 7,4 %
Appliances and Devices: 50,9 %
Other consumption: 20,0 %

Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +3830 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
CPV Solar energy concentration modules with a
Fresnel lens and solar tracking.
Use of the heat extracted by the CPV cooling
system for water heating.
Semi-passive air cooling system with Phase
Change Materials heat exchanger.
Lombrifiltre (earthworms filtration) for grey and

188
 Ekó House
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Universidade de Sâo Paulo

14

Nº.14 / 671,0 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives

Team Brazil has envisaged Ekó House as a

Brazilian approach towards a basic house: A house
that could bring about human prosperity without
harming nature. A highly efficient solar house
appears to be economically prohibitive for most
people in a country that has a construction industry
based on cheap labor and traditional methods,
has relatively low-cost energy, spends nearly no
energy for home heating, and despite the economic
growth, has a great portion of the population with
very few economic resources. We believe that Brazil
should present itself as an example of sustainable
economic growth and that the Ekó House, on a
small scale, could make a relevant contribution
towards this. It is imperative for Brazil, to consider
sustainability in broader terms, including social,
economic and cultural aspects.

In line with these principles, Ekó Houses are

temporary homes or lodges that help remote
communities – not supported by an electric
grid – to continue living in their area. They act as
educational devices while simultaneously affording
a sustainable living experience to the residents.
The cost of the temporary house will be shared by a
greater number of individuals, and the educational
benefits of the house will be greater than if it had
been designed for private owners. In addition
to having a close contact with the surrounding
natural environment and local community tradition,
the residents will be aware of the impact on the
environment of each activity they perform and
choose habits they could change, in order to
produce a relevant reduction of any damaging
impact. They will be exposed to new technologies

189
and sustainable systems taking more conscious
decisions in their new homes or even in their
daily activities. The automation and information
system is critical for measuring the data regarding
the environmental and energetic impact of the
residents’ activities and their relationship with the
natural cycles.
Architectural Design
Team Brazil has approached architectural design
as a research tool to explore the formal advantages
of blending local and traditional solutions with
high performance technologies. Traditional
building elements, such as bamboo and wood, are
associated with an external aluminum structure
and photovoltaic panels to provide shading and
solar energy.
The architectural concept consists in the
190
complementarity between an insulated core
with a minimized area connected to a protected
outside living space with a maximized area. The
reduction of the inner housing core size without
compromising the comfort of residents and the
space quality is a critical move towards Brazilian
sustainable homes. The house skin opens up to
the beauty of the natural environment through high
performance walls, windows, and doors that give
the feeling of being in direct contact with nature
and, at the same time, provides a cozy sense of
home and shelter. The Ekó house is designed to
act as a living being, which extends like the human
body to live in harmony with the environment.
Ekó Living Cycles. The Ekó House is organized
around the idea of natural cycles of human life
integrated with natural landscape. The movement
of the sun is central as it is the very core of energy
supply. The coherent combination of elements of
advanced technology with traditional techniques
generates a new aesthetic pattern aligned with
Brazilian culture, and also enables the use of local
materials. The selected technologies allow a high
degree of thermal control of the house, reducing
energy costs. When combined with local materials
and traditional building techniques, it will also
provide a strong degree of cultural identification
as well as a reduction in energy used for the
production and transportation of materials.
Verandas And Interior Comfort. The Ekó design
aims to reinterpret this traditional space using
a new architectural pattern based on moving
blinds and panels that adapt to ideal sunlight and
lighting conditions, as well as privacy setting.
The veranda serves as a buffer that protects the
internal spaces from unwanted solar radiation. The
moveable elements help to improve the comfort
and efficiency of these traditional Brazilian social
spaces.
The moveable elements change throughout the day
and year to adapt to different uses and climate. This
aspect encapsulates the dynamics of a traditional
Brazilian home based on the dualistic nature of
life, private and social. When closed, they create a
more intimate and shaded ambiance. When open,
they integrate inner and outer space, creating a
more public and social environment, allowing the
sunlight and warmth to come in.
The dynamic house resembles a living being that
adapts to the dweller’s mood, cycles of nature and
local climate.
191
Internal space fluidity. The use of internal space
is defined by a central transitional area for people
to move around the house. Three modular spaces
for cooking, washing, and resting are placed
along the central corridor. This connection area
brings flexibility to the project with the support
of controlled panels, which adapts the space to
different times of day and activities performed by
the residents.
The interior enclosure also enhances the Brazilian
way of life, which often uses the kitchen as a
place for family gatherings. We seek to bring back
this family Brazilian tradition which has got lost
in recent years due to the limitations of size and
layout standardization in contemporary homes. The
Brazilian furniture design gives a strong identity to
the interior, portraying the cultural diversity of the
country.
Through the development of a furniture fixation
system that allows for a better use of internal
space, the residents can perform their daily
activities comfortably with a smaller footprint.
At the same time, they can develop a sense of
belonging, feeling the space as their home and the
house as part of the environment.
Construction & Materials
The Ekó House structure meets different concepts
of sustainability, using as a premise: materials
that reduce thermal bridges; renewable materials
that provide carbon sequestration (CO2); design
solutions that extend the life of the structure
without requiring the use of preservatives and
biocides; technologies that reduce material
consumption while maintaining performance
and structural stability of the whole; possibility of
structural rearrangement based on the need to
expand and/or modify the design of the house.
Thus, we have opted for a structural system
using solid lumber wood components (beams
and columns) and processed wood (bracing
panels), and the concept of lattice structure.
The structural modules are independent, which
facilitates transport and assembly. It consists
of a core module (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom
and mechanical room) and other modules that
can be added to this basic module, depending on
expansion needs. The wooden structure consists of
a vertical (wall) and horizontal (floor slabs and roof)
structural panels.
The prototype assembly has three main
requirements: (a) reduction of activity in
construction site, (b) possibility of assembly and
disassembly of the structure and its transport
ensuring the reuse of components without reducing
the functionality of the connections; (c) adoption
of ergonomic principles in the assembly and
disassembly. Multifunctional connections designed
especially for the wooden structure guarantees
these requirements and fulfils specific needs. One
week is the approximate time required to assemble
the 21 wall panels of the Ekó House.
Team Brazil was concerned about finding
192
environmentally friendly materials, possibilities of
reuse and recycling in Brazil, and also a concern
for the residents’ health. The Ekó House project
uses approximately 5.4 cubic meters of native
hardwood. The wood for the structure is called
Cumaru, its core is highly resistant to fungi and
termites, increasing durability and reducing the
costs for structural maintenance. A waterproof
water-based solvent protects the exposed faces
of timber. A TEKA thermo treated wood is the
base for the outdoor deck of the house. Thermal
modification of wood is a chemical-free process
that results in a permanent material change,
improving durability and providing adequate usage
properties. A sustainable reuse and recycling
is guaranteed by abolishing wood chemical
preservatives in both structure and deck because
of its natural resistance to biological attack and
chemical-free treatment.
Ekó House uses approximately 2000kg of
aluminum, required for outer spaces like the
structure frames of the deck, support for bamboos
panels, roof tiles, mechanical room structure
and support for the photovoltaic modules. These
components are exposed to the weather and the
use of aluminum ensures greater durability, also
facilitating the installation due to the material
lightweight property. Furthermore, this material
has infinite possibilities of recycling, reducing
the environmental impact and investment in the
production of primary aluminum.
193
Interior comfort, HVAC & House Systems
Highly insulated walls, roof and floor are combined
with double glazed windows and doors to provide
plenty of light and substantial comfort conditions
with very low energy consumption. The use of
passive methods, combined with the adaptation to
nature’s cycles, helps to maintain a comfortable
temperature and humidity level, while reducing
consumption even further. The inner space design
is also based on efficiency. Flexible living spaces
unfold into verandas, guaranteeing a minimal
conditioned area that open to outside spaces. These
verandas are defined by automated shading devices
that control light, heat and privacy.
Ekó House has a longer east-west axis, with larger
glass panels on the south (northern hemisphere) to
allow winter heating and direct sun control during
the hot seasons. Windows on the south façade
provide adequate natural lighting distribution and
protection from the cold winds. Dynamic bamboo
devices shade the eastern and western glass
doors which open onto the verandas. The bamboo
devices open to allow more light to enter in the
194
darker winter days or to increase the semi-public
space. During the summer, they provide different
levels of light control to reduce glaring. The solar
orientation, the position and size of the openings
eliminate the need for artificial light throughout
the day. In addition to that, indoor curtains allow
for a better control over the lighting levels. These
strategies have created a high level of daylight
autonomy.
In addition to the strategy for solar gains, a passive
heating system was designed and it will provide
heat for the main areas of the house (bedroom and
kitchen). 110w radiators, connected to the solar
water heating system, provide proper thermal
comfort conditions for each area.
The Brazilian team has also designed an
evaporative cooling system using a combination
of mechanical ventilation and water pulverization
as a passive cooling strategy. We have placed a
fan/pulverizer within the air distribution system,
designed to maintain adequate humidity of air,
indoors. The intake duct of the fan brings air from
underneath the house floor, in order to provide
195

a lower dry bulb air temperature for the system,
increasing the system efficiency. Besides this
system, the position of the openings in opposite
facades promotes natural cross-ventilation inside
the house, improving comfort conditions with no
energy consumption.
The Ekó House home automation system (HAS)
integrates these strategies with the HVAC system
in order to guarantee a high efficiency of control of
the internal temperature.
Solar Systems
PV System. The Ekó House is part of a larger
system to provide electrical energy to a local
community. Thus, we have focused on high energy
generation, considering that the surplus should
power at least one additional family. The entire roof
196
has been used for power generation, making it the
highest irradiation face of the building envelope. In
addition to that, we selected high efficiency mono
crystalline modules to guarantee more energy
production per area.
We searched for an optimal PV panels-inverter
relationship. The 11.04kWp photovoltaic installed
system is connected to a 10kW inverter. The roof
angle is adjustable, with five different positions (10,
15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees), which allows the Ekó
House to function with the most efficient incline in
most parts of the country. The modules face south
with a 180º azimuth at a 15° tilt, selected as the
highest angle that could fit into the Solar Decathlon
Europe envelope. 48 photovoltaic modules,
divided in two subsystems of 24 modules, are
connected in 3 strings in parallel with 8 modules
per subsystem. Each subsystem is connected to
one inverter, which converts the photovoltaic DC
current to the AC house operation. The inverter is
protected through galvanic isolation and an active
temperature management technology. The house
data acquisition system is connected to the inverter
by way of RS485 or Bluetooth network.
According to simulations, the Ekó House energy
balance demonstrates that the energy generated
by the photovoltaic system is sufficient to meet
the residents’ demand throughout the year, and
has a surplus generation that could be used by up
to two other houses. So when located in isolated
communities, the surplus energy generated by their
photovoltaic systems, Ekó Houses could supply
most community energy needs, with a clean and
renewable energy source.
Solar Thermal Design. Four evacuated tube sets
provide efficiency for the hot water system. The
system rests on the structure of photovoltaic
system on an incline of 15 degrees, with easy
maintenance access. The system keeps the heated
water in a closed-loop, from the solar collectors
to a coil within the thermal tank. This tank has
two independent internal coils to support more
efficient management, supporting the interior
conditioning. The thermal tank also has an auxiliary
thermodynamic cycle. The heat pump, located
within the outside mechanical room, removes heat
from the atmosphere via R-22 gas and transfers
it to its interior, resulting in energy savings. Both
electrical and automation systems are connected
to the house through the ceiling, while cold and hot
water come from below the floor, ensuring safety
and ease of maintenance.
Technical Data of the House: Ekó House
Nº.14 / 671,0 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 60,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 54,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 68,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 70,9 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 99,3 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 85,9 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 62,2 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 49,8 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 27,1 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 91,8 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 2,0 points.

Team name Hot Water

Team Brasil System type: Evacuated Tubes (U pipes):
Model: PU200/5
Project Dimensions Area: 5,44 m2
Gross area: 55,62 m2
Net floor area: 55,62 m2 Electrical Energy Production
Conditioned Volume: 183,0 m3 Modules Type: all back-contact monocrystalline
Model: SunPower SPR 230 WHT
House Envelope Area: 56,80 m2
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,15 W/m2*K
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,16 W/m2*K Installed PV power: 11,04 kWp
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,10 W/m2*K Estimated energy production: 21157 kWh/year
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,32 W/m2*K
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,24 Energy Consumption
Estimated energy consumption: 6298 kWh/year
HVAC Systems Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Hybrids heating System: area: 113,23 kWh/year per m2
Type: Radiant panel heating by solar thermal
Energy consumption Characterization:
Heating/Cooling system: Heating: 3,5%
Type: Variable refrigerant volume (VRV) Cooling: 23,1%
Capacity: Heating 18,0 kW / Cooling 15,5 kW Ventilation: 23,9 %
Efficiency: Heating COP 3,7 / Cooling COP 3,49 Lighting: 10,9 %
(Based in simulation outputs) Appliances and Devices: 38,7 %
Heating COP 5,30 / Cooling COP 5,50 (During house
occupation)

197
Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +14859 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
SpaceloftFast assembly industrialized system with
fitting panels.
Adaptable foundation system.
Nanoporous aerogel blanket insulation.
Evaporative cooling system combining mechanical
ventilation and water pulverization.
Building Automation and Control System (BACS)
oriented to aware and educate dwellers.
Balanced blend of high and low-tech materials and
systems.

Cost
Construction Cost: 450.000€ (prototype)

198
Omotenashi House
Chiba University
15
Nº.15 / 641,9 points
Introduction & Project Main Objectives
“OMOTENASHI” - Omotenashi means thoughtfully
and sincerely conveying a feeling of consideration
to those you encounter. It comes from traditional
Japanese customs and practices such as the
tea ceremony or floral arranging. It is at the
core of Japanese culture, values and ethics. The
OMOTENASHI House is a new type of housing and
lifestyle centered on promoting self-sufficiency of
energy and nutrition.
The relationship with nature – Life with plants
and the building is a new experiment, taking the
agricultural environment and reintroducing it into
the residences of our towns and cities. The plant
factory is used for the efficient cultivation of crops
and ornamental plants. Given the overall aging
of the Japanese population, there has been a
particularly sharp decline in the farming populace.
This is not just a phenomenon occurring in Japan,
but a worldwide problem. We are proposing a new
way to live, including plants in our daily life.
Architectural Design
The OMOTENASHI House is more than a simple
house, it is a new way of living. It is a self-sufficient
house, not only regarding energy but food as
well. It connects the house to the surrounding
environment and creates meeting, leisure, and
contemplation spaces going beyond today’s
housing models.
The house is a flexible, highly efficient, solar
powered and a low carbon footprint building. The
rice field provides food, a contact with nature
and a contemplation space. The porch (ENGAWA)
connects both worlds, the inside and the outside,
public and private, and offers a place to extend
indoor activities connecting them with nature.
199
The “ENGAWA” - or link to the outside - is an
“encounter space” existing from antiquity in
Japanese buildings. Here you can encounter
people, nature, the movement of time, even
one’s own life. It is also a traditional intermediary
space connecting the interior to the exterior of
the house. Here you can enjoy activities such as
growing plants or casually enjoying tea with visiting
neighbours, it is a place for one to enjoy daily life.
There are moveable TATAMI floors spreading into
the ENGAWA. This reconfigurable semi outdoor
space along with the interior spaces gives rise to a
variety of living environments.
Moreover, the OMOTENASHI House is not just a
beautiful showroom house: its concept is based on
a state of the art construction system that allows
it to be built in different areas, under the most
rigorous conditions in large scale, today.
The Innovative Spatial Design of OMOTENASHI
House has free floor plan. There is a movable
TATAMI that can be used as a chair, ZASHIKI
(reception room), or bed by moving and combining
them. This configurable room is one of the main
features of Japanese traditional building that
changes spaces to suit time and place using
furniture and fittings. Moreover this movable
TATAMI has a thermal storage system. It can
absorb coolness at night when placed in the
ENGAWA (outside space) and it provides a cool
temperature during the daytime and using a
reduced amount of energy.
The structure of the OMOTENASHI House is
designed in units. Each unit can easily be moved
and reshaped. The cultivation wall has a rail at the
top so that the width of each rope can easily be
changed. SUIDEN also has a wooden unit system
with shapes that can be rearranged and cut if
needed.
200
201
Construction & Materials
The frame system of the OMOTENASHI House suits
the Japanese urban environment. The structural
frame can be divided into 1 x 2 meter sizes so that
a regular 4 ton truck can easily transport each
piece, even to a very narrow site.
The OMOTENASHI House can be dismantled and
moved when necessary. In fact, the house being
shown in the SDE was once built in Japan, and all
construction materials were shipped to Madrid.
Furthermore, manufactured houses are designed
as a set of standardized modules. Therefore as
new technology is developed, such as earthquake
braces, these can easily be made into new
modules to be used in existing buildings and new
construction. We are planning to reconstruct this
house inside the University after the SDE2012.
At that time we will add new modules (ex. walls,
columns, windows, beams) if there has been any
damage during transportation.
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
Sun – Health & Sustainability. Maximizing the
use of solar energy, we are designing a house
that is both good for the environment and one’s
health. Collaborating with sponsoring companies,
we are developing the next generation of easily
marketable quality solar houses. The house
is built from precise robot made units. This
contributes greatly to reducing energy use and
CO2 emissions. Using these roof tile shaped solar
panels, we can produce 1.7 times the electrical
capacity produced by panels before. Also, the
Preventive Medical Center of Chiba University has
been working in cooperation with the industrial
202
world to study healthy home and town design for
the future. Applying the results of their research,
the OMOTENASHI House uses materials such as
Japanese paper, TATAMI, and recycled deck, to
regulate the indoor environment. These are all
biodegradable sustainable materials.
Lighting Design. In Japan during the Heian period,
SHOJI lighting was introduced. The natural lighting
is transmitted through SHOJI screen spreader
inside the house. For the OMOTENASHI House we
propose SHOJI ceiling lights. To assure fire safety
we use a membrane ceiling that spreads LED
lighting naturally and consistently throughout the
interior space.
Architectural Integration Into The Systems. There
is not only the direct water storage by sudden and
pond but also indirect water storage through the
soil, plants, and even rain on the roof which goes
through a cultivation wall to produce sustainable
life at the OMOTENASHI House.
Structure Of The House. Universal Frame System:
The construction base of the OMOTENASHI House
is a Lightweight Steel Frame Modular structure. In
a country susceptible to earthquakes, safety has to
be the utmost priority.
Therefore, steel is used in the structure because
it stretches but will not break even under great
stress. Moreover we are employing the “Universal
Frame System” that combines earthquake
resistance with freedom of design. The wall frame
modules contain earthquake-damping braces,
which absorb the force of earthquakes, allowing
the OMOTENASHI House to retain its structural
integrity in the event of an earthquake.
The “Universal Frame” is a structure made of two
“C” shaped steel rods joined back to back.
This produces a dynamically strong resistance to
deformation in any direction. (up–down, left–right)
Its strength is more than a 12 cm2 pillar of solid
cypress. As proof of its earthquake resistance, in
the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, not
one Sekisui House building was destroyed.
SHEQAS. The steel frame of the OMOTENASHI
House contains SHEQAS, earthquake dampening
modules used in Seksui Houses. SHEQAS has 3
special features: 1) The earthquake vibrations are
turned into heat effectively absorbing them, 2) The
hose deformations caused by earthquakes are
halved, and 3) There is continued efficiency against
repeat earthquake.
203
Advantages. Furthermore, manufactured housing
systems are firmly established in Japan. The
main parts are manufactured in a factory and
merely assembled on site. There advantages of
this system are: 1) Due to standardization and
normalization of the main parts, the quality of the
house is guaranteed. 2) Onsite work is reduced
leading to a shorter construction period, and 3)
Cost management is clear and precise.
Plumbing And Electrical Systems Design And
Construction. The header tank method is employed
for The OMOTENASHI House. In the header tank
method, water first enters a header tank to which
the water supply piping is connected. From there
individual pipes lead to the various plumbing
fixtures within the OMOTENASHI House. This
method allows for the even distribution of water at
all times throughout the house.
The cold and hot water supply hoses are all made
of hygienic, corrosion-resistant and chlorine-
resistant polystyrene. The cold water pipes are
protected by blue, and the hot water by red,
polybutene sheath tubes.
Solar Systems
Photovoltaic System Design And Construction -
Analysis Of The Electrical Production Simulation.
The roofing material of the OMOTENASHI House
is fundamentally efficient, waterproof and wind-
resistant roof tile shaped solar panels. They are
highly efficient but don’t take away the quiet dignity,
characteristic of Japanese housing. Also, they
have an oblong cell construction therefore, even if
sunlight only hits a portion of the panel, it will still
produce energy. Therefore it is shade resistant and
can be used on irregular roof shapes.
204
A super thin laminated structure combining
short wavelength radiation absorbing amorphous
silicon solar cells, and long wavelength radiation
absorbing polycrystalline silicon solar cells are
used in this innovative solar panel. This creates a
panel with a relatively high conversion efficiency of
12 - 15%, which is also more cost effective. Since
tens to hundreds of panels are needed in a solar
system, this translates to greater power production
at a significantly cheaper price.
To allow for long-term operation and reliability of
the system, there is a need for constant monitoring
and quick repair. As such there are performance
diagnostic systems, which detect faults and
failures quickly. Furthermore, the high precision
solar panel units are relatively small, in the case
of a failure only the affected panels need to be
removed and changed.
This allows for quick repair without affecting the
performance of the rest of the system.

Technical Documentation Of The Photovoltaic

Installation: MPPT Optimal Regulation Systems
Placement. Since solar panels are connected to
each other in a series, when there is a variation
in generation, the MPPT controller will minimize
the generative capacity of all panels to that of
the panel with the least generation. As such,
a lot of generated energy is wasted. Since the
OMOTENASHI House has independent MPPT
controllers on each of the four faces of the roof
in each direction, regardless of the position of the
sun, energy can be produced and used efficiently
with little waste.

Solar Thermal System Design And Construction.

The hot water system in the OMOTENASHI House
uses the EcoCute Solar Heater from Yazaki
Industries. This system has a high efficiency fusion
solar and heat pump water heater.

Installation. With superior 1m2 compact solar

collector panels, the panels can be mounted on
the deck rather than the roof. This leads to greater
ease and safety of installation.

Heat Pump Water Heating. A heat pump is a

mechanism, which using a thermal exchanger
collects the heat in the air as it is warmed by
the sun. This heat is collected in a refrigerant,
and is then compressed, concentrating the heat
and raising the temperature of the heat transfer
medium. This heat is then transferred to the water
in a boiler. Through the effective use of the heat
occurring naturally in the atmosphere the heat
pump produces three times the thermal energy for
each unit of electrical energy used.

Solar Heat Utilization. The solar heat falling on

the solar heat collectors warms the heat transfer
medium circulating inside it which is then used
to generate hot water. The system utilizes a
“Selective absorption face” allowing continued
performance with the rise and fall of heat. Once
heat enters the panel it is not allowed to escape
creating an accumulation of solar heat. In the
case of a 4m2 solar thermal collector, a maximum
yearly energy consumption efficiency of 5.0 can
be realized. Furthermore since there are no
fossil fuels involved, there is no production of
the greenhouse gas CO2, which leads to global
warming. Therefore, the solar water system is
incredibly environmentally friendly.

205
206
Technical Data of the House: Omotenashi House
Nº.15 / 641,9 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 50,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 71,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 68,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 63,8 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 96,6 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 111,7 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 59,2 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 33,8 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 37,7 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 61,2 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: -11,0 points.

Team name Energy Recovery Ventilation:

Chiba University Model: VL-20PZM3-L by Mitsubishi Electric
Efficiency: 70%
Project Dimensions
Gross area: 64,5 m2 Hot Water
Net floor area: 54,38 m2 Combination of solar thermal and heat pump:
Conditioned Volume: 107,8 m3 Solar Thermal: Solar thermal Collectors
Model: ESC-E1010
House Envelope Area: 6,2 m2
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,12 W/m2*K Heat pump type: Carbon dioxide heat Pump
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,12 W/m2*K Model: Ecocute SHE-B1642AE by Yazaki
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,16 W/m2*K
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 0,70 W/m2*K Electrical Energy Production
Modules Type: Thin Film Silicon roof tiles with
HVAC Systems dual-layer structure
Heating/Cooling system: Manufacturer: Kaneka Corp.
Model 1: Heat pump RAS-562JADR by TOSHIBA Area: 160 m2
Capacity: Heating 6,7 kW / Cooling 5,6 kW
Efficiency: Heating COP 3,76 / Heating COP 2,49 Installed PV power: 10 kWp
Terminal units1: RAS-562JDR by TOSHIBA Estimated energy production: 13,374 kWh/year

Model 2: Heat pump RAS-221JDR by TOSHIBA Energy Consumption

Capacity: Heating 2,5 kW / Cooling 2,2 kW Estimated energy consumption: 5681 kWh/year
Efficiency:Heating COP 5,88 / Heating COP 5,18 Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Terminal unit 2: RAS-221JADR by TOSHIBA area: 104 kWh/year per m2

207
Energy consumption Characterization: Damping part which was incorporated in a frame
Heating: 4,7 % of the steel.
Cooling: 15,6 %
Ventilation: 5,0 % Cost
Domestic Hot Water: 5,2 % Construction Cost: 500.000€
Lighting: 19,7 % Industrialized Estimate Cost: 250.000€
Appliances and Devices: 49,8 %

Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +7693 kWh/year

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
Compound heat insulation material: vacuum
insulation with glass wool core.
Vacuum glass.
Latent Thermal Energy Storage Tatami:
macroencapsulate PCM place in mobile furniture.
Roof tile type thin film silicon PV: cells with dual-
layer structure of microcrystaline and amorphous
silicon to capture most of the both short and long
wavelengths of the light spectrum.
Next generation Home Energy Management
System (HEMS).
Natural refrigerant (carbon dioxide) heat pump for
water heater and supply system.

208
CEM’ Casas em Movimento
Universidade do Porto

16

Nº.16 / 538,2 points

209
Introduction & Project Main Objectives
The project “Casas em Movimento” develops the
concept of sustainability through the capacity to
interact with the environment and the variations of
light throughout the day and the year.
The solar panels are incorporated in a covering
that moves on two different axes, following the
sun throughout the day and adjusting its position
according to summer and winter needs (thermal
and spatial). Also the house, like a sunflower,
follows the sun as it rises and sets, in a 180º
movement, maximizing the solar yield.
210
Prototype movements shown in the campus of
University of Porto, near Architecture Faculty.
With the movement of the exterior and interior
elements, the exterior and interior spaces change,
adapting their features to the daily life and routine
of the residents, so the interior setting can be
changed by the residents as the day goes by.
The main innovative value of the project is the
integration of the elements of sustainability into
the house, elements which can be considered as
generators of new spaces.
“Casas em Movimento” is a new habitation solution
that answers the urgent need to reverse the current
state of energy dependency, which is a concern
documented in the National Energy Efficiency
Action Plan (PNAEE) - Portugal Efficiency 2015, and
also in the “20-20-20” initiative of EU, which aims to
increase the quantity of renewable energy efficiency
by 20% and to improve energy efficiency by 20%,
all of this by 2020, making possible a reduction of
energy consumption in the EU by as much as 15%
and an expected reduction of energy imports by up
to 26%.
211
This is a ground-breaking Portuguese project,
conceived in 2008, for the project “Lidera” at the
University of Porto, by Manuel Vieira Lopes, a
student in the Faculty of Architecture. In 2010, an
agreement was signed between the FAUP and
“Casas em Movimento”, Lda., which included plans
to build a CEM prototype in FAUP, for a renewable
period of 5 years, and which would act as a “living
laboratory” where teachers and students would
do research related to technological innovation,
energy efficiency, sustainability and mobility, etc.
These studies would be crucial for measuring the
 impact of innovative solutions proposed by the CEM
project.
It is a project with industrial design and intellectual
property rights, with several patents already
granted. It includes a multidisciplinary team
from areas such as architecture, engineering,
economics, computer science, communication and
marketing, and which has the support of scientific
and technological system entities, such as INESC,
INEG and LNEG.

Being selected for the Solar Decathlon Europe

2012 competition, from among the hundreds
of projects worldwide that also competed for a
place, constitutes the first Portuguese project
to be accepted in the history of this competition.
“Casas em Movimento” were directed into their
first contact with the market, gaining in this
process, support and partnerships with outstanding
companies and institutions such as ADENE, REN,
Martifer Solar, Prio Energy, Sonae Indústria,
Kömmerling, Saint-Gobin and Portilame, among
others.

With these partnerships, we were able to build the

prototype for Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 where
the first proof of concept of the rooftop movement
was made.

Proof of concept of the rooftop movement in Winter

mode (realized on the 29 and 30 of September 2012
in Solar Decathlon Europe - Madrid).

Architectural Design

The aim of the project “Casas em Movimento” is to

implement models of houses that use sustainable
energy and that, through an interaction with
the environment and the variations of the light
throughout the day, create comfort conditions in
the interior space, optimize the use of natural light,
improve the use of solar energy, and achieve high
levels of energy efficiency.

212
213
Thanks to the combined rotational movements
between the house itself and its coverage that
protects and feeds it, through the photovoltaic
panels, the house produces 4.5 times more energy
than it consumes.
The rotational movement of the coverage allows
for the maximum utilization of solar energy, the
adaptation to the different seasons, the creation
of shade in the summer and taking advantage of
sunlight in winter. As a consequence, it reduces the
energy consumption for air conditioning by 60% to
80% in the house.
Moreover, the 180 degrees rotational movement
of the house throughout the day, from sunrise to
sunset, allows the restructuring of the interior and
exterior spaces, which can be adapted permanently
to meet the needs and the routines of the residents.
Thus, for example, in the interior space, the kitchen
is smaller in the morning if the daily routine doesn’t
allow all the family members to have breakfast
214
together. At night it merges with the living-room,
allowing the family to socialize at the end of the
day, while they are preparing the evening meal.
The versatility of the house is also evident in its
moveable walls, which can be used to create new
interior spaces, and the reusability of the objects
because they might have more than one function -
using the concept “do more with less”.
In addition, the house evolves with the residents
accompanying them in their life cycle, increasing
and decreasing, by adding or removing modules.
With the birth of a child, for example, the house
can be increased by adding a module, and when
he grows up and leaves home, that module can
be removed, turning the house into the singular,
cozy building. Since these modules are reusable,
recyclable or replicable, they can be taken and put
up elsewhere - because the house can be deployed
anywhere in the world.
215
Construction & Materials With this system, the production of energy will
be 4.5 times higher than the energy consumption
In this project the use of materials with Portuguese needs of the house, taking into account that the
tradition and origin as well as with strong emphasis house rotation consumes energy equivalent to a
in our industry, was honored with the use of cork 60Watt lamp bulbs (1kW) and the cover rotation
for interior and exterior coating and wood for consumption is less than an iron (0.36 kW). The
the structure, both highly sustainable and good two movements are independent and can work
thermal and acoustic insulating materials. simultaneously or separately.
Evolutionary system: the modular structure has
been designed to adapt to its residents’ needs,
evolving according to the people living there. It
can “grow” and become smaller depending on the
lifestyle and the demands of the family at different
stages in their lives. “Casa em Movimento” is a life
project for the people that acquire it.
It’s a house that adapts itself to the owner and
environment and not the other way around.

Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems

In addition to the photovoltaic panels, “Casas em

Movimento” also uses other means of energy
recovery, such as glasses that adapt to light
and materials capable of thermal and acoustic
insulation - including national products, such as
wood and cork.

Solar Systems

In this project the photovoltaic panels, the energy

collectors, are regarded as part of the building
with a contemporary design, not as extra elements
attached to an already existing shape.
The house feeds itself from the sun following
it as it rises and sets through a movement of
approximately 180º from east to west. This
sunflower effect, combined with the movements of
the solar panels, maximizes solar gains.

216
Technical Data of the House: Cem Casas Em Movimento
Nº.16 / 538,2 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 40,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 49,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 45,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 84,3 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 66,8 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 102,1 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 38,5 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 49,8 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 30,2 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 51,0 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: -18,5 points.

Team Name Backup system: Air/Water heat pump

Cem+nem-
Electrical Energy Production
Project Dimensions Modules Type: Poly-crystaline
Gross area: 83,82 m2 Area: 67,59 m2
Net floor area: 49,17 m2
Conditioned Volume: 122,92 m3 Installed PV power: 9,24 kWp
Estimated energy production: 12.223 kWh/year
House Envelope
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,26 W/m2*K Energy Consumption
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,48 W/m2*K Estimated energy consumption: 5168 kWh/year
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,33 W/m2*K Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,00 W/m2*K area: 95,70 kWh/year per m2
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,38
Energy consumption Characterization:
HVAC Systems Heating: 8,7 %
Heating/Cooling/Hot water system: Cooling: 14,5 %
Type: Air/Water heat pump Ventilation: 5,3 %
Capacity: Heating 6,00 kW / Cooling 7,00 kW Domestic Hot Water: 1,6 %
Efficiency: Heating COP 4,26 / Cooling COP 4,26 Lighting: 6,9 %
Terminal units: 2 fab coils Appliances and Devices: 63,0 %
Capacity: Heating 10,40 kW / Cooling 8,80kW
Energy Balance
Hot Water Estimated energy balance: +7055 kWh/year
System type: Flat plate solar thermal collectors
Area: 2,6 m2

217
List of Singular and Innovative Materials and
Systems
House rotation and mobile solar Roof system
enhance the thermal comfort, maximizing the
electric energy production and provide adequate
daylight levels.

Cost
Construction Cost: 300.000€
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 150.000€

218
Astonyshine
École Nationale Supérieure D’Architecture Paris-Malaquais + Università di Ferrara +
École des Ponts ParisTech + Politecnico di Bari

17

Nº.17 / 416,5 points

219
 Introduction & Project Main Objectives

Estonyshine is intended to demonstrate the

integration of new energy efficient technologies
in the architecture of a solar powered house and
define new concepts in architectural design based
on these technologies, with the ultimate goal of
presenting innovative solutions and increasing the
performance of more traditional ones.

Six key issues define our strategy:

Freestone. Using freestone in the building which,
thanks to advanced technologies and new design
methods, shows promise of sustainability and
energetic efficiency, together with great aesthetic
appearance.

Concentrated Solar Systems. Making use of

concentrated solar power systems, combining
photovoltaic and thermal collectors, to meet to the
energy needs of the house with high efficiency and
low prices, proposing new ideas for their structural
and technological integration into the architecture.

Module-Embedded PV Control. Controlling of

the photovoltaic field with electronic systems
embedded into each module and controlled to
effectively extract the maximum energy.

New Interface Design. Examining new designs,

materials, and technologies, for the interface
between the solar module and the building
structure, including temperature control,
ventilation, and challenges with connections/
airtightness, pre-fabrication problems and
reduction in production costs for a major
commercial impact.

220
Optimal Illumination. Searching for optimal
illumination, both natural and artificial, to meet
criteria based on functionality and architectural
requirements and to create spatial effects through
lighting design.
Integration Of The Architectural And Structural
Design With Project Logistics. Integrating the
architectural and structural design with project
logistics, with the intention of reducing the overall
cost of the product and increasing its quality and
sustainability.
These matters will be treated jointly as they
contribute to the main objective which is to
integrate solar modules into the building, increase
their concentration, extend the photovoltaic
compatible areas, and make them aesthetically
suitable for installation with regard to their visual
impact on urban and rural landscapes.
Architectural Design
At the center of Estonyshine’s architectural design
is the idea that the integration of new technologies,
especially solar photovoltaic panels, cannot be
achieved without an alteration of the architectural
form and elements of the building. Hence the
focus is on displaying, and not on concealing or
embedding into existing structures, whatever
system is added to the house to increase energy
production or to reduce its ecological footprint.
The second core feature of Estonyshine is the belief
that architecture needs to re-discover a proper
language for stonework. The main challenge in
the search for architectural forms that work with
both solar technologies and stone structures
is intrinsically related to the shape of the roof
because that is at the heart of architecture.
Concentrating solar radiation requires concavity;
bearing loads with stone structures requires
convexity: what compromise can be reached
between such conflicting needs?
Estonyshine offers an entirely original solution.
A saddle vault is designed in stone, creating the
capacity to withstand loads through its curvature
and at the same time, creating an optimal surface
in the sun’s path. The curved surface created in this
manner can support, along its contour, an array of
“Solarflight” elements—a concentrated photovoltaic
system patented by the members of the team at this
event. The vault is designed by adapting a patent
issued in 17th century France to create an group
of movable components that can be built without
scaffolding thanks to new lifting technologies. It will
be the first saddle vault ever built in stone.
221
The space conceived for Estonyshine is simple and
can be rearranged to make it multi-purpose. The
house plan is built on a square divided into two
rectangles. An open living space takes up the south
side while the remaining space in the north, has a
main ground floor and a first floor. The ground floor
of the northern part includes the bathroom, one
bedroom, and the equipment room. The open space
in the south, with a patio door and a glazed facade
along the southern wall, accommodates living and
dining activities and includes a convertible area
shared with the bedroom. The kitchen is partly in
the open space and partly under the ceiling of the
northern part. The first floor is a loft with a railing,
located over the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom,
looking onto the open space on the ground floor.
It includes two more bedrooms and furniture like
bookshelves and desks.
Climatic Strategy Of The House. The thermal
performance of the house is based on insulation
and phase shift, made possible by the use of
(natural) insulating materials and by the shifting
caused by the stone skin. Natural ventilation is
insured by the internal shape and the position of
the windows, allowing for an effective air exchange.
Construction & Materials
Stone Structure. Stone has, for a long time, been
the most valuable construction material of all.
Our civilization has relied for centuries on its
physical properties to build safe, resistant and
durable structures and to maintain a good thermal
performance, especially in tempered climates, but
architectural needs today call for the recreation of
a proper language for stonework. Freestone is not
detrimental to the environment; it is salvageable
in demolitions, entirely reusable, recyclable, and
downcyclable, causing minimal air and water
pollution during construction; its processing entails
no direct greenhouse gas emissions, no toxicity
risks, controlled dust, and the use of recycled
or recyclable water, while, as a resource, stone
is inexhaustible. Manufacturing of stones today
is a highly automatic, computer-aided industry,
which is energy-wise very efficient and produces
very limited waste material. Nevertheless, the
introduction of freestone into the house market
requires tackling issues related to the freedom of
architectural forms and the cost of erecting the
building. To solve the production challenge, a dry
assemblage of movable components was made,
designing the stone walls by adapting a patent
issued in 17th century France. The whole structure
can be transported in a single standard truck and
its parts handled with a 40 tonne crane.
 +600,0

+229,0
65,5 898,0

369,0

104,0

102,0
+4,5 +0,0

50,0 900,0 50,0

1000,0

409,5 210,0 380,5

50,0

255,0

50,0 900,0 50,0

110,0 80,5
sca

AR-211 TRANSVERSAL SECTION

1000,0

1000,0

222

IN-002
Stone Skin. Stone walls have the advantage of
providing the house with a low-tech and highly
reliable insulation system. In fact, stone is not only
an interesting material because of its permeability
and hygrothermal properties, but is also stable
when statistically large populations and long-
term use are concerned. Furthermore, the low
technology demand for the design of walls and
connections ensures a high level of reliability in
the overall insulation and a very good predictability
of results. The stone skin has many distinctive
properties that has made it the most beneficial
for centuries, which –when used with the present
scientific knowledge and sensibility– might lead
to challenging implementation. In particular, we
emphasize its natural self-ventilation, its being
suitable in any climate, excellent in warm climates,
and its ability to reduce the urban heat island
effect.
Saddle Roof. The saddle roof has the capacity to
withstand loads through curvature and, at the same
time, creates an optimal shape –always having
sections which face the sun perpendicularly– and
an astounding internal volume. The lined surface
thus obtained can support along its edges an array
of Solar F-Light elements (see above) covering
the energy needs of the house. The steepest line
on the saddle roof, equipped with Solar F-Lights,
faces the sun at an elevation of 60° and azimuth of
217°180’, corresponding to the average position of
223
the sun at 15:30 during the five months of highest
insolation in Madrid (April to August). The whole
roof is made up of six sections, subdivided in
such a way that it requires a minimal structural
thickness, suitable for transportation on three
standard trucks, and designed in such a way that it
reduces the presence of workers at a height for its
dry assembly.
Wood. Douglas fir used in the house comes
from French forests that were planted at the
beginning of the 19th century with a –at that
time– futuristic biodiversity program in mind. The
timber is of medium length and all connections
are made of half-wood type to reduce the use of
additional materials (especially steel). As for all
other materials used in the house (with the sole
exception of the glulam cambered beams of the
roof), a minimal number of changes was made to
the material before its final use, in order to retain
the highest possible level of reuse and to introduce
a minimal grey energy in the house.
Natural Cork. The cork used to insulate the house
is harvested from forests in Sicily, which support
indigenous wildlife and help sustain communities
in poor agricultural areas. The material was
treated with environmentally friendly procedures:
first boiled at 100°C to achieve dimensional
stability, then dried, chopped and finally packed
under pressure at a temperature of 135°C. At this
+600,0
+571,0
125,0
204,0
+225,0
+221,0
63,0
207,0
+0,0 +4,5
50,0 158,0 14,0
temperature, the cork chips release their natural
resin (suberin) and stick to each other naturally,
with the addition of small quantities of a natural
glue. As a result, these panels are nontoxic and can
be disposed of, recycled and even burnt without
worry. Hence they are not only reusable, but also
recyclable as a loose filler or for energy recovery.
Because of the absence of additional glue, this cork
can extinguish a fire at room temperature.
AR-201
Sheep Wool. The sheep wool used to insulate the
LONGITUDINAL
This design strategy mimics that of traditional
house is a consequence of the increase in the use
of biological methods in the natural wetland of
Petite Camargue (France). Free range ducks and
sheep in the wetland (during alternating periods)
insure the biological balance, facilitating growth.
Natural sheep’s wool is a byproduct of this farming.
Living continuously in an open space keeps their
coat free of pollutants and dirt, typically present
when animals are kept together in flocks and
fenced in. Hence the wool can be used in a building
without the need to be put through costly and
environmentally harmful cleaning processes,
maintaining their natural protection against
biological attack without additional chemicals (no
boron-based flame retardant and no biocide). The
packaging used to bring the sheep wool to the
worksite was made with natural materials and is
reusable (sent back to the farmer).
224
+458,5
+433,5
233,0
+207,0
225,5
153,5 146,5 119,0
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
The energy efficient design of the house is based
on a combined use of insulation and phase shift
made possible by the stone skin. A sufficiently
high thermal resistance is employed to reduce the
heat flow through the house’s envelope and, at the
same time, the mass of stone is designed to retard
this flow. sc
SECTION
stone buildings which reduce the overall thermal
needs in climatic regions where winters are mild
and summer days are hot while the nights are
refreshing. To implement the strategy, in addition
to insulation and inertia, a good natural ventilation
must be set up in the house, one which takes
advantage of the lowering of external temperature
on summer nights.
To achieve these results, the house has been
designed as a main internal unobstructed space
with large openings facing each other on opposite
sides: especially the patio door which opens wide
on the south façade and the French doors on the
north at the mezzanine level (this difference in
levels further improves the natural ventilation in
the north-south direction).
The stone skin on the inside creates a cold wall
effect, which can be considered positive in summer
and can be reduced in winter by the addition of
wool curtains. These curtains will not be used
during the contest as their use won’t be necessary
at that time of the year.
Sustainable development is a central concern with
Estonyshine. Through our choices and our actions,
we wanted the house to be as natural as possible
through the use of materials such as stone,
wood, cork and sheep’s wool, contributing with
their characteristics to the thermal efficiency and
comfort, the insulation of sound, the collection of
solar energy, and the aesthetics. The shape of the
house and its openings are all designed to provide
appropriate light and ventilation, reducing heating,
cooling and lighting costs.
LSC Glazing. Night-time lighting of the house is
partially supplied by four solar shutters on the east
façade which are equipped with high efficiency
LED bars. Each solar shutter has double glass
with an integrated luminescent solar concentrator
(LSC), which converts solar radiation into electricity
during the day, and powers the LED bars, when the
external light level falls.
Equipment. The interior LED lighting system
allows a reduction in energy consumption
with constant optimal lighting, thanks to the
introduction of a light sensor and dimmerable
LEDs. A compact ventilation system with effective
air/air and air/water heat recovery is used for air
cleaning, comfort heating and cooling, and extra
water heating. Energy coming from the retrieved
air is used for the preparation of hot water and the
heating of cool air. Under winter conditions, the
heat pump gives priority to the heating of water,
whereas the heat exchange with the counter-
current guarantees the recovery of heat for the air
flow.
Solar Systems
Solar F-Light. A low-concentration photovoltaic
system integrated into the building and patented
by members of the team, is used for electricity
production, water heating and lighting. Such
systems can take advantage of higher conversion
efficiencies, especially in sunny and dry climates
where, as in Madrid, the direct normal irradiance
is high. A Solar F-Light module is a parabolic
linear trough with single-axis tracking having an
optical concentration factor of 20x. The module
houses either a PV receiver (96 cm2 with 17%
efficiency at 20 suns) possibly paired with 25 LEDs,
or a ø10mm black anodized metal pipe thermal
collector. 46 such PV modules (without LEDs)
were positioned along the lines on the roof of the
house in 10 lines of 4 and 2 lines of 3; 6 thermal
225
modules were disposed in 2 lines of 3 to meet the
hot water demand. All modules in a line track the
movement of the sun shifting through the use of a
3W electrical motor driven by a single integrated
sensor, whose consumption is only a small
percentage of the produced power.
The University of Ferrara recently designed an
innovative type of mid concentration (50x) linear
CPV system, named “SolarFlight”, which can be
tiled in an array of movable components tracking
the sun throughout the day.
The “SolarFlight” elements are arranged on the
roof of Estonyshine taking advantage of its lined
shape: each element is aligned with a line on the
surface and thus perfectly integrated with the
architecture.
It has to be highlighted that CPV systems have a
peculiar feature that makes them preferable with
respect to flat PV systems in configurable arrays
like those proposed here. Flat PV arrays exhibit
a strong performance derating under the partial
shadowing of the elements, which occurs in early
morning and late afternoon, because of the lower
and uneven illumination of the photovoltaic cells.
On the contrary, the CPV modular array designed
by the University of Ferrara always provides a
uniform illumination of the photovoltaic cells so
there is no additional derating of the performance
even in the case of extreme tilting of the conversion
modules.
The same tracking device and optics are used to
add rows of “SolarFlight” that generate thermal
energy, pre-heating water for the house needs.
“Solarflight” has a solar tracking system that is
automatically operated and needs no intervention
by the inhabitants in the house.
The electric output of photovoltaic panels depends
on changing external conditions like temperature,
light, and load voltage which vary with time.
The fluctuation is even more visible in small
applications, where the overall output does not
represent the statistic mean of a large population
of panels. This raises pressing issues because the
fluctuation is affected by the load voltage which, in
turn, is affected by the energy supply service.
As a consequence, two main issues emerge: (i)
panel-to-panel mismatch in the array and (ii)
array-to-user mismatch. The second is currently
handled by a single MPPT, or maximum power
point tracker. The first problem, which arises not
only as a consequence of temperature, shade, and
natural disparities between panels in the array but
also because of cell mismatch due to the spread of
manufacturing, has received few possible solutions
so far.
STMicroelectronics, an associated partner of
Estonyshine, has recently developed distributed
logic systems suited to address both issues
(i) and (ii), maximizing the power generated by
photovoltaic panels in an array through the MPPT
algorithm. Since the maximum power point is
locally computed, each panel’s output is separately
optimized and the efficiency at the system level is
higher than that for conventional topologies.
The Solar Decathlon contest gives the opportunity
to inquire into the effects of this technology in
architecture. This includes how the positioning of
cells in less favorable conditions than average on
a particular application, or the possible incidence
of shade on part of the array at some time of the
day and/or certain seasons, might be made more
functional thanks to the new STMicroelectronics
technology. As a consequence, not only can a
lit surface be expected to have higher energy
performance per unit, but also solar technologies
can become less of a constraint for architects.
Estonyshine also presents novel concentrating
photovoltaic shutters. Every shutter (105 cm
- 60 cm) is made of pinewood containing new
226
concentrating photovoltaic devices named
“luminescent solar concentrators” (LSC) inserted
in conventional double glazing and placed in the
centre of the shutter.
LSC devices consist of transparent slabs (24
cm - 49 cm) which function with luminescent
materials and PV-cells connected to the perimeter
of the slab. The luminescence centers absorb the
sunlight on the face of the LSC, and isotropically
emit light at a slightly lower energy. The major part
(> 75%) of the emitted light is trapped inside the
slab, and is guided to the silicon solar cells placed
at the perimeter.
LSC shutters are a very attractive concept because
the energy production is low cost (the quantity of
solar cells needed is greatly reduced), they operate
both with direct and diffused light (therefore they
don’t need solar tracking), they only collect ‘cold’
light (resulting in higher PV efficiencies), and they
can be easily integrated into buildings.
Technical Data of the House: Astonyshine
Nº.17 / 416,5 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 40,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 32,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 45,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 31,8 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 64,3 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 77,9 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 32,5 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 17,8 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 19,1 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 56,1 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: 0,0 points.

Team Name Hot Water

Astonyshine Source 1: Solar thermal from concentrated
photovoltaic panels
Project Dimensions Capacity: 1,48 m2 (6 Solar F-Lightthermal
Gross area: 131,00 m2 (ground plus split level) modules)
Net floor area: 91,00 m2 (ground plus split level) Source 2: Compact heat pump by Nilan
Conditioned Volume: 372,00 m3
Electrical Energy Production
House Envelope Modules Type: Solar F-Lightinstalled-concentrated
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,13 W/m2*K PV system (CPV)
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,20 W/m2*K Area: 11,5 m2 – 48 modules installed (80 modules
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,26 W/m2*K in the project)
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 1,30 W/m2*K
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,61 Installed PV power: 3,50 kWp (Nominal power of
the system 1380 kWp)
HVAC Systems Estimated energy production: 2630 kWh/year
Heating/Cooling/Energy recovery/Hot water system (electric and thermal, PVGIS Classic data)
Type:
Model: Compact heat pump by Nilan Energy Consumption
Capacity: Heating 1,8 kW / Cooling 1,6 KW Estimated energy consumption: 4000 kWh/year
Efficiency: Heating COP 2,9 Estimated energy consumption per conditioned
area: 43,96 kWh/year per m2
Energy Recovery Ventilation:
Type: Included in the Compact heat pump system Energy consumption Characterization:
Heating: 37,5 %

227
Cooling: 0,0 % Cost
Ventilation: 0,0 % Construction Cost: 290,000€
Domestic Hot Water: 7,5 % Industrialized Estimate Cost: 100,000€
Lighting: 17,5%
Appliances and Devices: 37,5 %

Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: -1370 kWh/year kWh/
year

This balance was obtained using the estimate

production of the 48 CPV modules installed, if the
80 modules set in the project the result would be
positive)

List of Singular and Innovative Materials and

Systems
Solar F-Light PV system (Team patent):
concentrated photovoltaic and solar thermal power
system.
Prefabrication of stone structures.
Use of natural materials as cork and unconditioned
lamb wool insulation.

228
CASA π UNIZAR
Universidad de Zaragoza

18

Nº.18 / 371,4 points

Introduction & Project Main Objectives

We believe it is necessary to react to the current

situation because the things that we can do now
are important for the present. Therefore our
main strategy is experimenting with technology
and materials available in the market nowadays,
trying to make a difference today, not tomorrow.
The approach taken by our team to compete in the
Solar Decathlon Europe 2012 was to experiment
with existing elements and design creative
improvements and come up with solutions for
today.

We experimented with the concept of thermal

inertia and combined it with a design that allows
cross ventilation and shade to improve energy
efficiency of the house during both winter and
summer.

All actions taken to create the final product that

is Casa Pi, for example, the design, the use of
materials, and design of facilities, were seen as an
opportunity to experiment. Thus, we were able to
come up with ideas based on experimental data as
we looked for particular conditions, such as:

Experiment 1: application of thermal inertia in

prefabricated systems. The main challenge was
the weight of the elements and the solution we
came up with was the incorporation of lightweight
insulation and reinforced concrete mix fiberglass.

Experiment 2: incorporation of particular or

distinctive shapes in prefabricated structures.
The central issues were the structural constraints
when designing prefabricated housing. Our
solution was to experiment with material using a
specific form, in this case a cylinder.

Every section of the house has been designed and

studied with an experimental intent. Our plan was
to transform the house into a lab.

229
230
Architectural Design
The design of Casa Pi is built on the study of form.
The geometric form with the best correlation
between external surface and internal volume is
the sphere (Form factor ≤ 0,48) or half sphere (≤
0,58). Low spaces within the interior border of this
shape aren’t useful for a house. That’s why the
solution lies in using a similar structure with a
more suitable form, the cylinder (≤ 0,56). Reducing
the surface area means less heat loss between the
interior and exterior, and less energy consumption
as a consequence.
Construction & Materials
The main strategy behind the development of the
structural design and the construction was to think
separately about the structure and the envelope,
eliminating thermal bridges. That way we have an
interior metal structure and a GRC+ Cork envelope.
The GRC panel gives the best performance as
an envelope with regards to its appearance and
thermal mass.
We studied how to incorporate thermal mass in a
portable and prefabricated system since one of the
best passive strategies to maintain a comfortable
231
atmosphere in a house is to use the thermal
inertia of the materials. While this is a real option
in traditional buildings, it is not common in the
prefabricated systems, and this is our innovation.
For the envelope, we tested two layers of Glass
Reinforced Concrete (GRC) separated with cork,
improving the inertia when necessary with
PCM (Phase Change Materials) which can store
energy without taking up too much space. This is
an important innovation, mixing materials from
different categories and putting aside preconceived
ideas about their use.
The structural challenge and the search for a
solution on how to incorporate a curved envelope
is the conceptual basis of the entire project.
This difficulty was resolved through the use of a
cylindrical form for the envelope, which optimizes
the form factor by 11% and makes it easier to use
alternative materials which are more practical for
the curved structure. We created a steel structure
that supports a second level and a deck, and can
also be independent, providing more flexibility in
terms of construction. This creates a continuous
shell getting around the need for thermal bridges
which would require a different solution in which
the skeleton would be exposed to weathering.
232
In order to reduce the time required to set it up,
and keeping in mind the space availability in the
solar village in terms of safety, the structure is
designed so that the overall shape of polygonal
circle can be separated into semicircular modules
which come pre-welded from the factory, only
requiring minimal assembly which reduces the
number of bolts needed to facilitate production.
Interior Comfort, HVAC & House Systems
Heating needs are met mainly through energy
generated in the trigeneration system, and storage
tanks which allow this system to function through
the auxiliary generator. Emitters operate using fan
coil technology.
Cooling also occurs through the trigeneration
system, after an 8 kW (nominal power)
adsorption cycle. The cooling tower is replaced
233
by the phytodepuration tanks reducing energy
consumption.
The phenomenon of adsorption is the
thermochemical process of evaporation and
condensation of a refrigerant fluid obtained by
extracting heat from one circuit network at a supply
temperature of 12°C and bringing it down. This
process begins with fluid at a high temperature
generated in the solar panels; the heat is then
extracted and dissipated through a cooling tower or
some similar system.
The supply of hot and cold air is made by a fan
coil powerful enough to disperse the air required
for optimal cooling. The fan coil unit gets hot or
cold water from the solar panels or the adsorption
machine respectively. A fan drives air into the tubes
through which the generated hot or cold water
flows, creating the temperature change. After
234
passing through the filter, heated or cooled air
comes out, weatherising the environment.
The heat recovery system is placed in such a
manner that it recovers heat from the mechanical
ventilation systems. Using the high building inertia,
the heat exchanger is bypassed during the nights
to ventilate the indoor environment, reducing
the energy demand during the day. The fans are
regulated by hygrometric sensors in order to
create a more efficient system and meet the high
flow ventilation levels required by Spanish law.
All water flow has been studied so this source can
be used as efficiently as possible. To accomplish
this, a continuous cycle has been designed
incorporating input (rain water, water supply
235
network, etc.) and output (irrigation, evaporation in
phytodepuration tanks, etc.), with some depuration
systems, in the cycle. In continuous working
conditions the plumbing system doesn’t need water
from the water supply network.
With the intention of making this house accessible
for all people (including physically handicapped
people) an elevator is included. In the competition,
this decision caused the team to be penalized but
our philosophy is to integrate all the components
that a real house needs.
Solar Systems
The PV system consists of hybrid PVT and thin film
integrated panels. The PVT system increases its
production since it is continuously cooled by the
fluid it contains. Thin film technology is applied
in two components: photovoltaic railing and blue
hexagonal panels integrated on the second stage
walls. All photovoltaic components are connected
to the same inverter (5 kW).
We did our own research with solar energy
efficiency and opted for the trigeneration or
combined cooling, heating and power. The house
is equipped to use simultaneously generated
electricity and heating and cooling from a solar
heat collector. In this case we tested the
236
performance of the PV panels with an isolated
translucent material.
Trigeneration is a technology which takes
advantage of an energy source, in our case the
sun, covering different needs, in this situation:
electricity through photovoltaic technology; heat
through thermal collection by hybrid panels and
high efficiency collection; cooling through the
transformation of the heat transfer fluid flowing
through the thermal panel’s circuit into an
adsorption circuit.
Technical Data of the House: CASA π UNIZAR
Nº.18 / 371,4 points
Contest 1: Architecture: 30,0 points.
Contest 2: Engineering and Construction: 34,0 points.
Contest 3: Energy Efficiency: 45,0 points.
Contest 4: Electrical Energy Balance: 12,8 points.
Contest 5: Comfort Conditions: 62,8 points.
Contest 6: House Functioning: 67,1 points.
Contest 7: Communication and Social Awareness: 37,0 points.
Contest 8: Industrialization and Market Viability: 13,3 points.
Contest 9: Innovation: 23,4 points.
Contest 10: Sustainability: 56,1 points.
Bonus Points and Penalties: -10,0 points.

Team Name Cooling system:

Grupo ¶ Unizar Type: Adsorption machine
Manufacturer: Sortech
Project Dimensions Capacity: nominal power 8 kW / maximum capacity
Gross area: 78,70 m2 11 kW
Upper terrace area: 100,64 m2
Net floor area: 62,4 m2 Energy Recovery Ventilation:
Conditioned Volume: 156,00 m3 Manyfacturer: Alder Venticontrol
Efficiency: 90 %
House Envelope
Walls Thermal Transmittance: 0,40 W/m2*K Hot Water
Floor Thermal Transmittance: 0,37 W/m2*K System type: Second-generation hybrid PV panels
Roof Thermal Transmittance: 0,32 W/m2*K Area: 50 m2
Glazing Thermal Transmittance: 2,10 W/m2*K Heat source 2: Carbon dioxide heat Pump
Glazing Solar Gain (SHGC): 0,6 Efficiency: COP 4,0

HVAC Systems Electrical Energy Production

Trigeneration system (Solar Electricity/Heating/ Modules Type 1: Second-generation hybrid PV
Cooling) panels
Heating system: Installed PV power: 5,0 kWp
Heat source 1: PVT hybrid panels Modules Type 2: Hybrid PV panels (railing and
Model: Ecomess PVT by EndeF acade hexagonal modules)
Heat source 2: Carbon dioxide heat Pump Installed PV power: 1,0 kWp
Efficiency: COP 4,0 PV panels area: 77,90 m2
Estimated energy production: 8000 kWh/year

237
Energy Consumption
Estimated energy consumption: 3437,5 kWh/year
Breakdown in kWh/year: Electrical 2392,0 +
Heating/Cooling/DHW 1045,5
Energy consumption per conditioned area: 55,01
kWh/year
Breakdown in kWh/year: Heating 10,21 + Cooling
8,66 + Other 35,14 source.
Energy consumption Characterization:
Heating: 14 %
Cooling: 16 %
Ventilation: 7 %
Domestic Hot Water: 3 %
Lighting: 7 %
Appliances and Devices: 53 %
Energy Balance
Estimated energy balance: +4562,5 kWh/year
List of Singular and Innovative Materials and
Systems
Thermal mass in industrialized Glass Reinforced
Concrete (GRC) sandwich panels. These panels
have cork as insulation layer and Phase Change
Materials to increase their thermal energy storage
capacity.
Hybrid power system: ECOMESS PVT panels
covered with transparent insulation (CTA
technology). This cover allows recovering the heat
of the front part of panels, improving its efficiency.
Carbon dioxide heat Pump as secondary heat
Absorption machine for house cooling.
Trigeneration system. Solar Trigeneration consist
in the use of solar energy to supply electricity,
heating and Cooling. Electricity Generated directly
by PVT panels, the heat to DHW and heating the
house is obtained from the PVT cooling system and
this heat is also used in summer for the absorption
machine to cooling the house.
Solar gain rotating upper structure.
Phytodepuration.
Cost
Construction Cost: 122.450€
Industrialized Estimate Cost: 85.715€

238
Prototype SDE 10
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
Introduction & Project Main Objectives
The SDE10 prototype was used as the
“headquarters” of the organization during the Solar
Decathlon Europe 2012 competition in the Villa
Solar, just as in the previous exhibition, the Solar
Decathlon Europe 2010. However, for this event,
various improvements were made in the house
through an upgrade in its technology.
The original objective of the project was to develop
a new, industrialized, lightweight, sustainable, and
energy efficient construction system. The system
would be competitive and focus on energy saving
and related GHG emissions.
As the building was not going to be included in
the competition, it didn’t have to comply with the
rules and specific restrictions. For that reason,
some of its characteristics differ from the rest of
the prototypes. However, the construction was
strongly influenced by the need for easy assembly/
disassembly.
Consequently, the prototype was used, before and
after the two Solar Decathlon Europe competitions,
for research demonstrations and as an
experimental building. To that end, the building was
taken to and brought back from Montegancedo, the
Campus of Excellence of the UPM, in Madrid.
239
Various experiments have been conducted by the
TISE Research Group1 in the building. The group
has been working on designing innovative technical
solutions and developing high performance,
industrialized, light systems, which allow for
the construction of homes with the following
characteristics:
• Industrialized systems
• Versatile systems
• High quality
• Efficient construction
• Spatial and formal resolution, customized and
adapted to the needs of the client
• Improved conditions of sustainability, and
optimization of energy-related costs and of the life
cycle of the building
• Bioclimatic architecture
• Environmental intelligence system
• Maximum use of solar thermal and photovoltaic
energy for maximizing energy efficiency
• Integration of active and passive systems
The SD10 Prototype is not a house itself, the design
comes from a collective housing design which was
the result of the research activities of the INVISO
(Industrialized sustainable building) project. Thus,
the SD10 building is a prototype of the basic unit
that will be replicated in a block.
240
241
SDE2010 Prototype Improvements For SDE2012
Edition
Of all the improvements included in the SDE2010
prototype, the most outstanding has been the
control and monitoring of the entire system,
through a management tool, based on KNX
standards, with centralization and monitoring
through the Smart City Centre. Through simple
control elements and monitoring devices, this
house demonstrates that technology and simplicity
can work together for perfect functionality.
The operation and control of the house is carried
out through conventional buttons and/or “in situ”
installed screens, as well as through “smartphone”
type phones, and actual digital tablets, making use
of equally easy-to-manage, intuitive applications.
Basically, the above mentioned system includes
control of the following facilities:
• Air conditioning – floors and roofs with radiant
cooling, hidden from sight but with easy access for
maintenance purposes.
• Ventilation – with recycled heat and humidity,
reintroduced to the interior air cycle taking
advantage of the dispelled energy as a new energy
source.
• Making use of exterior temperature and
luminosity, for minimizing energy consumption-
with the installation of exterior sensors that control
the wind speed, rain and solar light intensity on
the different faces of the structure of the house.
This enhances savings because artificial energy
production is only used to meet the needs that are
not already covered through natural resources.
• Thermal and photovoltaic energy production, with
solar radiation receptacles. Use of these natural
resources to directly produce part of the energy
which is supplemented by artificially generated
energy.
Architectural Design
Prototype SD10 was designed in accordance with
functional and bioclimatic criteria. In terms of
functionality, the prototype had to provide a space
large enough to meet the needs of the program
and perform tasks necessary for the construction.
We also wanted to design a fast and simple,
cutting-edge, assembly and disassembly system
that would revolutionize the industry. In terms of
bioclimatic architecture, our goal was first and
foremost to lower energy use and, secondly, to use
renewable energy.
242
In order to reduce the energy consumption of the
building, we used the following strategies:
• Shape was a factor considered for the climate
in which the building was to be located, i.e. a
compact shape, most favorable for the extreme
temperatures and dry climate of Madrid.
• Composition, size and location of glazing surfaces
were designed according to external and internal
conditions.
• Solar protection devices were designed according
to the directional orientation of the prototype.
• Composition of enclosures was based on high-
performance multilayered elements, which is to
say highly efficient components.
• Cross ventilation and evaporative cooling systems
were used.
• Construction System: The 3D-2D module system
was designed to reduce transportation costs,
preventing them from having to be carried as
empty modules. As a consequence of this decision,
the mechanical room, the bathroom and the
kitchen had to be placed in 3D modules, and the
living areas in 2D modules.
Invisible Air Conditioning System
Invisible Air conditioning in floors with radiant
cooling systems consists of circuits of reinforced
polyethylene plastic tubes. These tubes, through
which water circulates at the required temperature,
cover the whole floor of the house. One single
system is used throughout the year, with heating
in winter (with water at approximately 40ºC) and
cooling in summer (with water temperatures
around 16ºC), capable of generating and keeping an
ideal comfortable temperature at home.
The Invisible Air conditioning system provides
at least 20% energy savings compared to
conventional energy sources, going up to 80%
savings when combined with renewable energy
usage (such as the geothermal, solar thermal, or
absorption), also reducing CO2 emissions in the
same proportion. Moreover, this system helps to
maintain clear and open spaces, without obstacles,
providing between 3 to 5 % more usable area,
since the solution is integrated to the structure of
the house.
Comfort Ventilation System With Heat Recovery
An enthalpy heat exchanger with moisture recovery
prevents excessive dryness of the air during
the winter and an excess of humidity during the
summer. Moreover, this systems guarantees the
homogenous replenishment of used air used with
fresh air.
With a constant increase in energy costs, the
recycling of up to approximately 95% of used
heat and the use of renewable energy enables
significant financial savings in energy consumption.
In addition, by reducing excess humidity in the air,
it prevents the appearance of mold produced due
to a lack of ventilation.
Radiant Air Conditioning
Radiant air conditioning allows for a stable climate
both in summer and in winter, an air conditioning
system which, without the problems of traditional
air conditioning, guarantees a temperature and
humidity perfect for the requirements of the human
body at any time of the year.
The Radiant Air conditioning system for roofs saves
between 35 to 50% of normal energy consumption.
The energy required is less and the performance
of the machinery better because of the functioning
temperatures which are much more favorable
(heating to 28 - 32ºC and refrigeration to 14-18ºC).
The interface of the control system is simple
and easy to use. The underlying technology
is completely clear for the user. The control
of temperature and moisture in the rooms
is automatic, making use of its integrated
demoisturizing feature for guaranteeing absolute
humidity control at all times. Therefore, this
system always offers the maximum cooling
capacity without any type of condensation risk.
Solar Panels
High efficiency polycrystalline solar cells and a
high transmission textured solar glass enhance the
efficiency of the module to approximately 15,4 %,
therefore minimizing the installation costs while
maximizing the energy production of the system
per surface unit.
An exact positive tolerance of-0W to +5W ensures
power equal or more than nominal values in the
modules, therefore facilitating minimal waste
in the dispersion parameters and improving the
performance of the system.
Solar panels are built on aluminum frames,
resistant to corrosion, robust, and tested
independently to resist winds of 2,4 kPa and snow
of 5,4 kPa, assuring a stable mechanical life of the
modules. The packing is prepared to protect the
modules during transport and to minimize waste
during the installation.
243
The most outstanding benefits of these systems
are the following:
• Maximum comfort thanks to a much more natural
system of thermal exchange, without air flow, dust
movement and/or noise circulation.
• Level and uniform temperature due to a massive
exchange surface, without warm and/or cold focal
points, as in traditional air conditioning systems.
• Maximum efficiency, thanks to the high work
temperature in summer (15ºC) and to the low
water impulsion temperature in winter (30ºC).
• Complete design freedom, with the possibility
of making use of 100% of usable area, thereby
presenting opportunities for architectural
solutions.
• Control system based on the management of
dew points, independent for each room and its
demoisturization.
• Continuous management of demoisturization,
always ensuring the correct level of moisture for
obtaining the maximum performance of the system
at any given moment.
• Open communication procedure for the
integration of the system with other general
supervision systems.
• No limitations regarding areas to condition. One
single switchboard can be used for any type of
building.
Singular And Special Systems Or House Elements
The prototype SD10 is currently located at PAAS
(Automation Platform for Sustainable Architecture).
It is being used for research purposes by the TISE
group.
The TISE Research Group have been working for
the past few years on several research projects
concerning industrialization, sustainability, energy
efficiency, and acoustics in buildings. The group
also carried out the organization of SDE2010 and
SDE2012.
Plumbing scheme

Heating and cooling scheme

Envelope assembly process

244
Longitudinal section

Details of modular green roof with cistern

245
246
CREDITS
Members of the SDEurope 2012 Teams
Members of the SDEurope 2012 Organization

247
CREDITS
01. ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE D’ARCHITECTURE DE GRENOBLE, FRANCE

Team Officers: Communications Coordinator: Benjamin Le Naour (ENSAG), Construction Manager: Aurélien
Messa (ENSAG), Contest Captain: Maxime Bonnevie (ENSAG), Electrical Engineer: Pierre Canat (GE2I), Faculty
Advisor: Pascal Rollet (ENSAG), HS Team Coordinators: Vincent Juif & Guilhem Lessaire (Polytech Savoie),
Instrumentation Contact: Antoine Curdy (GE2I), Project Architect: Nicolas Dubus (ENSAG), Project Engineers:
Laurent Tochon & Thomas Jusselme (ENSAG), Project Manager: Maxime Bonnevie (ENSAG), Safety Officer:
Vincent Juif & Guilhem Lessaire (Polytech Savoie), Site operations coordinator: Guilhem Lessaire (Polytech
Savoie), Structural Engineer: François Rozay (Compagnons du Tour de France), Student Team Leader:
Christophe de Tricaud (ENSAG), Cost Estimator: Maxime Bonnevie (ENSAG), Fire Watch Captain: Timur Ersen
(ENSAL), Sponsorship Manager: Vincent Jacques Le Seigneur (INES). Decathletes: Architecture and Urban
Design Master Class 2010-2011 Preliminary Design: Christophe De Tricaud (ENSAG), Aurélien Messa (ENSAG),
Architecture & Urban Design Master Class 2011-2012 Project Development + Competition: Guillaume Bessière
(ENSAG), Antoine Chavanne (ENSAG), Pierre Dallaporta (ENSAL), Estelle Delahaye Panchout (ENSAG), Damien
Demeure (ENSAG), Timothée Dietz (ENSAL), Maximilien Dumont (ENSAL), Cécile Ermel (ENSAL), Timur Ersen
(ENSAL), Nathalia Eon Duval (ENSAG), François Grimal (ENSAG), Fanny Jacquet (ENSAG), Lydie Lahitette
Larroque (ENSAG), Hanyu Li (ENSAG), Benjamin Le Naour (ENSAG), Marielle Martin (ENSAG), Hugo Rigard
(ENSAG), Engineering & Construction: Antoine Curdy – Electricity, BMS & PV (GE2I), Adel Djellouli – Energy
Management (ENSE3), Romain Bazile – HVAC & Plumbing (Polytech), Vincent Juif – Construction (Polytech
Savoie), Yanis Hadj-Said - Energy Management (ENSE3), Camille Latremoliere – Energy (ENSE3), Guilhem
Lessaire – Construction (Polytech Savoie), Romain Maglione – HVAC & Plumbing (Polytech), Julien Pichot –
Electricity, BMS & PV (GE2I), Sébastien Queyrel – Electricity & BMS (GE2I), Tristan Scheid – Energy Management
(ENSE3), Interior Design: Caroline Lopez (ENSAG), Caroline Sergent (ENSAG), Jeanne Vauthier (ENSAG),
Construction and Competition in Madrid: Amélie Aublanc (ENSAL), Gauthier Boutiot (ENSAG), Delphine Bugaud
(ENSAG), Clément Daneau (ENSAG), Florence Declavaillère (ENSAL), Florent Faye (ENSAG), Alice Gras (ENSAG),
Caroline Jobard (ENSAL), François Lis (ENSAG), Manuel Mancho Sánchez (ENSAL), Anne-Lise Noyerie (ENSAL),
Marcel Sewanou (ENSAG), Valentine Vaupré (ENSAG), Nicolas Vernet (ENSAG), Anais Vigneron (ENSAL), Laure
Villedieu (ENSAL), Cooking: Patricia Lefeuvre – Institut Paul Bocuse, Navneet Yadav - Institut Paul Bocuse, Team
Crew in Madrid: Jean-Luc Amalberti – Electricity (GE2I), Jonathan Arengi – Electricity (GE2I), Olivier Balaÿ –
Acoustic (Cresson), Pierre Canat – Electricity (GE2I), Quentin Chansavang – Video & web TV, Nicolas Dubus –
Architecture & Construction, Sébastien Freitas – Architecture & Construction, Jean-Marie Le Tiec – Architecture
& Construction, Sylvain Galmiche – VESTA System, Pascal Gantet – Sponsors and Partners - (INES), Alban Guerry
-Suire – Graphic Design & Video, Daniel Hilaire – Electricity (GE2I), Audrey Joly – Sponsors and Partners – (INES),
Thomas Jusselme – Engineering & Construction, Judicaël Lambert – Gypsum board & paintings, Joël Latouche
– Acoustic (Thermibel), Yves Lembeye – Electricity (GE2I), Roland Mathieu – Construction & logistic - (GAIA),
Stéphane Ploix – Energy Management, Laurent Tochon – Engineering & Construction. Scientific Committee:
Alain Maugard, Chairman, (Engineer of Ponts & Chaussées, after fifteen years as President of Centre Scientifique
et Technique du Bâtiment CSTB, Mr Maugard is now member of the General Council for Environment and
President of the « Risks, Security & Safety » section), Daniel Lincot (Chemist- French specialist of photovoltaïc
effect, Director of Electrochemistry and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (LECA UMR 7575 CNRS/ ENSCP/UPMC)
at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris (ENSCP), Adjunct Director of Research and Development
Institute on Photovoltaïc Energy (IRDEP UMR 7174 CNRS/EDF/ENSCP), Henri Van Damme (Physicist - Director of
research at LCPC, Professor at Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la ville de Paris since
1999, he is a specialist of very high performance concrete, works with CRAterre on the « Matière en Grains »
program), Marie-Hélène Contal (Architect - She currently works at Institut Français d’Architecture, she is in
charge of the Global Award Competition organized by the Cité du Patrimoine et de l’Architecture CAPA – Paris),
Real Jantzen (Former special councilor of the President at Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Paris, he is a
specialist in scientific popularization), Benoît Parayre (Inspector at Conseil Général de l’Environnement et du
Développement Durable, MEDDTL – Paris), Alain Lecomte (Inspector at Conseil Général de l’Environnement et
du Développement Durable, président de la 3ème section, in charge of the French Mission for SDE 2014
Organization, MEDDTL – Paris). Steering Committee: Jean-Michel Knop (Architect-Urban Planner of the State.
Director of ENSAG), Nathalie Mezureux (Architect-Urban Planner of the State. Director of ENSAL), Michel-André
Durand (GAIA Director), Pascal Rollet (Architect. Professor at ENSAG. Faculty Advisor), Vincent Jacques Le
Seigneur (INES General Secretary. Communication and Partnerships. Coordination), Patrice Doat (Architect.
Professor at ENSAG. Earth construction experimentations), Vincent Mangematin (Professor at GEM.
Management of Innovation), Olivier Balaÿ (Architect. Professor at ENSAL. Ambiances), Pascal Perrotin (Professor
at Polytech’ Annecy-Chambéry (University of Savoie). Building Sciences), Stéphane Ploix (Professor at ENSE3.
Energy and Electricity Management), Daniel Quenard (Head of Physics and Characterization of Materials Division

248
of CSTB), Yves Lembeye (Professor at GEII (University Joseph Fourier). Electrical Systems), Laurent Chicoineau
(CCSTI Grenoble Director. University Stendhal Professor. Scientific communication). ENSAG Faculty Team
members: Romain Anger (Building Physics Engineer. PhD INSA Lyon - CRAterre. Researcher at AE&CC),
Anne-Monique Bardagot (Ethnologist. Assistant Professor of Sociology. Researcher at AE&CC), Olivier Baverel
(Structural Engineer. Assistant Professor of Building Sciences. HDR. Researcher at AE&CC), Maxime Bonnevie
(Architect - SDE Project Manager. Researcher at AE&CC, Quentin Chansavang Architect - DSA Earth
Construction), Anne Coste (Architect. Professor of Theory and History of Architecture (HDR). «Cultures
Constructives» Laboratory Scientific Director. Researcher at AE&CC), Patrice Doat (Architect. Professor of
Building Sciences. CRAterre Scientific Director. Researcher at AE&CC), Nicolas Dubus (Architect. Associate
Professor of Architecture. Researcher at AE&CC), Sébastien Freitas (Architect. Lecturer in Architecture),
Jean-Christophe FLUHR Energetic Engineer. Lecturer in Building Physics, Laetitia FONTAINE (Building Physics
Engineer (PhD INSA Lyon - CRAterre). Researcher at AE&CC), Cédric Gaillard (Architect. Lecturer for Steel
Construction Module), Philippe Garnier (Architect. Associate Professor of Architecture), Hugo Gasnier (Architect
– DSA Earth Construction), Hubert Guillaud (Architect. Professor of Building Sciences (HDR). AE&CC Research
Laboratory co-director), Hugo Houben (Engineer-Researcher CRAterre), Thomas Jusselme (Ecodesign Engineer.
Associate Professor of Building Sciences. Researcher at AE&CC), Bruno Marielle (Architect. Associate Professor
for Wood Construction Module), SuzannahO’Carroll (Associate Professor of Language for Architecture (English).
Researcher at AE&CC), Guillaume Pradelle (Architect. Lecturer in Architecture), Pascal Rollet (Architect - SDE
Faculty Advisor. Professor of Architecture and Urban Design. AE&CC Research Laboratory co-director), Stéphane
Sadoux (Urban Planner. Assistant Professor of Urban Planning. Researcher at AE&CC), Walter Simone
(Computer graphics & renderings. Lecturer in Computer Sciences), Milena Stefanova (Architect. Assistant
Professor. Interior Design), Laurent Tochon (Energetic Engineer. Lecturer in Building Physics), François Vitoux
(Architect. Assistant Professor. Interior design). ENSAL faculty team members: Olivier Balaÿ (Professor of
Architecture and Urban Design. Researcher at CRESSON), Jacques Scrittori (Lecturer in Architecture), Rémi
Mouterde (Professor of Building Sciences. Researcher at LAF). GEM faculty team members: Guillaume Lafont
(Lecturer in Building Market Viability), Vincent Mangematin (Professor of Management), Mélanie Perruchione
(Lecturer in Communication), Laura Sperandio (Public Relation), Amélie Boutinot (PhD in progress at GEM.
Lecturer in Management. Team Rhône-Alpes communication contact), Caroline Gauthier (Lecturer in Marketing
& Sustainable Development). Polytech Annecy-Chambéry faculty team members: Étienne Wurtz (Building
Physics Engineer. Professor of Thermal Physics. CNRS Research Director), Pascal Perrotin (Structural Engineer.
Assistant Professor in Building Sciences researcher at LOCI), Fanny Deloche (Administration and Finances).
ENSE3 faculty team members: Stéphane Ploix (Energy Management Engineer. Professor at ENSE3 and
researcher at INPG). Stendhal University - CST faculty team members: Laurent Chicoineau (Science and
Technology Communication), Joëlle Bourgin (Professor in Science and Technology Communication). GEII faculty
team member: Yves Lembeye (Director of GEII), Jean-Luc Amalberti (Assistant Professor of Electrical
Technology), Jonathan Arangi (Assistant Professor of Electrical Technology), Pierre Canat (Assistant Professor of
Electrical Technology), Daniel Hilaire (Assistant Professor of Electrical Technology). Les Compagnons du Tour de
France team members: François Rozay (Wood carpentry Training Officer. F.C.M.B.), Jean-Christophe Vernay
(Head of Compagnons du Tour de France. Training Program in Rhône-Alpes Area. F.C.M.B.). CSTB team
members: Daniel Quenard (Head of Physics and Caracterization of Materials Division), Robert Copé Former
(Director of CSTB Research), Lætitia Arantes (PhD in progress at CSTB. ENSAG/CSTB joint research program on
«energetic behaviour of Core-Skin-Shell design for high rise buildings»), Alexandra Lebert (ELODIE Program
Manager), Julien Hans (Head of Environment Division), Yves Marcoux (Housing and Transportation. Convergence
Program Manager). ENTPE team members: Jean-Baptiste Lesort (Director), Laurent Arnaud (Professor of Civil
Engineering). Les Grands Ateliers de l’Isle d’Abeau team members: Michel-André Durand. (Director), Patrice
Doat (Chairman of the Board of Administration), Bruno Vincent (Experimentations Coordination), Joël Gourgan
(Communication), Roland Mathieu (Technical Support), Maurice Nicolas (Technical Support), Orlane Bechet
(Accountant), Françoise Aubry (Secretary). INES team members: Vincent Jacques-Le-Seigneur (General
Secretary), Philippe Papillon (Solar thermal systems), Françoise Burgun (Head of Integration of solar systems in
buildings Program), Jean-Louis Six (Head of Smart Building Program - CEA), Pascal Gantet (Partnership and
sponsoring), Anaïs Schneider (Communication), Estelle Bonhomme (Communication & PR), Jean-Pierre Joly
(Director), Olivier Flechon (Integration of solar systems in buildings), Cathy Barthelemy (Integration of solar
systems in buildings), Audrey Joly (Secretary and Finances), Franck Barruel (Energy & Transportation). HEIG-VD
team members: Stéphane Citherlet (Professor of Buildings Energetics. LESBAT researcher), Didier Favre (Ph.D
student at Heig-vd). UNIGE Groupe Energie. Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement team members: Pierre
Hollmüller (Researcher at Institut Forel), Anthony Haroutunian (Researcher at Institut Forel). ENSAG
administration: Jean Michel Knop (Director), Lucie Scotet (Vice Director), Hélène Casalta (Research Department
& Partnership), Franck Bichindaritz (Head of Logistic & Technical Services), Françoise Poncet (Director’s
Secretary), Nathalie Marie-Louise (Professional Training & Internship ), Aurélien Fricot (General Accountant
Agent), Laurence Rousseau-Dubourg (Accountant Agent Assistant), Sylvia Bardos (Finances Department),
Isabelle Escande (Finances Department), Anne-Lyse Hubert (Finances Department), Brigitte Champsavoir
(Communication), Martine Halotier (Master Administration), Colette Ioan (HMO Administration), Alain Louet (GAIA

249
Coordination), Frédéric Nougier (Computer Equipment & Network), Stéphane Pantaléo (Computer Equipment &
Network), Mathias Tardieu (Computer Equipment & Network), José Faria (Logistics), Lucien Géré (Logistics),
Paolo Sciarappa (Logistics), Laurent Rivollet (Receptionist). ENSAL administration: Nathalie Mezureux
(Director), Jean-François Agier (General Secretary), David Comte (Communication), Martine Heyde (Head of
Teaching Department), Luc Bousquet (Research and Partnership Department). Institut Paul Bocuse
administration: Henry Clavijo - (Director Master’s Programme), Simone Bischoff - (Relations Career &
Internship), Pascal Lamoussière - (Responsable Programme Arts Culinaires. ENSAG & ENSAL SDE 2012 Joint
Master Class 2010-2011: Julien BRUNET - (ENSAL), Elodi CANO – (ENSAL), Samuel CHAPUIS-BREYTON –
(ENSAG), Yoann CHAUSSINAND – (ENSAG), Fanny LAPERTOT – (ENSAG) , Sophie PROTIÈRE – (ENSAL), Cristian
PORTILLO-ESCOBAR – (ENSAL), Mélanie MATHEVET – (ENSAG), Alexandre VIAL-TISSOT – (ENSAG). ENSAG &
ENSAL SDE 2012 Joint Master Class 2011-2012: Guillaume BESSIERES - (ENSAG), Caroline BLANC - (ENSAG),
Antoine CHAVANNE - (ENSAG), Pierre DALLAPORTA - (ENSAL), Timothée DIETZ - (ENSAL), Damien DEMEURE
- (ENSAG), Estelle DELAHAY – PANCHOUT - (ENSAG), Eduardo DUARTE AZEVEDO - (ENSAG), Maximilien
DUMONT - (ENSAL), Cécile ERMEL - (ENSAL), Timur ERSEN. (ENSAL), Natalia EON DUVAL - (ENSAG), Carole
FOURNIER - (ENSAG), François GRIMAL - (ENSAG), Fanny JACQUET - (ENSAG), Benjamin LE NAOUR - (ENSAG),
Lydie LAHITETTE-LAROQUE - (ENSAG), Hanyu LI - (ENSAG), Marielle MARTIN - (ENSAG), Amine MEKKI-
BERRADA - (ENSAG), Hugo RIGARD - (ENSAG). ENSAG HMO (Professional License) Architects: Christophe DE
TRICAUD - (ENSAG), Aurélien MESSA - (ENSAG). ENSAG Interior Design Class (DPEA Design): Amine AIT
HAMOUDA, Siham BAKHTAOUI, Chuan CHUAN LI, Asal HAZRATI, Iana KHARINA, Laurie LIS, Caroline LOPEZ,
Pauline MARMET, Ulysse MARTEL, Julien MICELI, Pejman MIRZAEI, Zeynep SENER, Anastasia SOKOLNIKOVA,
Caroline SERGENT, Ahn TRUONG DAO, Jeanne VAUTHIER, Patricia WILLIAMS, Meanmakkah YOTHAKUL, Fei
ZHOU. GEM master students: Aline BACONNEAU, Maxime BARONNIER, Gabriel BLAISE, Lauren CONSTANT,
Mélodie DE WAELE, Charlotte FOURNIER - BIDOZ, Céline GEHIER, Chloé HINAULT, Julie REAL, Julien RINGOT.
GEII DUT students:Ryad BEGHIDJAWalid BENGARALI, Romain BRETIERE, Martin CARRE, Jeremy CHEVALIER,
Anthony CRINIERE, Geoffray COLLET, Antoine CURDY, Jérémi FARAVELON, Laurent GIRAUD, Mathieu GINET,
Abdoulaye GUEYE, Mehdi HACHANI, Geoffray HOUTMANN, Hervé LAZARRO, Guillaume MORVAN, Sophian
M’RAD, Julien PICHOT, Sebastien QUEYREL, Aymerick SAURAT. Polytech Annecy-Chambery master students:
Pascal ANTONI, Romain BAZILE, Sylvain BURSI, Vincent JUIF, Guilhem LESSAIRE, Romain MAGLIONE,
Guillaume MASSON, Lucie VIAT. ENSE3 master students:, Quentin BOCH, Heiroti DAUPHIN, Adel DJELLOULI,
Elise GOUJAUD, Yanis HADJ-SAID, Maëlle KABIR-QUERREC, Timothy KRUGER, Camille LATREMOLIERE, Benoit
LECHAT, Jessica LEO, Paul LIONNET, Chafaa MEGHZI, Clémence PUZIN, Mathieu RAMOND, Arthur RIGO,
Tristan SCHEID, Yacine ZEM. Université Stendhal CST master students: Maud BONRAISIN, Héloïse BOUILLARD,
Ariane CHOLLET, Amélie COULET, Tristan DE LEO, Antoine LE GAL, Julie LHUILLIER, Sophie NEUDERT, Phillipe
PASSEBON, Rémy PADILLA, Julie SUEL, Alix THUILLIER. Institut Paul Bocuse master students: Patricia
LEFEUVRE, Navneet YADAV.

02. UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA + JAÉN + GRANADA + MÁLAGA, SPAIN

University of Seville Coordination: Javier Terrados Cepeda (Faculty Advisor), David Moreno Rangel, Fernando
Suárez Corchete, Antonio Lara Bocanegra, Juan José Sendra Salas, Javier García López. University of Seville
Students: Konstantino Tousidonis Rial (Architecture FP), José Luis Castillo Ramos (Postgraduate), Adrián
Caballero Zambrano (Architecture 5), Alberto Cortés Vaz (Architecture 5), F.Jesús Lizana Moral (Architecture
5), Antonio José Serrano Jiménez (Architecture 5), Elena Misa Borrego (Postgraduate), Manuel Fernández
Expósito (Postgraduate), Alfonso Guajardo-Fajardo Cruz (Postgraduate ), Paula De Ugarte Candil (Postgraduate),
Laura Guerrero Serrano (Architecture FP), María González Oyonarte (Architecture FP), María Cano Gómez
(Architecture), Carlos Cerezo Dávila (Postgraduate), Ana Cabrera Pérez (Journalist), Maria Jesús Ballesteros
Luque (Journalist), Carlos Reynolds Moyano (Postgraduate), Juan Carlos Herrera Pueyo (Postgraduate), Lucía
Perianes Pajares (Architecture FP), Elena López Ortego (Postgraduate), Márica Vazzana (Postgraduate), Jorge
Gómez Cobacho (Architecture FP). University of Granada Coordination: Elisa Valero Ramos, Rafael García
Quesada, Francisco Del Corral Del Campo, Julián Domene García. University of Granada Students: Juan
José Rodríguez García (Architecture 5), Juan Bermúdez Linares (Architecture 5), Carmen Vázquez Moreno
(Postgraduate), José Carlos Chamorro Cerón (Architecture 5), Juan Carlos García Domingo (Architecture 5),
Aarón Rico Palao (Architecture 5). University of Málaga Coordination: Alberto García Marín, Juan Antonio Marín
Malavé, Jorge Barrios Corpa, Rafael Assiego De Lárriva. University of Málaga Students: Alberto Aguilar Vázquez
(Architecture 5), Carmen Díaz Sánchez (Architecture FP), Paula Márquez Cortés (Architecture 5), Alberto Montiel
Lozano (Architecture 5), Ezequiel Rodríguez Barranco (Architecture 5), Rubén Pérez Belmonte (Architecture 5), F
Javier Pavón Fernández (Architecture 5), David Ramírez Martín (Postgraduate). University of Jaén Coordination:
Jorge Aguilera Tejero, Juan De La Casa Higueras, Gabino Almonacid Puche, Juan Gómez Ortega, Javier Gámez
García. University of Jaén Students: Beatriz García Domingo (Postgraduate), Miguel Cabrera Eximan (Industrial
Engineering FP), Rosa Rubio T. (Electronic Engineering), Miguel Torres Ramírez (Postgraduate), Miguel López
Aránega (T. Industrial Engineering), Álvaro Cabrerizo (Industrial Engineering), Laura Pozo Moreno (T. Industrial
Engineering), Paula Almonacid Olleros (Postgraduate), Francisco Ávila Lizana (Industrial Org. Engineering),

250
Ruth Prieto Aguilera T. (Industrial Engineering). Team Officers: Javier Terrados Cepeda (Faculty Advisor),
Rodrigo Morillo–Velarde Santos (Project Manager), Alberto García Marín (Construction Manager), José Luis
Castillo Ramos (Construction M. Assistant), Javier Terrados Cepeda (Project Architect), Jorge Aguilera Tejero
(Project Engineer), Jorge Barrios Corpa (Structural Engineer M), Juan De la Casa Higueras (Electrical Engineer),
Konstantino Tousidonis Rial (Student Team Leader), Paula De Ugarte Candil (Health & Safety Officer), David
Moreno Rangel (Fire Watch Captain), Luz Baco Castro (Contest Captain), Javier Gámez García (Instrumentation
Contact), Rodrigo Morillo–Velarde Santos (Communications Coordinator), Rodrigo Morillo–Velarde Santos
(Sponsorship Manager).

03. UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA TRE + SAPIENZA UNIVERSITÀ DI ROMA + FREE UNIVERSITY OF BOZEN +
FRAUNHOFER ITALY, ITALY

Research & Management Universitá degli studi Roma di Tre: Chiara Tonelli (Faculty Advisor, Senior Lecturer,
Environmental design, Architectural Technology), Stefano Converso (Project Manager, Research Fellow),
Valentina Taibi (Project Manager Staff, Collaborator), Maria Leporelli (Student Team Leader, Master Degree in
Architecture, Roma TRE), Pamela Moretto & Chiara Pepe (Secretariat). Design & Construction Universitá degli
studi Roma di Tre: Gabriele Bellingeri (Construction Manager, Associate Professor, Environmental Design,
Architectural Technology), Luigi Franciosini (Project Architect, Full Professor, Architectural and Urban Design,),
Francesca Geremia (Mediterranean Building Tradition, Senior Lecturer, Architectural Restore), Alfredo Passeri
(Quantity Survey, Senior Lecturer, Estimate, Quantity Survey), Michele Zampilli (Mediterranean Building Tradition,
Senior Lecturer, Architectural Restore), Francesco R.Ghio (Landscape Designer, Senior Lecturer, Landscape
Design), Massimo Catalani (Artist), Carmine Guarino (Landscape designer, Botanic, University of Sannio), Mario
Marziano (Landscape designer, Botanic, University of Sannio), Cristina Casadei (Project Architect, Teaching
Assistant), Daniele Micozzi (Quantity Survey, Teaching Assistant), Valentina Pini (Quantity Survey, Teaching
Assistant), Angnese Pizzuti (Quantity Survey, Teaching Assistant), Valentina Urbini (Design Visualization, Teaching
Assistant), Aurora Berna Berionni (Student-Public Tour, Bachelor degree in Architecture, 3rd Year), Enrico
Caiolo (Student-Public Tour, Bachelor degree in Architecture, 3rd Year), M.Francesca Di Alessandro (Student-
Public Tour, Bachelor degree in Architecture), Carlo Alberto Di Carlo (Student-Public Tour, Bachelor degree in
Architecture), Marco Neri (Design Visualization, Bachelor degree in Architecture, 3rd Year), Riccardo Magnisi
(Student – Drawings, Master degree in Architecture), Fabio Liberati (Student - Photographer, Bachelor degree in
Architecture). Energy & Climate Universitá degli studi Roma di Tre: Marco Frascarolo (Daylighting & Lighting,
Senior Lecturer, Building Physic), Francesco Bianchi (Acoustic Field, Associate Professor, Building Physic),
Gaia Romeo (Materials, Teaching Assistant), Francesca Fieri (Energetical Strategy Staff, Teaching Assistant),
Mario Grimaudo (Contest Captain, Research Fellow), Nicola Del Buono (PV-System Engineer), Antonino Casale
(Electrical Engineer), Massimo Del Buono (PV-System, Master degree in Architecture), Marta Pellegrini (Student-
Energetical Strategy Staff, Master degree in Architecture, 2nd year), Stefano Martorelli (Lighting, Bachelor degree
in Architecture, 3rd year), Valeria Vitale (Lighting, Master degree in Architecture, 2nd Year). Tests & Models on the
Energetic Behavior Libera Universitá di Bolzano & Frauenhofer Italia: Cristina Benedetti (Project Engineer, Full
Professor, Architectural Technology), Irene Paradisi (MEP & Energetical Simulation, Research Fellow), Gabriele
Pasetti Monizza (Rules & Laws Verifying, Reseacrh Fellow), Ilaria Brauer (Master Student-Thermoigrometric
assesment, 2nd year, Lub University), Elisa Cum (Master Student-Laboratory, 1st, Lub University), Diana Di
Palma (Master Student-Graphic, 1st, Lub University), Giulia Fatarella (Master Student-Thermoigrometric
assesment, 2nd year, Lub University), Maria Teresa Girasoli (PhD Student-Energy Consultancy Chief, 3rd year.
Lub University), Marianna Marchesi (PhD Student-Detail Design, 2nd year, Lub University), Julia Ratajczak
(Master Student-Virtual modelling, 1st year, Lub University), Matteo Rondoni (MEP & Energetical Simulation, 2nd
year, Lub University), Maurita Glorioso (3D Modeling), Christian Kofler (Student-Thermoigrometric assesment,
2nd year, Lub University), Matteo Martinelli (Student-Thermoigrometric assesment, 2nd year, Lub University),
Tommaso Prati (Student-Thermoigrometric assesment, 2nd year, Lub University). Structures & Safety Universitá
degli studi Roma di Tre: Ginevra Salerno (Structural Engineer, Associate Professor, Structural Mechanics),
Flaminia De Rossi (Health & Safety, Architect), Giulia Maranesi (Health & Safety, Collaborator), Ugo Carusi
(Student-Structural Engineer, Master degree in Civil engineering, 2nd year), Francesco Cusani (Student-
Construction Modelling, Master degree in architecture, 2nd year), Claudio Vittori Antisari (Student-Construction
Modelling, Master degree in architecture, 2nd year), Mario Falcone (Health & Safety, Bachelor degree in
architecture, 3rd year, La Sapienza). Industrial & Interior Design Universitá La Sapienza: Tonino Paris (Industrial
Design Team Manager, Full profesor), Vincenzo Cristallo (Industrial Design, Lecturer), Sabrina Lucibello
(Industrial Design, Senior Lecturer), Andrea Ettorre (Industrial Design, Collaborator), Elisabetta Furin (Student-
Industrial Designer), Giulia Nicolucci (Student- Industrial Designer, Master degree in industrial design, 1st year),
Danilo Perozzi (Student- Industrial Designer, Bachelor degree in industrial design, 2nd year), Mario Raduazzo
(Student- Industrial Designer, Master degree in industrial design, 1st year), Vincenzo Romano (Student-
Industrial Designer, Bachelor degree in industrial design, 2nd year), Valentina Santillo (Student- Industrial
Designer, Bachelor degree in industrial design, 2nd year), Francesca Simoni (Student- Industrial Designer,
Bachelor degree in industrial design, 2nd year), Andrea Spadaccini (Student- Industrial Designer, Bachelor

251
degree in industrial design, 2nd year), Alan Zirpoli (Student- Industrial Designer, Bachelor degree in industrial
design, 2nd year). Market Viability Universitá degli studi Roma di Tre: Carlo Alberto Pratesi (Sponsorship
Manager, Full Professor, Economy, Fundraising & Marketing), Constanza Nosi (Marketing, Senior Lecturer,
Economy, Fundraising & Marketing), Ludovica Principato (Online Communication, Research Fellow), Simonetta
Lombardo (Communication Coordinator), Paola Richard (Press Office), Eleonora Velluto (Online Communication,
Bachelor degree in architecture, 1st year). Fashion Design Academy of Costume and Fashion: Sergio Ciucci
(Fashion Coordinator, Full professor, Fashion Design), Maria Di Napoli (Project Coordinator), Olivier Di Gianni
(Communication & Press), Piergiorgio Meschini (Student- Fashion designer, Bachelor degree in fashion design,
1st year), Marco Marrone (Student- Fashion designer, Bachelor degree in fashion design, 2nd year), Antonella
Domingo (Student- Fashion designer, Bachelor degree in fashion design, 1st year), Francesca Ricci (Student-
Fashion designer, Bachelor degree in fashion design, 2nd year), Marzia Graziani (Student- Fashion designer,
Bachelor degree in fashion design, 2nd year), Virginia Parisi (Student- Fashion designer, Bachelor degree in
fashion design, 2nd year).

04. UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES KONSTANZ, GERMANY

Faculty Members: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Stark (Project Manager SDE 2012, Faculty of Architecture, Institute
of energy-efficient design), Prof. Valentin Wormbs (Faculty of Communications Design, Dean for Architecture
and Design), Prof. Dr. Udo Schelling (Faculty of Engineering), Prof. Dr. Ing. Markus Faltlhauser (Faculty of
Architecture, Construction), Prof. Lydia Haack (Faculty of Architecture, Architecture), Hubert Jauch (Faculty
of Architecture, Energy Conception), Tilmann Weber (Faculty of Architecture, Architecture and Construction),
Hartmut Maurus (Faculty of Architecture, Solar Building Envelope), Lena Schönrock M.A. (Faculty of
Architecture, Coordination, University Contact, Finances), Dipl.-Ing. Christopher Klages (Faculty of Architecture,
Support, Finances), Andreas Grimm M.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Lighting Design), Prof. Andreas Bechtold
(Faculty of Communications Design, Dean for Communication Design), Prof. Eberhard Schlag (Faculty of
Architecture and Communications Design, Design and Interior), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Francke (Faculty of Civil
Engineering, Timber Building).
Collaborators: Arnold Harfmann (Schneider Electric, electrical engineering), Stefan Fischer (Sunways,
Photovoltaic), Markus Brühwiler (BRUAG, Laser cutting), Mr. Stephan (Stadt Konstanz, Marketing), Mr.
Hamann (Electro Mobility), Kay-Uwe Dingeldein (Zumtobel, lighting design). Student Operative Board:
Daniela Müller B.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Communications, Organization), Bettina Großhardt B.A. (Faculty
of Architecture, Communications, Organization), Jakob Winter M.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Architecture,
Organization), Matthias Fortenbacher M.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Sponsoring, Organization), Andreas Längle
B.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Energy efficiency and Interior), Linda Wenninger B.A. (Faculty of Architecture,
Communications), Philipp Kupprion B.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Architecture), Florian Eggert B.A. (Faculty
of Architecture, Construction), Jan Heider B.A. (Faculty of Architecture, Energy), Johannes Kimmerle B.A.
(Faculty of Architecture, Energy). Team Officers: Faculty Advisor: Prof. Dr. Ing. Thomas Stark, Project Manager:
Lena Schönrock, Construction Manager: Florian Eggert B.A., Project Architect: Philipp Kupprion B.A., Project
Engineer: Andreas Längle B.A., Structural Engineer: Prof. Dr. Ing. Markus Faltlhauser, Electrical Engineer:
Michael Möhrle, Student Team Leader: Student Operative Board, HS Team Coordinator: Dipl. - Ing. Thomas
Broghammer, Safety Officers: Bettina Grosshardt B.A., Linda Wenninger B.A., Christiane Thörner B.A, Sabine
Krautter, Site Operations Coordinator: Daniela Müller B.A., Contest Captain: Jan Heider, Instrumentation
Contact: Andreas Längle B.A. Communications Coordinator: Linda Wenninger B.A., Sponsorship Manager:
Matthias Fortenbacher M.A., Cost Estimator: Lena Schönrock. Student Members: ARCHITECTURE AND
CONSTRUCTION:Alexander Koch (Faculty of Architecture), Andreas Bauer Geraghty B.A. (Faculty of
Architecture), Benjamin Mauritz B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Daniel Späh B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Florian
Eggert B.A (Faculty of Architecture), Kilian Basfeld B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Kristina Thiemann B.A. (Faculty
of Architecture), Linda Groschopp B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Michael Fröhlich B.A. (Faculty of Architecture),
Philipp Kupprion B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Philipp Schmon (Faculty of Civil Engineering), Sabine Krautter
B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Tetyana Geissner B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Valentin Beck (Faculty of Civil
Engineering). ORGANIZATION AND BUILDING SITE: Christiane Thörner B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Daniela
Müller B.A.(Faculty of Architecture), Jakob Winter M.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Linda Groschopp B.A. (Faculty
of Architecture), Matthias Fortenbacher B.A. (Faculty of Architecture). ENERGY AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY:
Andreas Brall (Faculty of Architecture), Andreas Längle B.A.(Faculty of Architecture), Christian Mack (Electrical
Engineering and Information Technology), Florian Schäfer (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information
Technology), François Le Gall (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Design and Development), Georg Schmid
(Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Management), Jan Heider B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Johannes
Kimmerle B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Manuel Schleich (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information
Technology), Miguel Zeus Mora Alvarez B.Eng. (Faculty of Electrical Systems Engineering), Pascal Keller
(Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology), Philipp Horn(Faculty of Automotive Information
Technology), Roland Schick(Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology), Sascha Frenkel
(Faculty of Automotive Information Technology), Simon Büttgenbach (Faculty of Sustainable Energy Competence),

252
Stefan Metzger (Faculty of Automotive Information Engineering). COMMUNICATION AND STRATEGY: Angelina
Perke (Faculty of Communications and Design), Bettina Grosshardt B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Daniela Müller
B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Denise Glod B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Karol Stern Rull (Faculty of Architecture),
Linda Wenninger B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Noemi Futás (Faculty of Architecture), Ruth Haller B.A. (Faculty of
Architecture), Sabrina Börnsen B.A. (Faculty of Architecture). INTERIOR: Alexander Koch (Faculty of Architecture),
Andreas Längle B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Kristina Thiemann B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Markus Prinz
(Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering), Maxx Kean Hong (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering:
Development and Production), Michael Fröhlich B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Nadja Boumaza (Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering: Development and Production), Philipp Kupprion B.A. (Faculty of Architecture), Tetyana
Geissner B.A. (Faculty of Architecture).

05. RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY, GERMANY

Students architecture: Bahar Akbayrak, Jakob Anschütz, Peter Bause, Marie Carl,Tillmann de Graaff ,Till Gubitz,
Chawan Hassan, Dominik Hoppe, Julia Hüsgen, Elvir Kastrati, Tim Khuong-Duc, Maksim König, Svenja Kremin,
Judith Lennartz, René Lierschaft, Benedikt Lösch, Dominique Lunkenheimer Anne Maldener, Pascal Martis,
Karolina Pytelkowski, Hendrik Reinhold, Jonas Rüter, Ahmad Sawaf, Alexandra Schmitz, Jaroslaw Siwiecki ,
Werner Tripp, Matthias Vollmer-Lentmann Philipp von Klonczynski, Annika Zech, Hipolit Zembala, Anja Zens.
Students engineering: Frederik Böhm, Marius Braun, Sarah Dassouli, Georg Engelhardt, Christian Fliegner,
Christoph Gunter, Marie Hoes, Julian Kremeyer, Hendrik Leiwe, Julia Moll,Vivien Neumann, Palacios, Fabian
Pech, David Ranftler, Melanie Schumacher, Stefan Stemmler. Students German studies: Stella Conrads.
Students informatics:Ivan Golod, Konstantinos Tsoleridis, Nur Al-huda Hamdan, Johann Boltz (Carpenter),
Christine Dijks (Carpenter), Jan Schönborn (Carpenter). Students business administration: Stefanie Eckardt,
Sarah Eichler, Frederike Engel, Markus Gehrmann, Isabel Hergenröther, Alexa Marnitz , Julia May, Andreas
Michels, Karen Ostermann, Stefanie Rust. Other supporters: Andy Lengert (Emergency medical technician, fire
engeniering, metal worker), Björn Teutriene (Master of Architecture). Alumni: Branch of study Architecture:
Heli Bach, Natalia Kiselev, Caner Dolas, Lale Sasmaz, Xingling Xu, Branch of study mechanical engineering:
Christoph Niesen, Filipp Kratschun, Claudius Bons, Kilian Hammesfahr, Annika Heyer, Stefan Schlosser, Branch
of study structural engineering: Jose Quintana, Branch of study German studies: Roxana Schneider. Professors:
Professor Dipl.-Ing. M. Arch. Peter Russell (Building Information Management and CAAD), Professor p.p. Dipl.-
Ing. Architekt Joachim Ruoff (Sustainable Architecture and Building system), Professor Dr.-Ing. Martin Trautz
(Reinforcing in timber construction by self-tapping screws, Hybrid structures and composite construction,
Folds and folded plate structures in architecture and engineering, Joints for bamboo constructions, Planning
for production plants, Construction history and structures, structural design, statics, dynamics, structural
engineering, bridge design), Professor Dr.-Ing. Dirk Müller (Energy concepts for buildings, room air currents and
air quality, ventilation technology, cooling, heating and storage technology and engeneering, energy networks,
renewable energies, air conditioning, energy systems), Professor Dr. phil. Eva-Maria Jakobs (Text linguistics,
technical communications, text production, writing at work, corporate communications, electronic media),
Professor Dr. Jan Borchers (Computer Science), Professor Dr. rer. pol. Wolfgang Breuer (Corporate Finance
and Portfoliomanagement). Collaborators: Dipl.-Ing. Pia Auferkorte (Building Services Engineering Support),
Shirley Beul, M.A. (Technical Communication Support), Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Andreas Dieckmann (Webmaster),
Claas Digmayer, M.A. (Technical Communication Support),Vera Freund, M.A. (Technical Communication
Support), Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Jochen Hansen (Design Support), Dipl.-Ing. Bauingenieur Christoph Koj (Structural
Engineering Support ), Dr. rer. pol. Claudia Nadler (Business Administration Support), Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Tanja
Osterhage (Building Services Engineering Support), Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Lena Schalenbach (Design Support),
Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Tobias Schell (Project Management Support), Dipl.-Ing. Architekt Thomas Stachelhaus
(Design and Project Management Support).
Team Officers:Faculty Advisor: Peter Russell Project Manager : Tobias Schell Construction Manager: Peter
Bause Project Architect: Jarek Siwiecki Project Engineer: Hendrik Leiwe Structural Engineer: Christoph
Koj Electrical Engineer: Achim Reimer Student Team Leader: René Lierschaft HS Team Coordinator: Tobias
Schell Safety Officer: Julia Moll, Julia Hüsgen, Peter Bause, Frederik Böhm, Björn Teutriene, Fabian Pech Site
Operations Coordinator: Matthias Vollmer-Lentmann Contest Captain : Alexandra Schmitz Instrumentation
Contact: Julian Kremeyer Communications Coordinator : Marie Carl Sponsorship Manager: Annika Zech

06. BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY & ECONOMICS, HUNGARY

Architecture & Design Team: Architectural Design: Adrián Auth (student team leader, BME, Faculty of
Architecture), Balázs Szelecsényi (project architect, BME, Faculty of Architecture). Construction Design: Bálint
Bakos (project engineer, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Árpád Áts (building construction, BME, Faculty of
Architecture), Zoltán Dévai (building construction, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Zsuzsanna Leskó (building
construction, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Emese Tóth (building construction, BME, Faculty of Architecture).
Structural Design: Tamás Bajnok Nagy (structural designer, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Benedek Kiss

253
(structural designer, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Dávid Szalay (structural designer, BME, Faculty of
Architecture), Zsófia Salát (structural designer, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Katalin Bukta (structural designer,
BME, Faculty of Architecture). Supporting Students: Dániel Lőrincz (interior designer, BME, Industrial designer),
Ágnes Urbin -(mechatronics engineer, BME, Mechanical engineering), Gábor Angel Kalmár (CAD modelling,
BME, Faculty of Architecture), Kitti Kőrösi (architect, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Dániel Palotai (architect,
BME, Faculty of Architecture), Dominika Mészáros (CAD modelling, BME, Faculty of Architecture). Management:
Management: Balázs Zeitler (project manager, sponsorship manager, BME, business administration and
manage¬ment), András Pozsgai (sponsorship manager, safety officer, BME, Faculty of architecture), László
Csíki (sponsorship manager, BME, Faculty of architecture), Kata Dudás (contest captain, BME, environmental
engineer). Logistics & Site Operation: Márton Bodolai (site operations coordinator, BME, Faculty of architecture),
Szabolcs Sipos (civil engineer, BME, Faculty of Civil Engineering), Ferenc Szántó (safety officer, BME, Faculty of
architecture). Communications: Communications: Orsolya Nagy (communications coordinator, BME, business
administration and manage¬ment), Orsolya Birtalan (communications seconder, BME, Faculty of architecture),
Réka Tóth (architectural journalist, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Boglárka Erdei (communications seconder,
BME, communication and media), Anett Sóti (communications supporter, BME, communication and media).
Visual Communications: Balázs Danyi (photographer, BME, Faculty of architecture), Ádám Szekér (photographer,
BME, Faculty of architecture), Bence Pásztor (videographer, BME, Faculty of architecture).Visual Identity: Dániel
Nagy (graphic designer, Hungarian University of Fine Arts MKE), Péter Orbán (graphic designer, Hungarian
University of Fine Arts MKE), Márk Szőke (graphic designer, visualization, BME, Faculty of Architecture).
Supporting Students: Gergely Sági (spanish journalist, BME, architect), Nóra Lukácsi (architectural journalist,
BME, Faculty of architecture), Katalin Kardos (architectural journalist, BME, Faculty of Architecture), Judit Hardi
(communications supporter, BME, communication and media),Csenge Huszár (communications supporter, BME,
communication and media), Krisztina Szabó (communications supporter, BME, communication and media).
Engineering Management: Electrical Engineering : Péter Dudás (project electrical engineer, BME, Electric
Power Engineer), Gábor Ádám (electrical engineer, BME, Electric Power Engineer), Kristóf Takács (electrical
engineer, BME, Electric Power Engineer), Gergely Muth (electrical engineer, BME, Electric Power Engineer),
József Rácz (electrical engineer, BME, Electric Power Engineer), Gergely Oláh (electrical engineer, BME, Electric
Power Engineer), Kristóf Baksai-Szabó (electrical engineer, BME, Electric Power Engineer). Building Automation:
Balázs Debrődi (mechatronics engineer, BME), Máté Polyák (electrical engineer, BME, Electric Power
Engineer), Ádám Lányi (mechatronics engineer, BME), László Milanovich (building automation engineer, BME).
Engineering & Energetics: Attila Erdős (instrumentation contact, ventilation, BME, building service engineer),
Bálint Pfenningberger (cooling & heating, BME, building service engineer), Gábor Haas-Schnabel (simulation,
BME, energetics engineer), Viktor Nagy (cooling & heating, BME, energetics engineer), Ágnes Oravecz (water
supply, plumbing, BME, building service engineer), Szabolcs Pálfi (passive cooling, BME, energetics engineer),
Péter Paziczki (cooling & heating, BME, building service engineer). Faculty Advisors: Gábor Becker (Dr. Dean of
Faculty of Archi¬tecture, Mentor Faculty of Architecture Department of Building Construc¬tions),Tamás Varga
(DLA, Lead Faculty Advisor, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Residential Building Design), Zsolt Huszár
(Project Manager, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Construction Technol¬ogy and Management), Miklós
Armuth (Dr. Structural Engineering Faculty Advisor, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Mechanics, Materials
& Structures), Zsolt Bátori (Communications Faculty Advisor, Faculty of Economic and Social Sci¬ences,
Department of Sociology and Com¬munication), Péter Virányi (Dr. Communications Fac¬ulty Advisor, Faculty of
Economic and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology and Com¬munication), Júlia Bisztray (Management
Faculty Advisor, Saint Stephen University, Ybl Miklos Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engeneering, Construction
Management and Organization Department), László Csízy (Architecture Faculty Advi¬sor, Faculty of Architecture,
Department of Urban Design), Rita Pataky (Construction Technology Faculty Advisor, Faculty of Architecture,
Department of Building Construc¬tions), Attila Pém (Site Operations Fac¬ulty Advisor, Health and Safety Team
Coordinator, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Construction Technol¬ogy and Management), Zoltán Szánthó
(Building Service Engineer¬ing Faculty Advisor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Building
Service and Process Engineering), Csaba Szikra (Building Service Engineer¬ing Faculty Advisor, Faculty of
Architecture - Department of Building Energetics and Services), Tamás Barbarics (Dr. Electrical engineering,
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Department of Electric Power Engi¬neering), Péter Kiss
Dr. (Electrical engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Department of Electric Power
Engi¬neering). Team Officers: Faculty Advisor: Attila Pém & Lászlo Csízy Project Manager: Bálint Bakos
Construction Manager: Lászlo Csízy Project Architect: Balázs Szelecsényi Project Engineer: Árpad Áts Structural
Engineer: Milós Armuth Dr. Student Team Leader: Adrián Auth Health & Safety Officer: Attila Pém & Márton
Bodolai Fire Watch Captain: Zoltán Dévai Public Relation Contact : Orsolya Nagy Instrumentation Contact: Attila
Erdós Electrical Engineer : Tamás Barbarics Dr., Peter Dudás Objective Contest Captain: Martón Bodolai &
Orsolya Birtalan Cost Estimator: András Pozsgai.More Decathletes: Mátyás Jug, Virág Máté, Tamás Nochta, Dóra
Plájer, Imre Miskolczy, Katalin Dudás, Máté Molnár.

254
07. UNIVERSIDAD CEU CARDENAL HERRERA, SPAIN

Coordinators: Luis Domenech Ballester, Victor García Peñas, Ignacio Juan Ferruses, Elisa Marco Crespo,
Manuel Martínez Córcoles, Guillermo Mocholí Ferrándiz, Nicolás Montes Sánchez, Antonio Real Fernández,
Jordi Renau Martínez, Fernando Sánchez López, Bartolomé Serra Soriano, Pedro Verdejo Gimeno, Borja García
Sanchis, Pablo María Romeu Guallart, Francisco Zamora Martínez, Aurelio Pons , Jose María Serra Soriano,
Ana Bonet Miró, Luca Brunelli, Hugo Prades Claessens, José Vicente Navarro Díaz. Decathletes: Francisco
José Alcalá Eito, Bernat Ferrer Pons, Nacho Miralles Soler, Alejandro Navarrete Roselló, Loreto Navarro Arcos,
Miguel Angel Puchades Olmos, Gabriel Sanjuan Maicas, Inma Soler Tomás, María Isabel Villar Abril, Fidel López
González, David Carceller Capella, Jose Javier Gómez Diaz, Sergio Alfonos Salvador, Alba Andreu Nuñez, María
Elene Baena González, Aitor Barberá Herrero, Hernán Bize Beltrán, Alejandro Cairols Cercós, Ricardo Candela
Caballer, Juanjo Canos Segarra, Miquel Cárceles Cardona, María Cervera Moliner, Francisco Esbrí Ramos,
Charo Gandía Vallas, Alberto García Pérez, Patricia Gualda Martínez, Jesús Huerta Chilet, Ignacio Giner Agustí,
Eva Iserte Fortanet, Ramón Llaces Bassa, Victor Llavata Bartual, Rosa Isabel Llidó Llopis, Juan Antonio Lluna
Andreu, Alba Minguez Moreno, Josep Monzó Hervás, Diego Muñoz Cobo, Leticia Navarro Alfaro, Paz Nevado
Llopis, Vicente Manuel Nicolás Tudón, Olga Pérez Quintana, Ana Riera Barriga, Fernando L- Rodríguez Vercher,
Susana Sánchez Sariñena, Carlos Segarra Carbajal, Manuel Sempere Polo, José Vicente Siurana Ortega, Daniel
Torío González, Rafael Torres García, Marina Victoria Martínez, Beatriz Vidal Molina.

08. UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE CATALUNYA, SPAIN

Team Members: Communications Coordinator: Aitor Iturralde Martín (Estudiante ETSAV); Construction Manager:
Jordi Mitjans Escobar (Estudiante ETSAV); Contest Captian: Adrià Vilajoana Martínez (Estudiante ETSAV);
Electrical Engineer:Oscar Subirats Rebull (Estudiante Ingeniería); Faculty Advisor 1:Victor Seguí Santana
(Director ETSAV); Faculty Advisor 2: Enric Corbat Díaz (Profesor ETSAV); Faculty Advisor 3:Coque Claret (Profesor
ETSAV); Faculty Advisor 4: Dani Calatayud Souweine (Profesor ETSAV); HS Team Coordinator 1: Antoni Fonseca
I Casas (Arquitecto); HS Team Coordinator 2: Diego Sáez Ujaque (Arquitecto); Instrumentation Contact: Oscar
Subirats Rebull(Estudiante EUETib); Project Architect: Simone Lorenzon (Arquitecto); Project Engineer: Bernat
Colomé Franco (Estudiante ETSAV); Project Manager: Marc Diaz Gallego (Estudiante ETSAV); Safety Officer 1:
Jordi Mitjans Escobar (Estudiante ETSAV); Safety Officer 2: Marc Diaz Gallego (Estudiante ETSAV); Safety Officer
3: Antonio Quirante Garrido (Estudiante ETSAV); Site Operations Coordinator: Andrei Mihalache (Estudiante
ETSAV); Structural Engineer: Marc Diaz Gallego (Estudiante ETSAV); Student Team Leader: Fran Pérez Molina
(Estudiante ETSAV); Cost estimator: Adrià Vilajoana Martínez (Estudiante ETSAV); Fire Watch Captain: Andrei
Mihalache (Estudiante ETSAV); Sponsorship Manager: Fran Pérez Molina (Estudiante ETSAV); Sustainaibility
Manager: Alfonos Godoy Muñoz (Arquitecto y Master UPC); Public Relation Contact: Aitor Iturralde Martín
(Estudiante ETSAV). Decathletes: Natalia Sánchez Sumelzo (Arquitecto y Master UPC); Paola Del Chicca Romano
(Ing. Química y Master UPC); Miguel Pich-Aguilera (Estudiante ETSAV); Aida El Kabbaj (Estudiante ETSAV); Pablo
Sánchez Hernández (Ingeniero Ambiental); Sergi Mateos Cano (Estudiante ETSAV); Mariana Palumbo (Arquitecto
y Master UPC); Marta Banach Gorina (Estudiante ETSAV); Luis Borunda Monsiváis (Estudiante ETSAV); Guillem
Ramón Pernau (Estudiante ETSAV); Marta Ferrer Zapater (Estudiante ETSAV); Oriol Troyano (Estudiante ETSAV);
Carla Sanz Pina (Estudiante ETSAV); Sandra Prat Trallero (Estudiante ETSAV); Juan José Guardiola Ruiz de
An(Estudiante ETSAV); Mikel Rego García (Estudiante ETSAV); Joan Saborit Gros (Estudiante ETSAV); Marc Casals
Borrás (Estudiante EPSEB); Elisabet Farré Cámara (Estudiante ETSAV); Carmen Bodel (Estudiante ETSAV); Quim
Escoda (Estudiante ETSAV); Elena Castellà (Estudiante ETSAV); Maya Torres (Estudiante ETSAV); Anca Virginia
Stefan (Estudiante ETSAV); Alba Prat Trallero (Diseñadora); Ioanna Papachristou (Arquitecto y Master UPC.
Team Crew and Technical Committee: Roger Tudó Gali (Arquitecto y Profesor ETSAV); Claudi Aguiló(Arquitecto
y Profesor ETSAV); Albert Colomé (Ingeniero (SJ12Enginyers); Oriol Barber (Ingeniero (AmbSol); Emilio Vicente
(Ingeniero (AmbSol); Arnau Alarcón (Ingeniero (AmbSol); Sergio Cantos Gaceo (Ingeniero (AdrCl); Ignacio de
Ros Viader (Ingeniero (AdrCl); Xavi Burruezo Vilella (Ingeniero (AdrCl); Josep Jove (Montador); Daniel Oliván
Bautista (Técnico); Nicola Scandroglio (Media); Txatxo Sabater (Arquitecto); Torsten Masseck (Arquitecto y
Profesor ETSAV); Josep Ricard Ulldemolins(Arquitecto y Profesor ETSAV); Felipe Pich-Aguilera (Arquitecto);
Teresa Batlle (Arquitecta); Pau Casaldaliga (Arquitecto); Jordi Morató(Biologo); Inmaculada Rodriguez(Física y
Arquitecta Técnica); Montserrat Bosch(Arquitecta Técnica); Curro Claret (Diseñador Industrial); Sabrina Campos
(Emprendedora Social).

255
09. “ION MINCU” UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM + TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
OF BUCHAREST + UNIVERSITY POLITEHNICA OF BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Project Management Structure: Radu Pană - Faculty Advisor; Pierre Bortnowski – Project Manager; Oana
Mihăescu – Assistant Project Manager; Adrian Pop – Fundraising & Communication Manager; Cătălin Găuloiu
– Design Coordinator; Mihnea Ghildus – Product & Graphic Design Coordinator. Team Officers: Student team
leader – Mihai Toader-Pasti; Project Architect – Adriana Mihăilescu; Structural engineer & Safety Officer –
Marius Eremia Soflete; Communications coordinator – Alexandra Petraru; Construction manager & Safety
Officer – Cătălin Caraza; Contest captain – Mihai-Vlad Cîrlan; Electrical engineer – Adrian Mircea Bucica; HS
team coordinator – Octavian Timu; Safety Officer & Interior Design Coordinator – Lucia Leca; Instrumentation
contact – Claudiu Butacu; Project Engineer – Adrian Bogdan Neculae; Site operations coordinator – Irina Mot;
Sponsorship manager – Ovidiu Constantin.Deacthletes, Team crew & Team members: ARCHITECTURE &
DESIGN: Cristina Alistar Decathlete Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, 6th year; Adina Bădulescu President
of PRISPA Association Team Member, representative of UAUIM in PRISPA Association MSc in architecture,
UAUIM, Faculty of Architecture architect, property and business valuer; Anca Elena Bolohan Decathlete
Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, 5th year; Inga Bunduche Decathlete graduated Faculty of Decorative Arts
and Design, Ambiental Design, UNA; Adina Costea Decathlete Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, 5th year;
Vlad Hani Decathlete graduated Faculty of Interior Architecture, UAUIM; Maria Meleca Decathlete Faculty
of Decorative Arts and Design, Ambiental Design, UNA, 3rd year; Dorina Onescu-Tărbujaru Team Member
Lecturer, Department of Interior Design, Faculty of Interior Architecture, UAUIM teaching areas: interior design,
reconversion of buildings PhD, UAUIM architect, research field: interior architecture and design, rehabilitation
of buildings and historic monuments; Ionut Pătraşcu Decathlete Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, 3rd year;
Raluca Păun Decathlete Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, 6th year; Elena Marilena Popa Decathlete Faculty of
Interior Architecture, UAUIM, 5th year; Adriana-Valentina Potlog Decathlete graduated Faculty of Architecture,
UAUIM; Ioana Prodan Decathlete Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM, 6th year; Sorina Rotaru Decathlete Faculty
of Decorative Arts and Design, Product Design, UNA, 3rd year; Andrada Toader-Pasti Team Crew graduated
Faculty of Architecture, UAUIM; Nicoleta Vica Decathlete graduated Faculty of Decorative Arts and Design,
Industrial Design, UNA; Oana Baloi Team Member Wageningen University, Netherlands, Landscape Architecture
and Planning Master Program, 2nd year. ENGINEERING: Ovidiu Caramangiu Decathlete Faculty Of Building
Services master in Energy Efficiency for Building Services, UTCB, 2nd year; Mircea Damian Decathlete master
in Advanced Technologies for Urban Environmental Protection, 2nd year; Adrian Enciu Decathlete Faculty
of Electrical Engineering MSc in Advanced Electrical Systems, UPB; Ana-Maria Florescu Team Member,
Representative of UTCB in PRISPA Association MSc in comfort and energy efficiency doctoral studies, Faculty of
Building Services and Equipments, UTCB, 4th year; Yoann Gabouty Team Crew Aspirant, Compagnons du Devoir;
Cristian Iordache Team Crew graduated Photo-Video Department, UNA; Iacob Mocanu Decathlete Faculty
Of Building Services master in Advanced Technologies for Urban Environmental Protection, UTCB, 2nd year;
Dumitru Moldoveanu Decathlete graduated Faculty of Civil, Industrial and Agricultural Buildings, UTCB; Ancuţa
Neagu Team Member Director of the Department of Research, Development and Innovation Management,
UTCB engineer, MSc in educational management doctoral studies in civil engineering, 4th year, UTCB; Eduard
Răducanu Decathlete Faculty of Electrical Engineering, MSc in Advanced Electrical Systems, UPB; Vladimir
Tanasiev Team Member, Representative of UPB in PRISPA Association doctoral studies in energy efficiency
Faculty of Power Engineering, Department of Production and Use of Energy, UPB, 4th year. COMMUNICATION
& FUNDRAISING: Tudor Botezatu Team Crew Film Director, graduated Faculty of Cinematography, Department
of Directing, UNATC graduated Faculty of Letters, Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences;
Alexandra Croitoru Decathlete graduated Faculty of Communication and Public Relations University of Bucharest;
Alexandru Ioniţă Team Member, Representative of UTCB in PRISPA Association designer, graduated Product
Design Department Faculty of Decorative Arts and Design, UNA; Vlad Lego Team Crew Media University –
Cinematography and TV Faculty; Adina Şoneriu Team Crew Faculty of Finance, Insurance, Banking and Stock
Exchange; The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies.

10. TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF DENMARK, DENMARK

Team Officers: Faculty Advisor: Bjarne W. Olesen; Project Manager: Lotte Bjerregaard Jensen & Ulrik Knuth-
Winterfeldt; Construction Manager: Aksel Tønder; Project Architect: Elian Hirsch & Lise Mansfeldt; Project
Engineer: Angela Martin Guerrero; Structural Engineer: Marie Navntoft Jacobsen; Electrical Engineer: Søren
Kristensen; Student Team Leader: Martynas Skrupskelis; Health & Safety Officer: Elian Hirsch; Fire Watch
Captain: Elsa Salvador Rodriguez; Public Relation Contact: Natalia Dudareva; Instrumentation Contact: Pavel
Ševela.Project Management: Bjarne W. Olesen (Director, Professor, Faculty Advisor, Sponsor relations);Lotte
Bjerregaard Jensen (Associate Professor, Project Manager, Architecture and construction); Ulrik Knuth-
Winterfeldt (BEng, Assisting Project Manager, Student relations and financial management).Health & Safety:
Henrik Almegaard (Associate Professor, HS Team Coordinator); Lotte Bjerregaard Jensen (Associate Professor,
HS Team Coordinator); Christian Rønne (Associate Professor, HS Team Coordinator); Elsa Salvador Rodriguez

256
(MSc in Sustainable Energy, Student, , HS Team Officer, Health and Safety Report: consolidation of information
about building construction process); Elian Hirsch (KA, Institute of Technology, Research Assistant, HS Officer,
Health and Safety Report: alignment of functional areas, project drawings). Installations: CONTROL SYSTEM:
Work Package Leader: Dainius Griguzauskas (MSc in Computer Science and Engi¬neering, Student, Heating,
cooling and ventilations system control); Work Package Members: Philip Engberg Nielsen (BA in Software,
Student, Setting up user interface with Control System); Søren Olofsson (BA in Software, Student, Building
software architecture for Control System, build¬ing integration with PLC); Morten Asbjørn Schnack (BA in Civil
Engineering, Student, Creating Central Control Unit, including AI); Emil Refn (BA Software Technology, Student,
Database); Carsten Nilsson (BSc IT & Communication, Student, Control Interface and suggestions); Andreas
Rask Jensen (Diplom IT, Student, Combining sub- systems); Anders Jensen (BA Software Technology, Student,
Responsible for lights programming). FACULTY ADVISORS: Christian Jensen (Associate Professor, IT security.
Sensor networks. Pervasive computing. Mo¬bile systems. Intelligent Buildings. Security). HVAC: Work Package
Members: Martynas Skrupskelis (MSc in Civil Engineering, Student, Heating, cooling and ventilations system
design and siz¬ing); Ongun Berk Kazanci (MSc in Sustainable Energy, Student, Heating, cooling and ventilation
systems design, simula¬tions); Maria Alonso Alvarez (Architectural Eng, Student, Natural Ventilation); Faculty
advisors: Georgi K.Pavlov (PhD student, Supervision); Peter Slotved Simonsen (Engineer, Technical supervision);
Nico Ziersen (Assistent Engineer, Technical supervision). WATER: Work Package Leader: Mette Stubkjaer
Laursen (BA Civil Engineering in Environment Technology, Student, Work Package Leader, Greywater); Faculty
advisors: Eva Eriksson (Associate Professor, Greywater); Stefan Trapp (Associate Professor, Assessment and
treatment of water and contaminated soil): ENERGY AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT: Pavel Ševela(MSc in Civil
Engineering, Student, Work Package Leader, Thermal part of PVT, electrical equipment, monitoring for the
competition); Linette Nygaard (MSc in Architectural engineering, Student, PVT: in charge of the PV part, Technical
documentation, Drawings for the photovolta¬ics, Architectural point of the PV); Søren Mikael Kristensen
(KME, Bachelor of Technology Man¬agement and Marine Engineering, Work Package Member: Electricity,
Electricity installations); Søren Andersen (MSc Architectural Eng, Student, Energy simulations); Toke Rammer
Nielsen(Associate Professor, Faculty advisor: Integrated design of sustainable build¬ings, energy consumption
and indoor environment).TECHNICAL CORE, Team members are together in charge of core design and planning,
integration of elements in the technical core: Simon Christoffer Uth (MSc Architectural Eng, Student); Mette
Malene Wohlgemuth (MSc Architectural Eng, Student); Christoffer Rasmussen (MSc Architectural Eng, Student);
Karen Margaretha Holmegaard (MSc Architectural Eng, Student); Jacob Sloth Jensen (MSc Architectural Eng,
Student); Faculty advisors: Peter Slotved Simonsen (Engineer, Technical supervision).Architecture & Design:
Work Package Leader: Lise Mansfeldt Faurbjerg (Architectural Eng, Student, Exterior design, Public tour, Interior
cladding); Work Package Members: Erik Folke Holm-Hansson Christian Nygaard Sørensen (Architectural Eng,
Student, Lighting wall); Christina Eriksshøj (Architectural Eng, Student, Lot design, Garden); Kasper Villumsen
(Architectural Eng, Student, Daylight, Solar shading, Lighting); Mathilde Landgren (Architectural Eng, Student,
Exterior design, Technical Core, Public tour, Green wall); Niklas Frederiksen (Architectural Eng, Student,
Exterior design, Technical Core, Public tour, Green wall); Simon Kolby Christensen (Architectural Eng, Student,
Lot design); Stine Redder Pedersen (Architectural Eng, Student, Exterior design, Public tour, interior cladding,
Lighting wall); Structure & Construction: Work Package Leader: Aksel Tønder (Architectural Eng, Student,
Preparation and coordination of drawings for construc¬tion panels and installations); Work Package Members:
Angela Martin Guerrero(Architectural Eng, Student, Construction details, BIM model and moisture, Joints,
details, drawings, moisture simulations); Marie Navntoft Jacobsen (Architectural Eng, Student, Documentation of
the statics, dimensioning and calcula¬tions of stress components ); Allan Ulrick Døi (Architectural Eng, Student,
Carpentry); Andreas Klestrup (Architectural Eng, Student, Carpentry); Tim Kjærsgaard (Architectural Eng,
Student, Carpentry); Peter Stavnshøj (Architectural Eng, Student, Statics and Construction). Site Operation: Work
Package Leader: Elian Hirsch (KA, Institute of Technology, Research Assistant, Site operation management,
Time schedule of the pro¬cess construction of the house ); Work Package Members: Michael Hykkelbjerg
Nielsen (Architectural Eng, Student Site operation planning); Communication: Work Package Leader: Natalia
Dudareva (CBS, MSocSc in Management, Stu¬dent Communications and Social Media: communications strategy
and implementation, creating content and maintaining online accounts, communications coordina¬tion ,
photography); Market Viability: Work Package Leader: Riccardo Dalla Francesca (MSc in Management, Student);
Work Package Members: Philippa Taul (CBS, MSc in Management, Student, Commercialisation assessment);
Andreas Houmann (B. Physics and Nanotechnology, Student, Commercialisation assessment). LCA: Work
Package Members: Malte Peter Wiedemann (MSc in Civil Engineering, Student, Mass and energy balance,
disposal); Raphael Dörnen (MSc in Civil Engineering, Student, Assesment of the chemical inpact on human
health); Rita Gaspar (MSc in Civil Engineering, Student, Lifecycle analysis); Robert Fangel (MSc in Environmental
Engineering, Student, Life Cycle Inventory); Allwin Jebahar (Lifecycle analysis). Contracting Team Members:
Anders Budek (Carpenter); Rasmus Kristian Holst (MSc Architectural Eng, Student, Carpentry); Henrik Børglum
(Carpenter).

257
11. TONGJI UNIVERSITY, CHINA

Team Officers: Faculty advisor: Tan hongwei (Mechanical), Director of the New Energy and Green Building
Center, Tongji; Qian feng (Architecture), Vice President of CAUP, Tongji; Li qiang (Electrical); Yuanfeng
(Architecture); Marenle (Structure); Wang Lingling(Project management). Student team leader:Yu zhongqi, PhD.
Project manager: Jin dong, Master student. Communications: Jia dongfang, , Master student. Construction
manager: Cao ke, Master student. Contest captain: Jin linhui, Master student. Electrical engineer: Sun hao, ,
Master student. HS Team coordinator: Cao hanxiao, Master student. Instrumentation contact: Zhu shengwei, ,
Master student. Project architect: Zhao shijia, Master student. Project engineer: Lei yong, PhD. Safety officer:
Luo guofu, Master student. Site operations coordinator: Qianlie. Structural engineer: Liukang. Cost Estimator:
Shi jing, Master student.

12. BORDEAUX UNIVERSITY, FRANCE

Arts et Métiers ParisTech - Bordeaux: Coordination: Denis BRUNEAU: ABC Team Advisor, researcher in
Mechanical Engineering Institute of Bordeaux (Energetics&Fluids department). Students: Simon BRAS:
Engineering student, specialty “Sustainable development”; Anthony CANADAS: Engineering student, specialty
“Sustainable development”; Samuel DIALLO: Engineering student, specialty “Sustainable development”; Cédric
GARBAY: Engineering student, specialty “Sustainable development” ; Romain MINUISSI: Engineering student,
specialty “Sustainable development”; Louis Michel NICAISE: Engineering student, specialty “Sustainable
development”; Alexandre PRAT: Engineering student, specialty “Sustainable development”. Université Bordeaux
1: Coordination: Philippe LAGIERE: ABC Team coAdvisor, SUMBIOSI project Coordinator, Researcher in
Mechanical Engineering Institute of Bordeaux; Laurent MORA: ABC Team coAdvisor, researcher in Mechanical
Engineering Institute of Bordeaux (Energetics&Fluids department) - Building thermal performance; Philippe
GALLIMARD: Researcher in Mechanical Engineering Institute of Bordeaux (Civil Engineering Environmental
department) - Building structure; Alain SEMPEY: Researcher in Mechanical Engineering Institute of Bordeaux
(Energetics&Fluids department) - Building thermal performance. Students: Jérémy ROUXEL : Student,
specialty “Electronics” ; David OYHNEART : Student, specialty “Safety”; Olivier ZANETTE : Student, specialty
“Safety”; Romain RIVIÈRE : Engineering student, specialty “wooden industries”; Sarah LERISSON: Student in
Civil Engineering; Lucie JIMENEZ: Student in Civil Engineering; Anthynéa BUI: Student in Civil Engineering.
ENSAPBx : Coordination: Christian MAINTROT: Architect, Professor - Building architecture; Dominique SERVOS:
Architect, Professor - Building architecture; Students: Delphine BARBARESCO: Architect student, Master 2 «
Environment, Architecture and Sustainable City »; Grégoire BEELE: Architect student, Master 2 « Environment,
Architecture and Sustainable City »; Youssef BOUKHARI: Architect student, Master 2 « Environment, Architecture
and Sustainable City »; Laurent MASIA: Architect student, Master 1 « Environment, Architecture and Sustainable
City»; Camille MOLLARET: Architect student, Master 1 « Environment, Architecture and Sustainable City»;
Romain PERDRIX: Architect student, Master 2 « Environment, Architecture and Sustainable City »; Fanny
SELLERON: Architect student, Master 1 « Environment, Architecture and Sustainable City ».
ENSEIRB-MATMECA: Student: Jésus GIRON RODRIGUEZ: Engineering student, specialty “Electronics”.
Université Bordeaux 3: Student: Laura LE JONCOUR : Master Student, specialty “ Organization communication,
consulting”. NOBATEK: Coordination: Philippe LAGIERE: Scientific director at NOBATEK; Jérôme LOPEZ: In
charge of energy efficiency platform in at NOBATEK; Lucie DUCLOS: Sustainable building engineer; Stéphanie
DECKER: Sustainable building engineer; Marie PAULY: Sustainable building engineer.

13. UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAÍS VASCO (EUSKEL HERRIKO UNIBERTSITATEA), SPAIN

Team Officers:Faculty Advisor: Rufino J. Hernández (PhD Architect. Full Professor, Architectural Construction.
High School of Architecture, San Sebastian. Co-founder of ah asociados Research areas: Quality of life in
Architecture, Materials and industrialized building systems and Sustainable construction and energy efficiency);
Project Manager: Olatz IrulegI (PhD Architect. Associate professor in Architectural Construction. High School of
Architecture Research areas: Sustainable cons¬truction and energy efficiency); Construction Manager:
Mikel Lazkano (High School of Architecture, 6th year); Site operation Coordinator: Mikel Lazkano (High School of
Architecture, 6th year); Project Architect: Enara Menio (High School of Architecture, 6th year); Project Engineer:
Javier Gironés (Engineer. Researcher); Electrical Engineer: Antonio Serra (PhD Enginner. Researcher. Quality
of Life in Architecture Group); Structural Engineer: Iñaki Mendizabal (PhD Architect, Associate Professor in
Architectural Construction. High School of Architecture Research areas: ICT innovation in residential buildings);
Student Team Leader: Eneritz Trigueros (High School of Architecture, 6th year); HS Team Coordinator: Koldo
Atxa (High School of Architecture, 6th year); Contest Captain: Raffaelina Loi (Architect. Researcher Quality
of Life in Architecture Group); Instrumentation contact: Borja García (High School of Architecture, 6th year);
Communication coordinator: Víctor Araújo (Architect. Researcher Quality of Life in Architecture Group);
Sponsorship manager: Víctor Araújo (Architect. Researcher Quality of Life in Architecture Group). Students:
COORDINATION: Student Coordinator: Eneritz Trigueros. Memory: Itziar Ibarrondo. Construction Manager:

258
Mikel Lazkano, Ioar Cabodevilla. Health & Safety Manager: Koldo Atxa, Lilia Aizkorbe, Iñaki Larrañaga.
ARCHITECTURE: Project Architect: Enara Menoyo, Anabel García, Ander Sañaberría Egaña, Detalles
constructivos: Sergio Morales, Leire Hontoria, Hebe González, Josu López de Ipiña.Diseño: Enara Menoyo,
Maddi Sánchez, Itiziar de la Puerta, Asier Larunbe. Infografía: Josune Rodríguez. ENGINEERING: Electricidad:
Oihane Camino , Alaitz Arsuaga. PV: Mikel Elias, Ion Lizarralde Igartua, Asier Gorosarri Fernández. Estrategias
bioclimáticas: Olatz Pombo. Agua: Hodei Abaurrea, Eñaut Legarde. Acondicionamiento: Naiara Iglesias, Cristina
Carriles, Naiara Romero, Iker González Piño. Balance energético: Xabat Oregi, Xabier urroz, Naiara Romero.
Instrumentation contact: Borja García, Gorka Goicoechea Aguirre. COMMUNICATION & MARKETING: House
Tour: Endika Ampudia. Event Coordinator: Iris Chaparro, Irene Fonseca del Río, Maider Borde, Jone Castells.
Sustainability Manager: Leyre Nuñez, Amagoia Etxeberria, Sara de Maintenant. Supporting ProfessorsPORTING
PROFESSORS: Luis Alfonso del Portillo (PhD Engineer. Full Professor. High School of Engineering of Bilbao
Director of the Department of Heat Engines); Ane Miren Garcia (PhD Engineer. Full Professor. School of Mining
Engineering); Jose Antonio Millán (Professor of Thermodynamics High School of Engineering of Bilbao); Aitor
Urresti (Associate professor. Technical School of Industrial Engineering); Koldobika Martin (Associate professor.
School of Mining Engineering); Ignacio R. Matías (PhD Engineer, Full professor Public University of Navarra);
Iñigo Rodriguez (Architect. Associate Professor. High School of Architecture); Eneko Uranga (Architect. Associate
Professor. High School of Architecture); Xabat Oregi (Architect. Associate Professor. High School of Architecture);
Claudia Pennese (PhD Architect. Researcher Quality of Life in Architecture Group).

14. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA CATARINA + UNIVERSIDADE DE SÂO PAULO, BRASIL

Coordinators: Adnei Andrade - Electricity / Photovoltaic; Claudia Terezinha de Oliveira Andrade - Faculty
Advisor/Structural Engineer; José Ripper Kós - Architecture; Roberto Lamberts - Energy / Comfort; Themis
da Cruz Fagundes – Research. Student Officers: Bruna Mayer de Souza – Communications Coordinator -
Communication - Architect and Urbanist, Architecture Master Student at UFSC; Daniel Mayer – Instrumentation
Contact - Automation / Instrumentation / Electric System assistant - Engineer of Automation and Control,
Master’s in Home Automation, Doctorate - Student in Home Automation for energy efficient Buildings at
UFSC; Eduardo Domingues - Construction Manager/Project Engineer - Structure/Production - Architect and
Urbanist, Architecture Master Student at USP; Fernanda Antonio - Project Manager - Structure/Production-
Architect and Urbanist, Architecture Master Student at USP; Giovani Davi - Electrical Engineer- Electric System
- Electrical Enginner, Energy Efficiency Master Student at UFSC; Gustavo Prado Fontes - Contest Captain -
Mechanical Closet Design / Interior Design - Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate at UFSC; Lucas Sabino
Dias - Fire Watch Captain- Structure/ Production / Roofing Structures / Verandas - Architect and Urbanist,
Architecture Master Student at USP; Rovy Pessoa Ferreira - Project Architect - Internal Layout / Renderings-
Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate at UFSC; Rubia Barretto - HS Team Coordinator - Architect and
Urbanist, specialized in ocupational hygiene and Labor security- engineering and Master in Architecture and
Urbanism, Doctorate Student at USP; Tarsila Miyazato - Sponsorship Manager - Finances - Architect and
Urbanist, Architecture Master Student at USP; Thiago Steffen Vieira - Safety Officer - Construction / Plumbing
- Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate at UFSC; Yuri Endo Kokubun - Student Team Leader- Structure/
Production- Architect and Urbanist, Architecture Master Student at USP. Faculty Consultants: Alain Blatché -
Interiors and Furnishings - Designer; Alberto Hernandez Neto - HVAC and Passive Conditioning - Mechanical
Enginnering Professor at USP; Américo Ishida – Architecture - Architecture Design Professor -at UFSC; Ana
Lúcia Nogueira de Camargo Harris - Furniture / Finishings - Architecture Design Professor at UNICAMP; Carlos
Nome – BIM - Architecture Professor at UFRN; Diego Fagundes – Communication Architect. Researcher at
UFSC; Enedir Ghisi – Hydraulics - Structural Engineering, Energy Efficiency and Plumbing Systems Professor
at UFSC; Erica Mattos – Communication - Architect. Researcher at UFSC; Fernando Ruttkay - Energy /
Comfort - Environmental Comfort Professor at UFSC; Joy Till – Graphic Design - Graphic Designer, Urban
Design Doctorate Student (UFRJ) Maria Beatriz Afflalo Brandão – Graphic Design - Graphic Design Professor
(UFRJ) ; Mario Furtado Fontanive – Video - UFRGS video graphic design architect; Marta Dischinger - Interiors
and Furnishings - Architecture Design Professor at UFSC; Pedro Almeida - Ekó House Structural Engineer
- Structures Professor (USP) ; Raquel Tardin - Landscape Architecture - Landscape Architecture Professor
(UFRJ) ; Ricardo Rüther - Electricity / Photovoltaic - Photovoltaic Professor (UFSC) ; Roberto Zilles - Electricity
/ Photovoltaics - Photovoltaic Professor (USP) ; Samuel Abreu - Thermal / Hydraulic Systems- Thermal Energy
Professor (IFSC) ; Saulo Guths - Energy / Comfort - Mechanics and Comfort Professor (UFSC) . Decathletes:
Andrea Invidiata- Lighting Design - Architect and Urbanist, Architecture Master Student at UFSC; Andrigo Filippo
Gonçalves – Photovoltaics - Civil Enginner Undergraduate student at UFSC; Bianca Milani de Quadros – Public
tour - Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate student at UFSC; Camila Barbosa de Amorim – Construction
- Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate student at UFSC; Camilla Almeida Silva - Technical Drawings -
Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate student at USP; Eduardo Ferreira Lima – Construction - Architecture
and Urbanism Undergraduate - student at UFSC; Eduardo Leite Souza - Plumbing System - Architecture and
Urbanism Undergraduate at UFSC; Felipe Cemin Finger - Plumbing / Wetlands - Architecture and Urbanism
Undergraduate at UFSC; Giovani Davi - Doctorate Student; Gabriella Bergamini – Finishings - Civil Engineering

259
Undergraduate Student at UNICAMP; Giulia Aikawa da Silveira Andrade – Construction - Architecture and
Urbanism Undergraduate student at UFSC; João Alberto Armondi - Construction and Plumbing - Architecture
and Urbanism Undergraduate student at UFSC; Jorge Henrique Souza - Construction and HVAC - Architecture
and Urbanism- Undergraduate student at UFSC; Letícia Niero Moraes - Architect and Energy Efficiency Master
Student at UFSC; Lettícia de Paula Diez Rey – Finances - Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate student at
USP; Manfred Kratzenberg – Photovoltaics - Mechanical Engineer Doctorate student at UFSC; Marcelo Almeida
- Electrical Engineer - Master Student at USP; Miguel Pacheco – Simulations- Architect, Doctorate Student
at UFSC; Pascoal Henrique da Costa Rigolin- Electric Engineering - Doctorate Student at USP; Paul Gerhard
Beyer Ehrat - Architect - Master Student at UFSC; Umberto Violatto Sampaio - Architecture and Urbanism
Undergraduate student at UFSC; Mariana Colin Stelzner - Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate student
at UFSC; Carolina Rodrigues Dal Soglio - Architecture and Urbanism Undergraduate student at UFSC; Thiago
Steffen Vieira - Undergraduate Student; Filipi Dias - Undergraduate Student. Team Officers: Communications
coordinator – Bruna Mayer de Souza; Construction manager – Eduardo Domingues; Contest captain – Gustavo
Prado Fontes; Electrical engineer – Pascoal Henrique da Costa Rigolin; Faculty advisor – Claudia Oliveira; HS
team coordinator – Rúbia Barreto; Instrumentation contact – Daniel Mayer; Project Architect – Rovy Ferreira;
Project Engineer - Lucas Sabino Dias; Project Manager – Fernanda Antonio; Safety Officer – Gabriella Bergamini
& Camilla Almeida Silva; Site operations coordinator – Eduardo Domingues; Structural engineer – Pedro
Almeida; Student team leader – Yuri Endo Kokubun; Cost estimator – Tarsila Miyazato; Fire watch captain –
Lucas Sabino Dias; Sponsorship manager – Bruna Mayer de Souza.

15. CHIBA UNIVERSITY, JAPAN

Faculty & Administrative Advisors: Yasushi Saito (President of Chiba University, M.D and Ph.D. in Medicine);
Professor Hiroshi Noguchi (Ex-Dean of Engineering Department , Ph.D.in Engineering); Professor
Akihide Kitamura (Dean of Engineering Department , Ph.D.in Engineering); Professor Takaharu Kawase
(Ph.D.inEngineering); Professor Akira Kuryu (M. Eng.,Prof.,(architectural design), Director Kuryu&Architects);
Professor Masao Ando (Ph.D.in Engineering); Associate Professor Akiko Okabe (Ph.D.in Engineering); Associate
Professor Hiroki Suzuki (Ph.D.in Engineering); Associate Professor Jun Munakata (Ph.D.in Engineering); Affiliate
Professor Toyoki Kozai (Former President of Chiba University, Ph.D.in Agriculture); Associate Professor Toru
Maruo (Ph.D.in Agriculture); Associate Professor Masaaki Hohjo (Ph.D.in Agriculture); Associate Professor Toru
Mitani (Landscape Architect and Ph.D.in Engineering); Professor Chisato Mori (M.D. and Ph.D. in Medicine);
Professor Kazuo Maeno (Ph.D.in Engineering); Professor Daisuke Fujikawa (Ph.D in Education); Technical
Official Shunichiro Higashi Technical Official Sinwon Jeong (Ph.D.in Engineering ). Team Members: Shota
Tajima (Graduate School of Architecture); Yuichiro Tahara (Graduate School of Architecture); Masamichi
Hanazato (Graduate School of Architecture); Gordon Higgins (Graduate School of Architecture); Ken Iimura
(Graduate School of Science and Technology); Kosuke Sakura (Graduate School of Architecture); Hidemi
Yoshida (Graduate School of Architecture); Yuta Numata (Graduate School of Architecture); Yin Shan (Graduate
School Of Architecture); Ghazal Jaberi (Graduate School of Architecture); Angel Rafael Martinez Mora (Graduate
School of Architecture); Shoma Shimizu (Department of Economics); Eriko Sakai (Department of Architecture);
Akihiko Ono (Graduate School of Horticulture); Mai Ishikawa (Graduate School of Horticulture); Haruka Takano
(Graduate School of Horticulture); Miwa Fukuda (Graduate School of Architecture); Kantaro Hori (Department
of Architecture); Hiroaki Yoshida (Graduate School of Architecture); Olavo Avalone (Graduate School of
Architecture); Satomi Ito (Graduate School of Architecture Fumi Beppu (Graduate School of Architecture); Akiko
Kaneko (Graduate School of Architecture); Masaki Nakamura (Graduate School of Architecture); Kohei Kamiya
(Graduate School of Architecture); Kentaro Oide (Graduate School of Architecture); Sai Idatu (Graduate School of
Architecture); Shun Fukushima (Graduate School of Education); Yoshie Nemoto (Graduate School Of Education);
Makiko Kondo (Graduate School Of Education); Chie Koga (Graduate School Of Education); Ayaka Sakai
(Graduate School of Education); Haruka Suzuki (Department of Architecture); Shinya Nakamura (Department of
Architecture); Chiaki Tago (Department of Architecture); Anna Sugii (Department of Architecture); Trinh Ba Touc
(Department of Architecture); Ryouhei Hazumi (Department of Architecture); Shinpei Suzuki (Department of
Architecture).

16. UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO, PORTUGAL

Team Officers: Faculty Advisor: Manuel Vieira Lopes (CEM); Project Manager: João Veloso (CEM); Health &
Safety: Prof. Miguel Tato (FEUP); Communication: Prof Gaspar Coutinho (FEUP)and Ana Teresa Carvalho (CEM);
Project Development: Manuel Vieira Lopes (CEM | FAUP). Architecture: Manuel Vieira Lopes (CEM | FAUP),
Cintia Pires Architect (FAUP), Daniel Pereira Architect (FAUP), Luisa Barreira Architect (FAUP), Simao Sandim
Architect (FAUP).Structure: Prof. Teixeira da Silva (FEUP) & Prof. Póvoas (FAUP); Wood: Prof. Póvoas (FAUP);
Metal:Prof. Teixeira da Silva (FEUP); Mechanism: Prof. Teixeira da Silva (FEUP); Infrastructure:Electric: Prof.
Neves dos Santos (FEUP); Francisco Rocha Electrical Engineer (FEUP); Plumbing: Elisa Bela Soares (CEM);
Mechanic: Joao Teles Mechanical Engineer (FEUP); André Santos Mechanical Engineer (FEUP); Jorge Amorim

260
Mechanical Engineer (FEUP) ; Construction/Event: Logistic:Portilame, Metaloviana and Lazo; Outdoor Works
Sedacor: Structure: Wood: Eng. Pedro Cunha (Portilame); Metal & Mechanism: Eng. José Barros (Metaloviana)
; Infrastructure: Francisco Rocha and João Teles (CEM) ; Revetments: Eng.Luis Rocha (Portilame) ; Furniture &
Decoration: Manuel Vieira Lopes (CEM | FAUP).

17. ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE D’ARCHITECTURE PARIS-MALAQUAIS + ÉCOLE DES PONTS PARISTECH
+UNIVERSITÀ DI FERRARA + POLITECNICO DI BARI, FRANCE + ITALY

Team Officers: Faculty Advisor:Maurizio Brocato (Professor); Project Manager:Marios Vekinis (Architectural
Student); Construction Manager:William Deleporte (Architectural Student); Project Architect:Giuseppe Fallacara
(Professor); Project Engineer:Martina Presepi (PhD); Structural Engineer:Maurizio Brocato (Professor);
Student Team Leader:Jean-Elie Tanguy (Architectural Student); Health & Safety Officer:Lucia Mondardini
(PhD); Fire Watch Captain:Jean-Elie Tanguy (Architectural Student);Public Relation Contact:Guylène Moulin
(Business Student);Instrumentation Contact:Donato Vincenzi (Professor); Electrical Engineer:Donato Vincenzi
(Professor);Objective Contest Captain:Jean-Elie Tanguy (Architectural Student); Cost Estimator:Maurizio Brocato
(Professor); Decathletes:Pierre Brana (Architectural Student); Mariangela Bruno (Architectural Student); Jean
François Caron (Professor); Ezgi Ertan(Architectural Student); Carmen Giorgio (Architectural Student); Anna
Mangione (Architectural Student); Ilaria Marcario (Architectural Student); Romain Mege (School manager &
professor); Nahla Mouhouche (Architectural Student); Gianandrea Parentela (Architectural Student); Luana
Pozzetti (PhD); Fabio Pretelli (Engineer); Zhuoying Sun(Architectural Student); Michele Tonezzer(Professor);
Racha Touati(Architectural Student); Basile Truffault(Architectural Student); Silvia Traversi(Student); Greta
Carangelo (Student); Stefano Baricordi(University staff); Claudine Deleporte(University Staff); Cristofe
Racat(Architectural Student); Ying Gao(Architectural Student).

18. UNIVERSIDAD DE ZARAGOZA, SPAIN

Team Officers: José Antonio Turégano (Faculty Advisor - Profesor facultad de Ingeniería. PhD in Science-
Physics – Energy Efficiency in Building);Leonardo Agurto (Project Manager – Architect.GEE UDZ- PhD Student
in renewable energy and energy efficiency); Alejandro del Amo (Project Manager- Industrial engineer – PhD
Student in renewable energy and energy efficiency); Rodrigo Vidal (Project Architect / Health & Safety Officer -
Architect GEE UDZ); Paulina Espinosa (Construction Manager / Site Operator / Health & Safety Officer / Public
Relation Contact / Decathlete – Arquitecta GEE UDZ); María Cabrerizo (Construction Manager / Site Operator /
Health & Safety Officer / Objective Contest Captain / Cost Estimator / Decathlete – Ingeniera GEE UDZ); Daniel
Sanginés (Health & Safety Officer / Decathlete – Ingeniero GEE PhD); Ángel Martínez (Construction Manager
/ Site Operator - GEE UDZ); Constantino Baile (Health & Safety Coordinator / Fire Watch Captain / Decathlete
– Master in occupational safety); Jairo de la Nava (Health & Safety Officer / Decathlete – Master student in
ecodesign); José Andrés López (Public Relation Contact Coordiantor – GEE UDZ); Dido Almárcegui (Public
Relation Contact – Sociologist GEE UDZ); Julia Mérida (Public Relation Contact / Team member – Environmental
science GEE UDZ); Arturo Guillén (Instrumentation Contact Coordinator / Decathlete –Monitoring engineer GEE
UDZ); Pablo Estrada (Instrumentation Contact – Informático GEE UDZ); Enrique Ollés (Instrumentation Contact
– Informático GEE UDZ); Manel Bosch(Objective contest captain / Decathlete – Industrial engineering student
– third year); Jorge Sanz (Decathlete – Master student in ecodesign); Daniel Ariza (Decatlete – Architecture
student – 4th year); María Llano (Decahtlete – grade); Marta Blasco (Decahtlete – Industrial designstudent. Final
project); María Eugenia Notivoli(Decahtlete –Industrial designstudent. Final project); Clara Lorente (Decahtlete –
Architecture student – 3rd year); Cristina Ramos (Decahtlete – Architecture student – 3rd year); Isabel Esquerrá
(Decahtlete –Architecture student – 4th year); Daniel Sierra (Decahtlete –Architecture student – 3rd year); Eva
Roldán (Sustainable report – Master student in renewable energy & energy efficiency); Diego García (Decahtlete
–Architecture student – 3rd year); Gonzalo Brun (Team crew – technician EndeF); Sabina Pérez (Team crew
); Fernando Pérez (Decathlete - technician); Vicente Zárate (Team crew - technician); Daniel Segarra (Team
member – fine arts student); Jorge Macaya (Team member ); Gemma Arbues (Team member); Amalia Checa
(Team member); Roberto Pac (Team member); Juan José Casafranca (Team member – construction engineer
student); Jesus Castrillo (Team crew); Alexandru Pralea (Team crew); Fernando Olariaga ((Team crew); Belinda
López (Team member); Enrique Cano (Team member); Silvia Hernandez (Team member); Francisco López (Team
member); Ignacio Lasierra (Team member).

SOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE 2012 ORGANIZATION

General management: SDEurope Director: Javier Serra María Tomé. Institutional Director UPM: José Manuel
Páez. UPM Architecture School Director: Luis Maldonado Ramos. SDEurope General Director, Project
Manager: Sergio Vega Sánchez. María Jimenez, Florencia Piñero. Economic area: Administrative and Financial
Management: Responsible: Cristina Miró Pino, Team: Gema Barrero, Salvador Fernández, Mark Hallett,
Alfredo Álvarez, Julián Chaparro, Ángel Hernandez, Antonio Rojo. Communication area: Communication

261
Manager: Ismael Martínez Martínez. Internal & External Communication Director: Fernando Urías. External
Communication responsible: Yolanda San Román. External Communication Team: Claudia Estrella, Xiana Santos.
Multimedia editor: Marcus Carus. Social Media Responsible: David Sigüenza. International Media responsible:
Victoria Smith. Public activities & events responsible: Judith Martínez Martínez. Public activities & events
team: Sálvora Féliz. Sponsors &Institutional relations responsible: Juan Ramón Sánchez. Infrastructure area:
Infrastructure Manager: Juan Valero. Villa Solar Responsible: Raúl Rubio. Villa Solar Team: Tomás Pineda,
Enrique López, . Electrical Project: Álvaro Zamora. Telecommunications: Joaquín Ortigas. Office Building
Responsible: Eva Gómez. Building Inspections Coordinator: Letzai Ruiz. Building Inspections Team: Juan
Queipo, Elena Frias. Health & Safety Coordinator: Jesús Pérez Aloe. Health & Safety Team: Pedro Beguería.
Site Operations Coordinator: Javier García. Logistics & Services Coordinator: Cristobal Contreras. Competition
area: Competition Manager: Edwin Rodríguez Ubiñas. Competition Strategies Manager: Claudio Montero Santos.
Competition Strategies Coordinator: María Porteros Mañueco. Competition Rules & Scientific Strategy Team:
Martín Gil Von der Walde, Inés Idzikowski, Beatriz Arranz, Manuel Álvarez, Alejandro Castell. Participants Teams.
Coordinator: María Barcia. Monitoring Coordinator: Álvaro Gutierrez. Monitoring Team: Manuel Castillo, Iñaki
Navarro Oiza, Eduardo Matallanas de Ávila, Javier de la Rubia Tuya, Andrea Ortiz, Elda María Delgado García.
Collaborators: Jorge Pérez, Alfonso García Santos, Estefanía Caamaño Martín, Miguel Ángel Egido de Aguilera,
Josep María Adell Argilés, Javier Neila González, Cesar Bedoya Frutos., Ignacio Valero Ubierna, Ramón Araujo,
Beatriz Rivela, Alberto Sánchez, Jorge Solórzano del Moral, Cesar Díaz Sanchidrían, Pablo Jiménez García,
Carlos Espinosa Wilhemy, Domingo Guinea Díaz, Patricio Alañón Olmedo, Eunate Buzunariz, José María Quero,
Juan Francisco Alamillo, Juan Carlos García Sabaniego, Alberto Sánchez del Collado, María Jesús Martín, Jaime
Santos, Roberto Garcés, Gregorio Ortega, José Miguel Reyes.

262
1
 EUROPEAN PARTNERS

View publication stats