A new revolution on Architecture: the bioclimatic house!
A bioclimatic house is a new branch of architecture. The aim to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency in the use of materials, energy, and development space. Sustainable architecture is meant to achieve the best alignment with nature and also improving the quality of life.
Bioclimatic house is a construction that seeks the harmony of climate with internal space based on thermal, acoustic and visual comfort!
The system allows us to capture rainwater as well as to reuse it. It is fundamental for the construction of the bioclimatic house. This system can be also responsible for the classification of organic waste.
Inside the bioclimatic house, a constant temperature may be kept, regardless of the external climate. This thermal insulation is possible, thanks to the use of double walls, with foam shavings. So the heat inside cannot be released and vice-versa. Therefore, air conditioning, heater, and fan are expendable.
Sunlight turning into electricity
The installation of photovoltaic panels is another major economy of the bioclimatic house. As we know, this energy is obtained through panels that turn sunlight into electricity.
Another alternative is to adopt the so-called "chimney effect". The process is simple: you take the air at the bottom and make heated air which comes out from the top of the place.
The use of other materials, such as basalt, can be adopted if it is necessary to make a high wall. In this case, thermal mass and volcanic coal are applied.
The basalt stone wall supports a lightweight plywood structure with galvanized steel walls and glass.
Waste from the toilets of a bioclimatic house is treated in a segregating vessel that dispenses with the use of water. Decentralized sanitation is, therefore, an important instrument for the preservation of water resources.
The bioclimatic house is nice in summer and winter because of its adjustable ventilation!
To avoid overheating in summer, shading devices should be installed:
- Protrusions: for a window southward, the ideal length of a protrusion is half the length between the bottom of the window and the bottom of the protrusion. When the protrusions are not enough, because of the sun's rays arriving horizontally, the solution will be the installation of blinds.
- Vegetation: well-chosen and well-placed trees can help reduce solar gains in summer and the opposite in winter. For example: leaf trees lapse so far south and green trees to the north and east. Trees can also reduce the external temperature by 1-2° C and create a microclimate around themselves.
- Ventilation: in times of intense heat, attention should be paid to the distribution of heat in the rooms. Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (CMV) plays an essential role for low-energy homes. In maintaining the energy required for low heating, it is recommended to install a ventilation system with heat recovery (double-flow ventilation). The system uses heat (or coolness) of the outlet air, to increase (or reduce) the air temperature coming from within.
"It is up to the architects responsible for the bioclimatic house project, to verify not only local climate data but also the topography of the surroundings. That is, make the most of the ventilation, heatstroke, noise and vegetation characteristics!"