Passive and Low Energy Architecture in Education of Contemporary Architecture

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1 Passive and Low Energy Architecture in Education of Contemporary Architecture Barbara WIDERA Faculty of Architecture, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland ABSTRACT: At the beginning of XXI century climatic and sustainable design has been the most actual topic of contemporary architecture. Education of young architects in this area of knowledge should become as advanced as possible. Showing clearly that passive and low energy architecture is not a temporary fashion but the new way of thinking and does not have to be connected with any particular current should become one of the most important goals for the educators. The rich and original exemplification is very important in the teaching process. It helps student understand how sustainable design works in practice. In consequence they are more open for new challenges and creative solutions. Theory and practical experience should be connected in the whole education process. International cooperation, conferences, workshops and practices as well as students contests are highly recommended so that the good examples can be followed and the young generation of architects will promote the worldwide campaign for passive and low energy architecture of the future. Keywords: education, architecture, energy, bioclimatic, sustainable 1. INTRODUCTION At the beginning of XXI century climatic and sustainable design has been the most actual topic of contemporary architecture. Education of young architects in this area of knowledge should become as advanced as possible. Nevertheless teaching practice seems to stay behind the science and technology. Certain efforts to change this fact have been undertaken. It is vital to diversify the educational process and to follow the theoretical knowledge with practical works. It is also essential to raise students consciousness that the architecture safe for the environment has been an unavoidable need of our times on one hand, but on the other hand does not result with any limitation of individual style nor creativeness of the author. 2. THE NEW APPROACH TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN 2.1. Common Philosophy, Any Style is Welcome XXI century should start with the radical change of typical but old fashioned approach presented in the polemic between Peter Eisenman and Leon Krier My ideology is better than yours (Eisenman, Krier 1989) [1]. Many designers believe that climatic architecture has been a part of Eco-Tech movement which they regard to be nothing but the evolution of High-Tech logic. For the opponents that kind of design does not leave enough space for the creativeness, imagination and personal style of the designer. Showing clearly that passive and low energy architecture does not have to be connected with any particular current should become one of the most important goals for the educators. Villa A (Fig. 1), located on the slope of the Poestling Berg, a mountain in Linz, Austria, designed by Najjar & Najjar Architects (2010), represents the example of low energy building. On the southern and western side of the house the roof cantilevers beyond the terraces to provide en efficient sun protection in the summer while in the winter the low sun angle allows controlled entry of the natural light into the interior space. Fig. 1: Villa A, Linz, Austria, designed by Najjar & Najjar Architects (2010) represents an example of low energy building. Manfred Seidl. Fig. 2: Villa A, Linz, Austria, Najjar & Najjar Architects (2010). Daylight can enter through the openwork roof and terrace glazing. Manfred Seidl.

2 The large scale glazing have been supported with reflections from the pool near the house as well as from white walls, pavements and other interior surfaces, in purpose to reduce using the electric light during the whole year (Fig. 2). Daylight can also enter through the roof glazing between the lower floor and the upper terrace (Fig. 3). It has been combined with the shape of the openwork roof. This implementation of passive energy concept has been followed by the recuperator in the ground and photovoltaic panels on the roof (Najjar, Najjar 2010) [2]. Natural ventilation has been also provided. Indoors and outdoors space blurs smoothly and the idea of green architecture has been connected with individual style which resulted with contemporary, elegant forms. This is very important to take care about esthetic and cultural side of the sustainable projects because, as it has been pointed out by James Wines, sometimes the enthusiasts of advanced technology try to present it as a very complicated challenge and the reproachable character of their comments may discourage persons who do not accept the technological forms. As Wines notes people are often attracted by apocalyptical visions and fantastic project of salvation but they do not really see anything particularly interesting in photovoltaic panels or low-emissivity coatings (Wines 2000) [3] Not another fashion Though environment protection must be understood by this generation as the crucial condition of surviving for our planet and the whole humankind, still many people think that sustainable design is just a new fashion. They emphasize high costs of climatic buildings, believing that with the time architects will simply change they mind and step into another style, leaving the investors with expensive edifices. It is vital to convince students during the education process, that the low energy architecture is based on logical solutions, does not always have to be so expensive and the idea will not change next season. The good example of passive energy but also low cost building can be observed in Hanover, Germany. Postfossil Ecowoodbox Kindergarten, designed by Despang Architekten (2007), replaced an old, prefabricated structure and, as Van Uffelen points out, covered almost the same area so that the existing soil sealing and elements of the building could be reused (Van Uffelen 2010) [4]. As shown in Phaidon Atlas of 21.st Century World Architecture (2008) [5] light wooden structure and highly insulated timber cladding create natural look of the building, making it a promising exception from a nearby architecture of a 1950s suburban area of the city. Solar energy gained through the curved triple-glazed south facade has been used to heat the rooms (Fig. 4). Providing natural light and contact with the nature is a necessity in this kind of facility (Fig. 5). Nevertheless in this particular case Despang Architekten paid special attention to educational aspect of the project. The young generation not only should enjoy the building to grow happily and have fun, but also should learn here. Helping children to understand ecological tasks and to meet them in the most positive way is an important goal, emphasized by the architect (Despang 2007) [6]. Fig. 3: Villa A, Linz, Austria Najjar & Najjar Architects (2010). Daylight enters through the roof glazing between the lower floor and the upper terrace. Manfred Seidl. Fig. 4: Postfossil Ecowoodbox Kindergarten in Hanover, Germany, designed by Despang Architekten (2007). South facade. Photography courtesy of Martin Despang. Fig. 5: Postfossil Ecowoodbox Kindergarten, Hanover, Germany, Despang Architekten (2007).Curvilinear facade maximizes solar exposure. Photography courtesy of Martin Despang.

3 2.3. Underwater Architecture When we think about sustainable design we often stress its self-sufficiency. Some attempts to create underwater habitual space for human had been undertaken both in 20-th and 21-st century. In this case the aspect of self-sufficiency became natural. On the other hand when people try to inhabit the new, underwater environment, they seem to have a little bit more respect for the nature. Presentation of these ideas could be an interesting diversification in educational process, especially because it has not been connected with particular architectural style or current. In many cases it helps students to open for new challenges and in consequence to look for completely new, creative solutions in the field of architectural design. From many projects and research undertaken in 20-th century the most famous ones were those carried out by Jacques Cousteau. The series of experiments known as Conshelf (Continental Shelf Station) proved that it is possible for the man to live and work in specially designed underwater houses without coming out to the surface. Today some visions for aquatic cities have been proposed by architects like Jacques Rougerie or Vincent Callebaut. In most of cases contemporary ideas concern rather floating than underwater objects. In Lilypad project (2008) Callebaut emphasizes the fact that this amphibian city could grant the housing for future climatic refugees from places like Polynesian atolls. The sustainability and self-sufficiency became one of the main objective of the author (Callabaut 2008) [7]. The multifunctional program of Lilypad has been organized around the artificial fresh water lagoon, collecting and purifying rain water but also ballasting the whole city. Creating the harmonious coexistence between man and nature has been the main goal in this territory, dedicated to nomadism and urban ecology in the sea. The idea of the floating city has been inspired by the aquatic plant, the great Amazonian lilypad. The double skin is made of polyester fibers and covered with titanium dioxide which by the photocatalytic effect helps absorbing the atmospheric pollution. The structure is entirely self-sufficient and recyclable, with zero CO 2 emission. Usage of all renewable energies (solar, thermal and photovoltaic, wind, hydraulic and osmotic energy) has been proposed in the project. The whole system is supported by tidal power station as well as phytopurification and biomass, so that the city can effectively produce oxygen and electricity without causing any pollution or other harm to the ocean or its inhabitants. Although this kind of project may be perceived as an utopian vision, still it opens new way of thinking and stimulates students imagination. 3. EDUCATION BASED ON SHOW-EXPLAIN- ENCOURAGE SCHEDULE 3.1. Teaching process It has been repeated for ages that the teaching process should start with the basics. Nevertheless the understanding of basics tends to change constantly. Nowadays ability to create passive and low energy should commence to be an absolute standard for the young architects. It is necessary to start their professional education with simple projects where students use basic knowledge about sustainable technology. After having faced these problems for the first time, students should continue with the seminary to have an opportunity to discuss, together with the moderator, some interesting contemporary solutions, developed for the climatic architecture. Parallelly they should join the group, working on another project, in purpose to meet more advanced requirements of sustainable design and to deal with some real, not only theoretical questions. This way theory and practical experience should be connected in the whole education process, so the students really understand the environmental issue and start to believe enough in themselves. In consequence they will not try to escape from these problems in their future architectural practice. Fig.6: Lilypad project of sustainable self-sufficient floating city, Vincent Callebaut (2008). Drawing, based on Callabaut s model, by Barbara Widera. Fig. 7: Ecohouse, Hill End, Australia, Riddel Architecture (2010) is located on the narrow riverfront side and has been opened to the landscape wherever it was possible. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones.

4 3.2. Exemplification Teaching how to create sustainable and climatic architecture becomes more and more common in designing practice. At the same time very little effort to implement the idea into history and theory of contemporary architecture education has been undertaken. For many students sustainable design looks attractive but too complicated. To deal with this point of view academic teachers should spend some time showing examples of well designed buildings and whole complexes, explaining how they work and encouraging students to develop their own ideas based upon presented objects. It is also very important to make clear the fact that some of the solutions may be used and pay off not only in huge, governmental or corporate buildings, but also in really small and totally various projects, like village shops, nursery schools, dance studios or private houses. Examples from different regions should be chosen to illustrate how ecological architecture may work and deal with various climatic, social and cultural conditions. Riddel Architecture, the authors of Hill End Ecohouse in Hill End, inner Brisbane, Australia (2010) demonstrate how the private residence could replace an old house, be constructed in 80% from materials recycled from the previous building and occupy the same footprint. To the top of that all additional materials were locally sourced and have undergone rigorous assessment of their environmental, social and economic sustainability credentials. Ecohouse is located on the narrow riverfront side and has been opened to the landscape wherever it was possible (Fig. 7). Robert Riddel and his team: David Gole, Emma Scragg and Simon Boundy explaine that large openings help to capture cool breezes and daylight to reduce need for artificial lighting and to provide natural ventilation (Riddel 2010) [8]. Open plan allows an easy access of fresh air and natural light into the rooms and simultaneously creates informal, relaxed atmosphere (Fig. 8). Light-colored finishes maximize reflection of daylight. For optimum efficiency LED and compact fluorescent lamps have been used. The house is fully self sufficient in both water and power and has a monitoring system to measure the use of energy, gas and water as well as temperature and humidity. The north-facing roof has 3kW photovoltaic panels. The sun s energy is captured to provide hot water and grid-connected electricity to supply the whole house's needs. An efficient gas fire provides winter heating to the southern living space, where, in Australian conditions, solar heating is not possible. The house has recycled polyester bulk insulation and timber frames to reduce heat transfer. Eaves and awnings give sun and rain protection. A drop down louver to the River Terrace provides shading from the morning sun while the north balcony has been sheltered by a trellis with deciduous vines. 60,000L of rainwater storage supplies the whole house and garden. House rainwater is pre-filtered, heated by solar panels and stored in a wellinsulated tank. To reduce water waste, a hot water recirculation unit reheats cold water and greywater is treated and recycled on site. Fig. 8: Ecohouse, Hill End, Australia, Riddel Architecture (2010). Open plan allows an easy access of fresh air and natural light into the rooms and creates informal atmosphere. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones Fig. 9: Ecohouse, Hill End, Australia, Riddel Architecture (2010). Terrace has been open both to south and east. Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones The swimming pool is minimal in size and uses an efficient pump/filter system. It is filled and topped up with rainwater and lit with locally-made LED lights. The house has been a good example of an interesting and original architecture where the authors take maximum advantage of specific location with the benefit both for the residence owners and the environment How to use the examples The teaching experience has proved that well chosen examples can be remembered for a long time with very positive effects. In the preceding

5 paragraph the specific example had been used to put attention on the building s orientation. In Europe, that is in the northern hemisphere, south-facing windows require some external protection to prevent overheating during the summer and to control glare. North-facing windows do not require shading, but they are not suitable for solar heating. Naturally in the southern hemisphere it has been opposite. European students of architecture, accustomed to northern conditions, were for the first moment surprised with the fact that in Ecohouse southern part of the building needed supporting heating system, while the trellis had been located from the north. Very soon they realized that we were talking about the southern hemisphere, which they missed for the first moment. Once having focused on the orientation topic they have also discussed the article in which the experts from Labs for the 21st Century (2003) claim that East- and west-facing windows are not recommended for daylighting because it is difficult to control glare and heat gain, especially on the west side (Laboratories for the 21st Century: Best Practices 2003) [9] Helpful Inferences Exemplification is an important part of teaching process since it helps to remember how sustainable ideas work in practice. Nevertheless it is very profitable to spend a little bit more time and ask students to form inferences and to sum up some best features of the buildings they have been shown during the classes. In consequence they will understand given examples and remember their own conclusions much better. 4. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION It has been a common truth that what people really do speaks much louder than what they say. Though it is very important that students and young architects can meet they older colleagues from other countries and find out that the sustainable and climatic design became a regular practice in architectural offices. Competitive approach also has been a good idea. During contests students motivate each other and the result is usually much better. The Solar Decathlon Competition is one of such contests. In this international competition various college and university teams compete to design, build and operate the most attractive, effective and energyefficient solar-powered house (U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2010) [10]. Silo House, designed by students from Cornell University, New York, has been one of the most interesting project presented during the competition in The original idea is based upon the three living cylinders, organized around central courtyard with the rectilinear array of photovoltaics, floating above the entire structure (Fig. 10). Bedroom, kitchen and the living room, situated in separate cylinders, can be totally opened to the central part with the usage of operable glass wall system (Fig. 11). The authors inspiration for the cylinders came from industrial agricultural materials (Cornell University Solar Decathlon, Silo House 2009) [11]. They used a CorTen corrugated steel cladding and exposed steel beams on the interior (Fig. 12). Fig. 10: Silo House by Cornell University Team (2009). Three living cylinders are organized around central courtyard. The photovoltaic panels are floating above the structure. Photography by Chris Goodney Fig. 11: Silo House by Cornell University Team (2009). Living spaces can be totally opened to the central part with the usage of operable glass wall system. Photography by Chris Goodney. Fig. 12: Silo House by Cornell University Team (2009). Steel construction has been exposed but sustainably forested hardwood provide light and natural look. Photography by Chris Goodney. The electric system of the house is composed of photovoltaic panels, grid-tied inverters and a smart load panel. Silo House has fully-functioning kitchen, home theater PC with eco-friendly LCD, 1 GB network and even electric toilets. Excess power generated in the house is sold back to the grid. Solar gain from the steel envelope through an innovative skin-integrated solar thermal system has been used to pre-heat hot water. Additional light diffusion and stack ventilation have been allowed

6 through the operable Velux skylights, two in each cylinder. Materials were chosen locally with strong environmental conscience and much care to utilize sustainable, regenerative and environmentally benign materials. Black locust, ash and beech hardwoods, also locally sourced and sustainably forested provide natural and light look inside the house. Only zero off-gassing finishes have been used. It is worth noting that the team did not just finished the house and forget the project but the organization has been constantly active. Team members run the website, update the information and even arrange trips, so that the other people may see their works and understand how the sustainable buildings can operate in practice (Cornell University Sustainable Design 2010) [12]. 5. CONCLUSION Even after a perfect presentation and the most logical argumentation some students tend to ask who cares. It is finally time to say We care in as many languages as possible. That is why constant education, international conferences, workshops and practices are so important. Hopefully the good examples will be followed and the young generation of architects will promote the worldwide campaign for passive and low energy architecture of the future. 6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank the architects and photographers of presented buildings who not only allowed their permission to publish but also offered amazing support and many helpful comments. 7. REFERENCES [1] Eisenman P versus Krier L (1989), My Ideology is Better than Yours, Architectural Design, no [2] Najjar K, Najjar R 2010, viewed 15 October, 2010, [3] Wines J 2000, Green Architecture, Taschen, Köln, p. 64. [4] Van Uffelen C 2009, Ecological Architecture, Braun Publishing, Berlin, p [5] Postfossil Ecowoodbox Kindergarten, in Phaidon Atlas of 21.st Century World Architecture, Phaidon, London 2008, p [6] Despang M 2007, viewed 10 October, 2010, [7] Callebaut V 2008, viewed 17 October, 2010, [8] Riddel R 2010, viewed 12 October, 2010, [9] Laboratories for the 21st Century: Best Practices 2003, viewed 17 July, 2010, _508.pdf [10] U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2010, viewed 15 October, 2010, [11] Cornell University Solar Decathlon, Silo House, 2009, viewed 15 October, 2010, [12] Cornell University Sustainable Design 2010, viewed 15 October, 2010,