Construction:
This type of modular construction, preassembled in a factory, has considerable advantages over conventional building methods: it reduces the building process time to about a third, the structure is more stable and precise, it accepts the use of ultimate products and techniques for better thermal and acoustic insulation and it enhances the quality and the control of the building due to the indoor nature of its building process.
Atika was conceived as a prefabricated modular housing structure, representing the top of a building. The demo version of Atika was assembled for the first time in Bilbao, Spain and was designed to travel through different countries over the next few years. It has therefore been built to be assembled and disassembled several times without decreasing the quality of its construction.
Atika is transported by road to its assembly site. So both the structures of the exhibition ground floor and the dwelling need to be self-bearing and able to resist the stress and strain of crane lifting. A convoy of four trucks is needed because of the dimensions of the elements: 10 x 3.5 x 3.6 m. On the other hand, the large dimensions help to accelerate assembly and reduce critical construction weak points on site.
The main structure of Atika consists of perimeter steel frames for the floor and roof surfaces. Steel columns and diagonal braces stabilise the structure vertically. The floor is a reinforced concrete slab over a corrugated galvanised sheet. The 16 cm thick thermal insulation panels are supported by a corrugated sheet on the roof and a lightweight galvanised steel frame at the exterior walls. Roofs and facades are both clad with a high-pressure laminate plate on the outside and plasterboard panels on the inside. The interior partitions are also plasterboard double skin walls with interior acoustic insulation. The floor finishings are ceramic tiles for the interior of the house and wood for the patio and terraces.
Construction:
This type of modular construction, preassembled in a factory, has considerable advantages over conventional building methods: it reduces the building process time to about a third, the structure is more stable and precise, it accepts the use of ultimate products and techniques for better thermal and acoustic insulation and it enhances the quality and the control of the building due to the indoor nature of its building process.
Atika was conceived as a prefabricated modular housing structure, representing the top of a building. The demo version of Atika was assembled for the first time in Bilbao, Spain and was designed to travel through different countries over the next few years. It has therefore been built to be assembled and disassembled several times without decreasing the quality of its construction.
Atika is transported by road to its assembly site. So both the structures of the exhibition ground floor and the dwelling need to be self-bearing and able to resist the stress and strain of crane lifting. A convoy of four trucks is needed because of the dimensions of the elements: 10 x 3.5 x 3.6 m. On the other hand, the large dimensions help to accelerate assembly and reduce critical construction weak points on site.
The main structure of Atika consists of perimeter steel frames for the floor and roof surfaces. Steel columns and diagonal braces stabilise the structure vertically. The floor is a reinforced concrete slab over a corrugated galvanised sheet. The 16 cm thick thermal insulation panels are supported by a corrugated sheet on the roof and a lightweight galvanised steel frame at the exterior walls. Roofs and facades are both clad with a high-pressure laminate plate on the outside and plasterboard panels on the inside. The interior partitions are also plasterboard double skin walls with interior acoustic insulation. The floor finishings are ceramic tiles for the interior of the house and wood for the patio and terraces.
Construction:
This type of modular construction, preassembled in a factory, has considerable advantages over conventional building methods: it reduces the building process time to about a third, the structure is more stable and precise, it accepts the use of ultimate products and techniques for better thermal and acoustic insulation and it enhances the quality and the control of the building due to the indoor nature of its building process.
Atika was conceived as a prefabricated modular housing structure, representing the top of a building. The demo version of Atika was assembled for the first time in Bilbao, Spain and was designed to travel through different countries over the next few years. It has therefore been built to be assembled and disassembled several times without decreasing the quality of its construction.
Atika is transported by road to its assembly site. So both the structures of the exhibition ground floor and the dwelling need to be self-bearing and able to resist the stress and strain of crane lifting. A convoy of four trucks is needed because of the dimensions of the elements: 10 x 3.5 x 3.6 m. On the other hand, the large dimensions help to accelerate assembly and reduce critical construction weak points on site.
The main structure of Atika consists of perimeter steel frames for the floor and roof surfaces. Steel columns and diagonal braces stabilise the structure vertically. The floor is a reinforced concrete slab over a corrugated galvanised sheet. The 16 cm thick thermal insulation panels are supported by a corrugated sheet on the roof and a lightweight galvanised steel frame at the exterior walls. Roofs and facades are both clad with a high-pressure laminate plate on the outside and plasterboard panels on the inside. The interior partitions are also plasterboard double skin walls with interior acoustic insulation. The floor finishings are ceramic tiles for the interior of the house and wood for the patio and terraces.
Solar energy:
There is a big coincidence between solar radiation on the one hand and cooling demand on the other. The hottest days of the year are also the ones with the highest solar radiation, so solar thermal energy is really a perfect technology for cooling purposes.
Uwe Brechlin, Secretary General of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation ESTIF
Solar thermal energy still has an enormous potential in buildings. Although energy collectors are widely used on the eastern Mediterranean coast, and although Spain has now launched an ambitious programme to install them, the technology, research and practice of solar thermal energy are much more middle and north European issues. In those countries with temperate climates, solar systems make a partial contribution to the overall heat supply of buildings. In southern European countries with higher radiation rates, the sun can provide nearly all the energy to produce domestic hot water and a share of space heating. But there is a certain paradox in the fact that sun shines strongest when less heat is needed. The performance of these systems must therefore be reduced in the hot summer and energy stored for the winter periods. But storing energy from summer to winter is difficult.
Atika has an innovative system, with the solar collectors supplying energy not only for heating but also for cooling purposes. They can accumulate about 70 % of the hot water supply and up to 30 % of the energy for space heating. When cooling is needed, the solar collectors provide energy for the house’s air conditioning system.
Eleven VELUX solar collectors, with a total surface of approximately 10 m2, are installed in south-facing roof slopes, with angles varying between 15° and 60°. A mixture of glycol and water circulates through the solar collectors. Glycol is an antifreeze fluid that eliminates the problem of ice in the system and burst pipes.
Solar energy:
There is a big coincidence between solar radiation on the one hand and cooling demand on the other. The hottest days of the year are also the ones with the highest solar radiation, so solar thermal energy is really a perfect technology for cooling purposes.
Uwe Brechlin, Secretary General of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation ESTIF
Solar thermal energy still has an enormous potential in buildings. Although energy collectors are widely used on the eastern Mediterranean coast, and although Spain has now launched an ambitious programme to install them, the technology, research and practice of solar thermal energy are much more middle and north European issues. In those countries with temperate climates, solar systems make a partial contribution to the overall heat supply of buildings. In southern European countries with higher radiation rates, the sun can provide nearly all the energy to produce domestic hot water and a share of space heating. But there is a certain paradox in the fact that sun shines strongest when less heat is needed. The performance of these systems must therefore be reduced in the hot summer and energy stored for the winter periods. But storing energy from summer to winter is difficult.
Atika has an innovative system, with the solar collectors supplying energy not only for heating but also for cooling purposes. They can accumulate about 70 % of the hot water supply and up to 30 % of the energy for space heating. When cooling is needed, the solar collectors provide energy for the house’s air conditioning system.
Eleven VELUX solar collectors, with a total surface of approximately 10 m2, are installed in south-facing roof slopes, with angles varying between 15° and 60°. A mixture of glycol and water circulates through the solar collectors. Glycol is an antifreeze fluid that eliminates the problem of ice in the system and burst pipes.
Solar energy:
There is a big coincidence between solar radiation on the one hand and cooling demand on the other. The hottest days of the year are also the ones with the highest solar radiation, so solar thermal energy is really a perfect technology for cooling purposes.
Uwe Brechlin, Secretary General of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation ESTIF
The glycol flows in a closed loop system from the collectors into the 700-litre accumulation tank which is hereby heated up to a maximum of 90°C. However, in some parts of the Mediterranean area, e.g. Bilbao, the climate in winter is so mild that glycol is needless.An additional source of heat, an electrically powered boiler, supports the production of hot water.
This hot water is used for domestic purposes, for room heating and for feeding the absorption chiller unit that converts heat into cold water used for air conditioning via the fan coils. The compact single-effect absorption chiller functions in much the same way as an electric air-conditioning appliance but uses hot water to power a thermo-dynamic cooling cycle – instead of a compressor that consumes electricity.
The machine installed in Atika makes use of rotation techniques to increase the efficiency of this cycle, thereby reducing the size of the appliance and allowing it to be installed without the need for a cooling tower. By
using water instead of other common refrigerants, it does not harm the ozone layer.
Daylight:
Windows and solar panels are placed strategically depending on the different slope angles of the roof.
Following roof slope research carried out by the architects, each space in the house has been considered independently in terms of its orientation and the incidence of sun on the roof slope and the window openings. The roof angle depends on the need to absorb or protect from the sun’s angle of incidence.
Luminance
Luminance is the term used to define the amount of light reflected or emitted off surfaces. Establishing luminance ratios between surfaces of a given room permits to evaluate its light quality and its visual comfort.
Luminance ratios higher than 1:20 (high contrast) within a normal view (neighbouring surfaces) are considered potential sources of visual discomfort (glare), whereas ratios of 1:1 (low contrast) will make a space look too evenly lit (or too dull).
Variation in light levels, while not exceeding the recommended luminance values and ratios, promotes an environment with visual interest. The following is a luminance-based evaluation of the daylighting conditions in Atika. The luminance values are presented by means of false colour images corresponding to different views and situations in the house. It demonstrates Atika’s potential to control the light quantity and quality under different conditions.
Daylight:
Windows and solar panels are placed strategically depending on the different slope angles of the roof.
Following roof slope research carried out by the architects, each space in the house has been considered independently in terms of its orientation and the incidence of sun on the roof slope and the window openings. The roof angle depends on the need to absorb or protect from the sun’s angle of incidence.
Luminance
Luminance is the term used to define the amount of light reflected or emitted off surfaces. Establishing luminance ratios between surfaces of a given room permits to evaluate its light quality and its visual comfort.
Luminance ratios higher than 1:20 (high contrast) within a normal view (neighbouring surfaces) are considered potential sources of visual discomfort (glare), whereas ratios of 1:1 (low contrast) will make a space look too evenly lit (or too dull).
Variation in light levels, while not exceeding the recommended luminance values and ratios, promotes an environment with visual interest. The following is a luminance-based evaluation of the daylighting conditions in Atika. The luminance values are presented by means of false colour images corresponding to different views and situations in the house. It demonstrates Atika’s potential to control the light quantity and quality under different conditions.
Energy agenda:
There is a big coincidence between solar radiation on the one hand and cooling demand on the other. The hottest days of the year are also the ones with the highest solar radiation, so solar thermal energy is really a perfect technology for cooling purposes.
Uwe Brechlin, Secretary General of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation ESTIF
Energy saving is an urgent focus area of the European Commission’s energy policy. Europe wastes about 20 % of the energy it consumes, and this figure is rising daily. Up to now, imports of fossil fuels meet about 50 % of total energy needs and amount to € 240 billion every year. If nothing is done about this increasing energy dependence, it could rise to 70 % by 2030.
Energy consumption is also the main reason for the growth of greenhouse gas emissions and the climate change. The EU member states have agreed on a target of a 20 % reduction in CO2 emissions, compared with 1990. One of the measures is to save 20 % of total primary energy consumption by 2020. The EU would then use about 13 % less energy than today, which would cost € 100 billion and save 780 tons of CO2 every year.
Therefore an action plan for energy efficiency has been devised for implementation over the next six years. A very important part of this plan is the improvement of the energy performance in buildings, so the EU action plan for energy efficiency includes matters such as development of a strategy for low-energy housing, more use of passive systems for heating and cooling, and minimum requirements for buildings and components. Another measure is to increase the use of renewable energy and the EU member state governments have agreed on binding targets to use 20 % renewable energy in 2020. Renewable energy for hot water, heating and cooling in buildings is an obvious solution in both new and existing buildings.
The design of Atika is made in accordance with the methodology in the European directive for energy performance in buildings. Atika is a showcase for the possibilities with low-energy housing using renewable energy and passive systems for heating and cooling and can thereby be a valuable input for future strategy on low-energy housing. The improvement of existing buildings’ consumption is an obvious task for the next few years as, for decades of mass construction, architecture did not consciously consider energy saving as a parameter. According to Jean Christophe Visier, head of the sustainable development department at the French Building Research Institute CSTB, each citizen should invest the equivalent of the value of a car in his house to achieve a satisfactory level of energy consumption.
Public authorities are asked to offer incentives and to inform consumers in order to encourage energy efficiency measures and change consumer behaviour patterns. Easy improvements like basic insulation measures, new windows, use of low-emission glazing, replacing obsolete boilers and electric devices already represent important annual energy savings.
Energy agenda:
It is vital that architects take energy saving into account in the design phase: renewables should be an integral part of the building to ensure a future with less dependence on fossil fuels.
Uwe Brechlin, Secretary General of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation ESTIF
The energy consumed by new buildings is already being reduced since new legislation and subsidies were put into practice. Some countries have introduced a compulsory requirement for installation of solar thermal energy for hot water, while others have chosen to use financial incentives to drive the development of more renewable energy in the housing sector.
In new buildings, the architect has the opportunity to optimise the design and thus reduce energy consumption.
Energy in buildings is consumed by generating heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water and lighting. Further to the agreement on 20 % renewable energy in 2020, the Commission and the member states shall develop action plans for the use of renewable energy in the three sectors: electricity, biofuels and heating and cooling.
Heating itself – in buildings, for hot water production and for industrial processes – represents half of total energy consumption. The use of renewables – solar thermal, geothermal or biomass – represents a growing alternative to replace huge amounts of fossil fuels and electricity as heat sources to be used elsewhere, or to be saved entirely. Solar thermal energy is already becoming a standard as a heat source due to its attractive price and its relatively simple technology. An increasing problem for the efforts of the Commission is that the use of electrically powered air-conditioning is widespread throughout southern European countries, causing overloads at peak hours.
Atika demonstrates that solar thermal energy for cooling – now that the technology is also mature at single-family household scale – is an attractive alternative for achieving efficient summer indoor comfort in warm regions.
Atika also demonstrates passive systems for heating and cooling. The use of shading to control the passive solar energy as well as natural ventilation to reduce the need of cooling are examples of passive systems to contol the energy consumption of the building.
In fact, sustainability is a matter of information. It can only be achieved if people know the facts. A key point is to inform consumers about the real energy efficiency of their appliances and buildings, but it is also very important that professionals know the possibilities with new technologies.
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