All Model Home 2020 projects will be monitored in terms of quantitative and qualitative aspects. We monitor energy consumption and indoor climate and compare the actual results with the assumptions made in the planning process. What we have learned so far shows that there is a distinct gap between theory and practice. The real challenge is to establish a bridge of dialogue to close this gap in order to qualify theory and thereby future practice. The development goes from theory to practice and back into theory by way of testing and iterary loops, continuously developing throughout the whole project. The key target is that we enable ourselves to build houses based on qualified theory that meet the requirements for user well-being.
The experience from the first project, Home for Life, is that the theory and benchmarks defined at the beginning of the project must be revised for the next project of this kind. Key facts are that the test family used the house differently from what was assumed by the engineers and product developers. One example is that the family used a particular product in the house more often than the engineers had calculated. Another is that this family demanded a heating comfort of 23 degrees, whereas Danish calculation standards in compliance tools assume 20 degrees. |
A second key factor learned is that not only do good programming and planning matter, but construction quality is also vital. A sustainable building will be no better than the people who actually build it or the people who manage the start-up optimisation. These people must understand how the house works if they are to build in a way that avoids punctures and leaks, leading to heat loss.In sustainable buildings, the quality of the envelope – roof, walls and floor – is vital and efficient airtightness is a must to prevent the uncontrolled escape of hot air from the house.
The Model Home 2020 project takes innovation as its starting point. When it comes to monitoring the experiments, we wish to share the results for all the demo houses with the building industry and to elaborate on them in order to stimulate a culture where learning, positive as well as negative, is taken onwards. By sharing the experience and knowledge we obtain from the Model Home 2020 projects with other projects and other experts in the building industry, we hope to be able to contribute to the development in the building industry of sustainable buildings. |