A passive house with a distinct geometric shape was built on the coast of Spanish Asturias. Its large windows have been shaded with clever design solutions. A pleasant room temperature - even in the middle of a hot summer - is ensured by solar control glass and premium spacers. The latter, thanks to their extremely low thermal conductivity, minimize the escape of heat from the interior to the outside in winter, acting as a warm frame. In summer, on the other hand, the same element plays the role of a cold frame and limits the flow of heat from the outside to the inside, helping to keep rooms cool. Thus, at any time of year, the element provides measurable energy savings.
In Gijon on Spain's northern coast, a passive house-standard villa has been built that impresses with its clear form, excellent energy efficiency and high thermal comfort. Interlocking blocks of different sizes were used to create a building with plenty of daylight, shaded verandas and sunny terraces.
To ensure the success of this ambitious project, the architects at J. Noval Estudio de Arquitectura adjusted the orientation and dimensions of the window and door openings, as well as the shape of the building, to suit the prevailing hot climate. The result was a compact, elongated house on a rectangular plan, the longer side of which runs east-west.
In addition to structural shading solutions, a pleasant indoor climate is provided by Finstral windows and doors with Saint-Gobain solar control glazing and high-quality SWISSPACER spacers.
Photo: © Finstral / Marco Vega
The basement, housing among other things a utility room, is lit by daylight from English-style terraces. The living space on the first floor offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area. The extension above the living area overlooks an open roof terrace.
Large glazed wall areas face south. Their shading is guaranteed by thoughtful design solutions. In addition, doors and windows protect against excessive heat in the summer.
The villa uses triple glazing units made of ECLAZ, PLANITHERM and COOL-LITE EXTREME 60/28 glass from Saint-Gobain Building Glass Europe. A top-quality SWISSPACER ULTIMATE spacer ensures high energy efficiency in the glass edge area. This resultedin windows with aUwcoefficient of 0.79 W/m²Kand a light transmittance of 77%.
SWISSPACER's premium spacers insulate the edge of the glass in all seasons and guarantee the best energy efficiency even in summer, fulfilling the function of a "cold frame."
Photo: © Finstral / Marco Vega
Our spacers are already well known as a warm frame, providing energy savings in winter, says Frank Junker, Sales Manager at SWISSPACER responsible for the Spanish market, among others. - However, their advantages also manifest themselves in equal measure in summer: the element protects the interior of the building from the heat and, as a cold frame, helps to significantly reduce the amount of energy needed to air condition rooms.
A study by the Passive Building Institute in Darmstadt has shown how much useful cooling energy can be saved by using a premium spacer compared to aluminum frames: in locations in areas with warm climates, such as Gijon, the energy demand of passive houses is reduced by almost 9 percent.
With climate change underway, this feature of spacers is sure to become more important in the near future. For example, according to forecasts by the German Climate Consortium, an increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves is to be expected worldwide. With more sunny days, the demand for such solutions is sure to increase.
For more information, visit SWISSPACER on the A&B portal.
