VELUX

Buildings are major consumers of energy, representing about 40% of total energy consumption in Europe. The sharpened focus on climate change and energy supply reliability places more stringent demands on new buildings. New energy requirements in regulations will change future architecture and product specifications.

If developers and contractors are to be able to act responsibly and contribute to reaching the global objective of CO2 reduction, a new agenda for house building must be introduced.

We need to look at a building’s total qualities, including energy efficiency, healthy indoor environment and renewable energy. Together, these three key areas constitute the core of what VELUX refers to as Sustainable Living – the ability to continue to improve the quality of our homes while reducing or eliminating energy consumption. VELUX believes that Sustainable Living can make a difference, and should be the beacon towards which architects and developers move to achieve CO2-neutral housing in the future.

Three essential areas

Maximising energy efficiency and minimising carbon dioxide emissions:

• Consider the building as a whole, not just the sum of its components. Energy efficiency needs to be incorporated into its very design. With intelligent components that interact with the surroundings, buildings can be energy neutral or even provide an energy surplus.

• Windows are energy contributors. It is a question of placing the windows at the strategically optimum locations in the building – and about developing and using different window types depending on whether they will be facing north or south.

• Other important aspects are the necessary technical features and automation systems, such as roller shutters and awning blinds, which provides a building envelope keeping the heat inside in the cold winter nights and out in summer. Future intelligent houses can be designed to automatically control when to insulate from cold and when to provide ventilation.

Striving for visionary architecture where the choice of materials and boundary conditions create healthy and comfortable environments:

• The benefits of daylight and ventilation must be exploited to the maximum. New approaches to automatic control of daylight, ventilation, temperature and quality of the air we breathe should be explored. Maximum daylight and ventilation are preconditions to ensuring optimal indoor comfort and minimal energy consumption consistent with the standards of the future. Several studies document that daylight has a positive effect on health as well as general well-being. It has a significant influence on motivation and the ability to concentrate. For example, daylight and an outdoor view also stimulate the learning ability of pupils in the classroom. Similarly, fresh air via natural ventilation is vital for producing a healthy indoor climate and minimising the risk of allergies.
  

Renewable energy should be integral so as to reduce future dependence on fossil fuels:

• Solar energy is key to decreased CO2 consumption in people’s homes. Energy for hot water can be produced by solar energy collected through roof solar panels, and new technologies where solar energy is used for cooling buildings are also emerging.

• Integrated solar energy for heating and cooling tends not to feature in political discussions. However, some European countries – such as Spain and Italy – have now made solar energy mandatory in all new buildings. Hopefully more countries will follow. This energy source could become the leading renewable technology for installation in new homes. The sun is the most powerful source of energy we have – and we should be making maximum use of it to the benefit of all people.

VELUX Atika

VELUX Atika is a concept house that puts the focus on high-quality dwellings created by an intelligent interplay between contemporary architecture, healthy indoor climate, innovative energy solutions and optimum daylight conditions.

It demonstrates that solar thermal energy for cooling is an attractive alternative way of achieving efficient summer indoor comfort in warm regions. VELUX Atika also shows the use of passive systems for heating and cooling. Shading that controls passive solar energy combined with natural ventilation that reduces the need for cooling are examples of passive systems that regulate the energy consumption of the building.

W: www.velux.com