Quota House | PLUSKONTORET ARKITEKTER

The Quota House sets out to demon- strate that the occupants of a house play a signifi cant, though unpredic- table, part in the overall emission of CO2 – but also that this uncertainty can be reduced by smart thinking. While some families are very con- scious of how much heat, hot water and electricity they use, most people aren’t – , but if house and occupants work together, a potentially substan- tial reduction can be achieved in car- bon emissions. The Quota House supports and guides the behaviour of family mem- bers on three diff erent levels. First of all through its architectural design – on the one hand reviving old virtues, on the other introducing new think-
ing. Across the centre of the building a ‘climate zone’ adds four new func- tions, improving the family’s quality of life and helping to reduce carbon emissions. A roofed courtyard off ers the means to dry laundry outside, giv- ing the tumble dryer a break. Inside the house, an insulated larder reintro- duces the idea of cool storage for gro- ceries and vegetables, eliminating the need for a big refrigerator.

Opposite the larder, a greenhouse is integrated into the building, but thermally insu- lated from it. In connection with a vegetable garden outside the build- ing, the greenhouse gives the family a great opportunity to grow their own vegetables and herbs all year round. The second level of guidance is about integrating smart technology. A monitoring system controls all electrical sockets and outlets, and provides di- rect feedback from every energy-con- suming operation taking place in the house. It also provides a range of con- venient services such as a ‘turn it all off ’ button at the exit and an ‘imitate last week’s lighting pattern’ switch for when going on a holiday trip. In the shower, a ‘water guide’ suggests when it is time to turn off the hot water. All the thermostats display the actual temperature in a room, instead of numbers on a scale from 1 til 5, and they automatically turn the heating off , when someone opens the window. At the third and fi nal level, the family decides on a yearly budget for their energy and water consumption – a quota.

The ambition level for this target is entirely the family’s choice. Based on a complex algorithm, the annual quota is broken down into monthly, even daily, figures for ‘al- lowed’ carbon emission, differentiating be- tween hot and cold water, electricity and ener- gy for heating. The figures are accessed through the family’s smartphones and tablets, a graphic interface displaying how much is left for the rest of the day and month. This gives the family relevant feedback on its consump- tion, enabling it to respond immediately to any anomaly. The overall goal of all this is of course to help the family cut back on excess energy use in or- der to save money – and carbon emissions – and at the same time provide a number of new qualities and functions a traditional standard house cannot offer.