Gaia 7 | Luis de Garrido

GAIA-7 Eco-House 2011. Valencia ANAS (National Association for Sustainable Architecture) 75 m2 € 69,000 - € 127,000 1. Objectives Today's society is going through a long period of transition in which necessarily must rethink its own value, and most of its economic structures. In this sense, the architecture in general and housing in particular, need to be redefined, and adopt a new paradigm, so necessary and urgent. To achieve this objective the first action to be taken is to control the political and economic mechanisms for the promotion and construction. But also must propose new architectural solutions to facilitate access to housing for all citizens, lower prices and sell building, facilitating the self, the maximum decrease their environmental impact, reduce energy consumption and create expandable spaces and flexible, and adapt its structure to the real needs of today's society. Thus housing GAIA-7 is presented as a radical solution and accessible to all citizens, and can stimulate additional new proposals, setting a new course for architecture. 2. Description GAIA-7 Eco-House The house is built with only three containers and has a floor area of ​​75 m2. A container rests on the ground, and forms the floor of the housing. Another container is based on the first of orthogonally, and is the first floor of the house. The third container is arranged vertically, joining the two containers together. The composition is extremely simple yet attractive, and generates optimal spaces for habitation by an average family. The ground floor houses a garage, the living area (living room-kitchen) and a toilet. The first floor houses a bathroom and two bedrooms. The house can be expanded easily by simply adding new containers and interlacing each other. This can form complex architectural structures, capable of holding an entire community. 3. Key Features 1. Housing low cost and high quality The construction cost of the GAIA-7 has been 127,000 euros, including geothermal system thermal conditioning system and solar photovoltaic power generation, and water treatment and recycling of rainwater and wastewater. Excluding these systems, its construction cost is 69,000 euros. 2. Housing built with three containers GAIA-7 Housing is constructed by juxtaposing each other only three containers. Each container is constructed separately and connected together by screws, forming the housing end. 3. Housing constructable and quickly removable The GAIA-7 housing has been built in two months, and can be removed in two days. Once removed, the housing can be reassembled in less than a week. Each container modules, which are constructed can move without special transport. 4. Bioclimatic housing with high level and very low power consumption Thanks to its special architectural design, GAIA-7 is able to self-regulate heat, with little energy consumption. That is, tends to heat itself in winter and cool in summer itself without energy-consuming appliances. Specifically, GAIA-7 were used bioclimatic following strategies: 1.1. Heat generation systems The house itself is heated in winter, in three ways: 1. Avoiding cool. Due to its high thermal insulation, and having large glass surfaces only south. 2. Warming naturally. Due to careful and special bioclimatic design, and perfect south facing house is heated greenhouse and sunlight. Similarly, remains hot for a long time, due to its high thermal inertia. 3. Through a system of floor heating, powered by a geothermal heat pump. 1.2. Fresh Generation Systems The house itself is cool in summer, in four ways: 1. Avoiding heat. Due to its adequate thermal insulation arranging most south glazed surface, and having sunscreens for the direct and indirect solar radiation (a different type of protection for each of the holes with different orientation). 2. Naturally cooled. Through a system of architectural cooling air through underground tunnels. The outdoor ventilation air enters the house through underground galleries. Walking through these galleries, the air gives its heat to the ground, and enters into the cool house. Thus, the air travels housing, and refreshes its path. 3. Accumulating the cool night. Due to the high thermal mass of the house, and its exterior insulation, the accumulated fresh overnight summer (inside the house), held for almost the entire next day. 4. Extracting the hot air outside the housing through the solar chimney. The air inside warms up throughout the day, and therefore becomes less dense and rises. While climbing, allows fresh air from the tunnels, including housing. Furthermore, the solar chimney drawing ambient air from inside the housing, creating a suction current. As a result, generates an updraft of cool air, which housing maintains fresh at all times. 3. Storage systems (heat or cool) The heat generated during the day in winter accumulates inside (due to the high thermal inertia of the containers), keeping warm overnight housing. Similarly, the generated cool in summer overnight accumulates in the body of the container, keeping cool the housing during the day. The roof garden high thermal mass, strengthens this process. 4. Transfer systems (heat or cool). In winter housing behaves like a huge greenhouse. The heat generated by natural radiation emissions and is distributed in the form of heated air throughout the building. Similarly, the system of floor heating runs throughout the house. In summer, the cool air generated in the underground galleries housing is shared by using a set of grids spread over the floor of the house. This air flow cools all rooms of the house. 5. Natural ventilation GAIA ventilation-7 is natural and continuously through the envelopes, allowing adequate ventilation, without energy losses. This type of ventilation is possible since all materials are breathable (ceramic, natural insulation, wood, wood-cement panels, organic paints). 5. Energy self-sufficient housing GAIA-7 is self-sufficient in energy, ie does not require any external energy supply. This energy self-sufficiency has been achieved through a number of complementary strategies: 1. Making optimal bioclimatic design to minimize the need for energy. In the design of housing have been used all kinds of strategies to get bioclimatic consume the least amount of energy, naturally lit, naturally ventilate, and self-regulating heat, every day of the year. As a result of this particular design, the house is cool in summer itself (no need to refresh mechanical devices), and tends to heat itself in winter (just needs heating systems). Similarly, during the day the house is naturally lit, every day of the year, without artificial lighting. 2. Housing incorporating only essential appliances, and that are of very low power consumption. Similarly, all luminaires are luminaires housing leds, very low power consumption. 3. Incorporating photovoltaic solar collectors to generate electricity that needs little housing (2 kw. Beak). The photovoltaic captors are arranged so perfectly integrated on the solar chimney. 4. Incorporating thermal solar collectors to generate hot water needs housing. 5. Incorporating a system of floor heating, powered by a geothermal heat pump. 6. Housing self sufficient in water GAIA-7 is self-sufficient in water, ie, does not need the municipal supply. This water self-sufficiency has been achieved through several complementary strategies: 1. By drilling to extract groundwater. 2. Collecting rainwater falling on the roof garden of the house, and the garden, and store underground water from a well dug for this purpose 3. Collecting gray water generated by the home itself (sinks, urinals, showers, laundry, toilets). 4. Decanting, filtering and storing water collected by the three previous media. 5. Purification and naturalizing the stored water through reverse osmosis membrane systems with triple anti-bacterial (regulating the characteristics of the resulting water through an electronic processor). Thus, the housing does not need mains water supply. The resulting water is mineral water with a mineral content chosen by the user. 7. Housing with maximum sustainable level possible All decisions made in the design and construction of GAIA-7 have been designed to meet the most with the 6 pillars that underpin the sustainable architecture. - Optimization of resources - Reduction of energy consumption - Use of alternative energy sources - Reduction of waste and emissions - Improving health and wellbeing - Decrease the price of building and maintenance