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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Home for Life in Lystrup, Denmark by AART Architects (designed using AutoCAD and Revit)January 14th, 2012 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: AART Architects Home for Life is located in Lystrup outside Denmark’s second-largest city, Aarhus, and leads the way to the next generation of climate-neutral buildings. It is designed as the world’s first Active House and is a result of a research and design development aimed at ensuring a necessary foothold in architecture in an anticipated low-carbon future. The 200m2 single family house is a CO2-neutral demonstration project, which systematically uses the energy from the sun. 7m2 solar collectors, 50m2 solar cells and a solar heat pump contribute to reduce the demand for energy, while strategically placed solar-cell operated roof windows offer a balanced amount of daylight to the bedrooms and the kitchen-dining room area. Furthermore, all roof windows have dynamic, solar-cell operated blinds on the inside and awnings on the outside.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk
 Image Courtesy Adam Mørk The environmentally friendly features makes Home for Life a distinctive sustainable project, since the house is designed to produce more energy than it consumes. With an estimated energy surplus of 9kWh/m2/year it takes approximately 40 years for the house to generate the same amount of energy that was used to produce its building materials and at that point the house will have returned more to nature than it consumed.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk The construction of the house consists of a timber framing above a concrete raft while the building is clad externally in slate fixed battens, the floor tiles are mosaic made from recycled glass and the windows incorporate the newest energy-saving glass technology. The window area (vertical windows and roof windows) is equivalent to 40 percent of the floor area – twice the area of a conventional low-energy building – and by maximizing daylight Home for Life reduces the demand for energy and optimizes the indoor climate.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk Light and ventilation is seen as key factor to human well-being. To ensure a healthy indoor climate the openings of the house let in nature, sensors register heat, humidity and CO2 in all rooms and automatic window opening mechanisms let in fresh air, while sensors turn off the lights when you leave the room. Furthermore the occupants and environment of the house are valued through quantitative and qualitative monitoring, interviews and measuring. Subsequent the values are analyzed to develop knowledge to optimize the positive impact on occupants, environment and climate.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk In this way Home for Life demonstrates how architecture is not something to be completed, but something to be developed. It demonstrates how we can tackle the climate challenges by reducing CO2-emissions through architectural features and renewable energy sources without compromising on our demands to daylight and fresh air. In other words, Home for Life expresses a holistic approach to sustainability by taking both the social, environmental and climatic context into account.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk Facts about Home for Life Home for Life was inaugurated on the 20th of April 2009 by the Danish Minister for Economic and Business Affairs, Lene Espersen. The house is built as a joint venture by AART Architects in association with VELUX, VELFAC and consultants Esbensen Rådgivende Ingeniører. The other participants in the project group include WindowMaster, Sonnenkraft, Engineering College of Aarhus, The Alexandra Institute, Aarhus School of Architecture, The Danish Building Research Institute and Aarhus municipality. KFS-Boligbyg constructed the building.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk About AART Architects  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk The projects of AART Architects are rooted in the essence of the site and characterized by a strong environmental and social awareness. As architects we believe in the concept of “total design” and collaborate closely with clients, stakeholders and users to produce multi-disciplinary solutions that focus on the environmental, social and economic aspects of every project.  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk Whether it’s about complex masterplans, landmark buildings or inspiring interior design our prevalent goal is to create high-performance projects that set new standards of the sustainable architecture of tomorrow. Since 2000 we have made our mark internationally with 1st prize competition projects such as Østfold Hospital and Østfold Science Center in Norway as well as notable Danish projects such as The Culture Yard in Elsinore, VUC Headquarter in Haderslev, Skagen Skipperskole in Skagen, Bikuben Student Residence in Copenhagen and the “Mies van der Rohe Award”-nominated Outdoor Center Sletten in Ry.  Dinning room  Image Courtesy Adam Mørk  Exterior night
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