Solar house in Vens Valle D’aosta, Italy by Studio Albori

Article source: Studio Albori

The project originates from the stunning view offered by the site and the particular generosity of its exposition to the sun. The house is situated at 1750 metres above sea level, in Valle d’Aosta, behind the small village of Vens, facing an arc of mountains stretching from Monte Emilius to the massif of Gran Paradiso and Grivola. The wooden frame which constitutes the weight-bearing structure is visible on the south façade – which all the internal rooms look onto – consisting in the main of windows and is open to the sun and the landscape, while it is completed with a wooden casing with robust isolation on the other sides. Solar energy is used here in three different ways: direct accumulation through the windows on the south façade, stored and released slowly by the mineral salts contained in the PCM (Phase Change Material) panes which complete the façade, transformed into electricity by the photovoltaic panels placed on the roof. The only other source of energy used by the house is the wood for the cooking stove, situated on the ground floor. The wood used in the structure and on the façades is local larch, which is untreated and unpainted.

Most of the house furniture was constructed by us with scrap materials.

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

• Architects: Studio Albori
• Project: Solar house
• Location: Vens Valle D’aosta, Italy

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Technical details

Since there is no risk of overheating during the summer, a light structure with low thermal mass and shorter reaction time for heating with the stove or for solar gains was used. The building is mainly used for weekends and holidays so fast heating increases comfort.

Casing

The perimeter walls are in wood with an insulated load-bearing framework between the columns and an external coating in wood fibre (U = 0,14 W/m2K). The roof is insulated in wood fibre (U = 0,146 W/m2K). The wooden windows are made with triple glazing (Uw = 0,78 W/m2K).

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Passive solar system

(with PCM and prismatic reflector)
It is made of a four-layer transparent component in glass with selective IR-layer (U = 0,48 W/m2K). The Phase Change Material guarantees a thermal capacity equivalent to a 20 cm wall in cls. The system allows the use of the thermal capacity of the latent heat to distribute the daytime solar contribution to the night and the following days with an indoor surface temperature of between 26 and 30°C. With the prismatic selector passes, according to the seasons, up to 40% of the winter energy and only 22% in summer.

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Plant design

There is a wood-burning heating cooker which, besides permitting cooking, feeds the buffer tank for storage of thermal energy in the buffer. The stored heat is in turn redistributed by a reheat coil which works on the system of controlled mechanical ventilation with a heat recovery system (85% yield). In case of necessity (low temperatures and little sun) an  electric resistance installed on the buffer tank is activated.

The photovoltaic system with a power of 3,24 kWp compensates the electric consumption of the building.

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Image Courtesy © Studio Albori

Tags: Italy, Vens Valle D'aosta

Categories: House, Residential

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