February 18 2008

Glimakra House: Sweden's First Svanen Certified House

The Gilmakra House is the first of many new residences designed to meet the Nordic Svanen Miljomark certification of environmental and social sustainability. Features of these homes include super insulated envelopes, earth tubes to precondition outdoor air, solar electric / hot water panels, super efficient appliances, insulated glazing oriented to take advantage of solar radiation, and high outside air exchange rates for good indoor air quality. Modern architecture is also being used as a way to distinguish the homes from more traditional red painted Scandinavian homes nearby and also in the hope that urbanites from the larger coastal cities nearby will be attracted to this smaller city. It is important to note that because of its energy efficiency, the test house is being submitted for the German PassivHaus certification!

The Development

The development is actually part of a much larger regional development of southern Sweden which is occurring as a result of the new Oresund Link bridge from Sweden to Denmark. New housing and business opportunities are springing up all along the shoreline within driving or commuting distance of the connection. Energy House, the Danish development company, believes that there is a market in southern Sweden for modern environmentally friendly homes and plans to build 20+ houses beginning in the coming summer. One good sign is that over 2,000 visitors have toured the house during the winter both to see the modern architecture and study the sustainable features of the house. There is some debate in the mostly traditional (architecturally) town of whether or not to welcome the modern building into their city. That said, the overall reception is good.

Another sticking point is the cost of the house. 25,000 Kronor per square meter (roughly $380 SF) is a very high price for the area. Then again, it is of course one of Sweden's first super efficiency houses. The developer builder, Johan Juncker, does however admit that the construction of this first super efficient sustainable house was in their words, "hellish, with many sleepless nights." And goes on to say that, "next time it will be much easier (to build)."

The Design

The rectangular layout of the small house is very simple and modern. Half of the building appears to rest on a hillside and the remainder is held on steel columns. The one story structure is wrapped by a broad deck for outdoor living space and large window/door openings are provided to allow spaces to spill outside. The glazing is also placed mostly on the south and west sides to maximize the amount of solar heat gain in the wintertime. Interestingly, the house requires no additional heat (besides the sun) for 10 month of the year. The house is of course superinsulated with walls up to 50cm which are clad in durable wood shingles. The entire assembly is rated to last a minimum of 50 years! In the summer time an earth trench under the building stores coolth from a nightflush and uses it to cool the house during the daytime. The article does not mention anything about a energy recovery ventilator but I suspect that based on one note about high air change rates that the house is likely using 100% outside air for ventilation.

For more information please visit the original articles in Sydsvenskan and Helsingborgs Dagblad. Original post found at ByggExpo.

February 18th, 2008 at 6:22 AM. Posted in Other. Share this post.