Greenhouse
The interior walls are 12cm thick and boast the Hanse Haus solid wall system. “The walls have a stud every 300mm and they are completely glued on both sides with OSB boards.That makes them loadbearing and the fixing of wall units, including heavy kitchen units for example, is possible everywhere,” says Hanse Haus architect, Bianca Keil. There is no boiler or central heating system. Instead, the house is heated passively through solar gain, energy generated from kitchen/household appliances and its inhabitants, and when
The exterior walls are 30cm thick and the house has triple-glazed windows
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necessary, a log burner, supplied with the house. The living/dining room for example, has large, full length south facing windows, which means the natural solar radiation is used efficiently to heat the house. Also, as is characteristic of a Hanse Haus Passivhaus project, the precision and detailed technical construction ensures the house is virtually airtight.
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The exterior has cedar cladding on the upper half and white render on the bottom
as moisture and odours from kitchens, bathrooms, etc, is continuously extracted. About 90% of the heat is recovered from this extracted air and added back to the newly introduced fresh air.This regulated room ventilation increases a sense of well being, as it guarantees room air quality and hygiene, whilst also leading to a reduction in heating energy requirements. There are many benefits of the ventilation system. High levels of humidity and possible problems such as the build up of mould on walls in living areas and bathrooms are prevented. By defining the air exchange rate, occupants can automatically control the warm-air heating needs, leading to a reduction in heating energy requirements. The regulated room ventilation also increases a sense of wellbeing as the room air hygiene is guaranteed. Within the SIP walls and ceiling voids a Glasswool product is used, which is produced with 90% natural mineral raw materials, like for example, sand and more than 50% recycled glass.The Glasswool product recently gained recognition as an environmental product due to its high content of waste glass and also gained a quality control mark to confirm that it is harmless to health. What’s more, the type of insulation ensures low heating demand in the house.
www.hanse-haus.co.uk
Renewable energy There is a wood burning stove for very cold winter days along with a small wall mounted heat pump.This heat pump is a low cost, very efficient device that will warm the house quickly when the occupants have been away. There are two thermal solar panels on the roof, which supplement the off-peak electric heating of water in the winter months and provide plenty of domestic hot water in the summer. The house has a Vaillant mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. This system is used to control the supply and extraction of air from low and ultra low energy houses. Used air, which is often contaminated with pollutants, such
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Within the SIP walls and ceiling voids, a Glasswool product is used, produced with 90% natural mineral raw materials