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Article from issue 6/2002 »Solar Architecture«

Passive-Energy Terraced Housing in Ulm

documentation p. 762 - 765
Architect Brucker Architekten | Specialist Planner Brucker, Johannes | ebök | Structural Engineer Lieb, Harry |

Drafts
House type A Upper floor plan/Basement plan/Ground floor plan 1:200
Section 1:200
Section/Ground floor plan 1:500
Sectional details 1:20

Created in the context of EXPO 2000, this restrained development comprises 18 houses laid out in three rows that are stepped up the site. The housing is in a mixed form of construction. The facades consist of large-scale, prefabricated, lightweight timber elements, while the load-bearing party cross-walls are constructed with sandlime panels. In combination with the reinforced concrete floors, thisallowed a column-free layout on all three levels of the dwellings, affording the occupants greater design freedom and scope for restructuring at a later date. It is also possible to divide the houses into two unitsor to create a separate office space.
The entire development is conceived as a passive solar-energy structure, which means that the dwellings do not have their own individual heating systems, and uncontrolled heat losses can be avoided. There is a high standard of thermal insulation. The outer skin is executed with tightly sealed joints, and the windows with triple, low-E glazing. The ventilation system, with heat recovery and geothermal heat-exchange facilities, ensures a constant air change and a good indoor climate. In the event of the heating – including solar gains – proving inadequate in winter, the deficit can be made up by the heating system of a nearby block of flats. Hot water is supplied from solar collectors concealed on the landscaped roofs of the houses. Photovoltaic elements can be installed to generate electricity.