This document discusses sustainable building design and renewable energy technologies. It provides examples of several eco-housing projects in Wales, including Canolfan Hyddgen, St Lukes School, Y Senedd government building, and WISE building at CAT. These case studies illustrate techniques like passive solar heating, natural ventilation, daylighting, thermal mass walls, woodchip biomass heating, solar water heating, and small-scale wind and solar power. The document emphasizes the importance of energy efficient design, renewable energy sources, and user education to effectively manage sustainable buildings.

1.
FUTURE
[RE]GENERATION
ECO
2
BUILDINGS

2. Yes, but …

3. Why not !

4. If you think to belong to the “Why Not” or to the “Yes, But” ?
Yes, but …
Why not !

6. Whole Systems Thinking: Household scale
Unsustainable
Open-Linear
Sustainable
Closed-Cyclical

7. Modular
Transportable
Timber-­‐Frame
Self-­‐Built
Eco-­‐2-­‐Housing

9. Not
too
thecnologic,
complex,
cool,
expensive
…

10. Not
too
natural,
alternaBve,
unreplicable
…

11. But,
something
in
the
middle,
simple,
natural,
efficient,
nice
…

17. Self-­‐Building
Factory-­‐Schools

18. Self-­‐Building
Costs

21. Fine
Design
Eco-­‐Houses

22. Fine
Design
Eco-­‐Houses

36. SensiBve
site
design
Influence of sun, wind, rain, microclimate
Site hydrology, topography, geology
Site flora and fauna
Criiters

41. Wood
+
Bricks

42. Hea7ng
Biomass
-­‐
Pellets
Hot
Water
Thermo
Solar
Hot
air
Heat
Pump
Steam
ComposBng
HeaBng
Passive
House

43. Electric
Power
Wind
Mill
Hot
air
Turbine
Human
power
Steam
Turbine
Idro-­‐
electric

47. Ventilation – keeping air fresh and staying cool enough – the
Passivhaus approach in Canolfan Hyddgen
Passivhaus buildings have very high and specific standards for airtightness and high
levels of insulation. A significant amount of the heat energy needed will come from
people in the building and the lights and equipment, so the architects need to know
exactly how the building will be used. If the temperature changes the automatic
controls will decrease or increase heating, increase ventilation etc.

48. In use – understanding and managing the buildings
St Lukes has displays in every room describing
how the systems in the school work and the
pupils will be able to access real time
monitoring data of energy and water use on the
School’s computers
St Lukes also has a
cut-away display in the
lobby showing the
warmcell insulation
The manager at Canolfan Hyddgen makes sure
that users know how the system works and
how to manage it
WISE – the staff at CAT are very aware
of energy management issues.
St Lukes Display

50. Daylighting - light from the sun without glare – Y Senedd
The
public
open
area
has
very
large
areas
of
window
giving
views
over
the
Bay
and
reinforcing
the
idea
of
an
open
democracy
The
lantern
allows
natural
daylight
into
the
Siambr
(Chamber
where
the
Assembly
members
sit).
A
conical
mirror
within
the
lantern
reflects
addiBonal
daylight
into
the
Siambr
and
this
can
be
lowered
to
control
daylight
levels

51. Ventilation – keeping air fresh and staying cool enough - Y Senedd
. The roof cowl is
designed to rotate with
changes in wind
direction. This produces
a negative pressure on
the leeward side of the
cowl that allows warm air
to be drawn out of the
Siambr

52. WISE - Making the best use of a site
Large solar system –
heating water for
the bedrooms below
Daylighting from
rooflights
Passive solar
space heating
of bedrooms
bedrooms
workshops
Passive solar space
heating
courtyard
foyer
Section of the WISE building
lecture theatre
South

53. Solar gain – Walls that stop heat from escaping and walls that store heat
Solar energy coming
through the south facing
windows of Canolfan
Hyddgen provides 1/3 of
the heating. The solar
energy falls on the solid
floor and internal walls
and their thermal mass
stores the heat overnight
Canolfan Hyddgen
Triple
glazed
windows
Warmcel insulation
- made from
recycled
newspapers
solid internal
walls and floor
= thermal mass
highly insulated
external walls
using Warmcel

54. Solar gain - and then storing the sun’s energy as heat - WISE
Double glazed
low E windows
Rammed
earth
wall
On the south side of WISE
a glazed area encloses the
wall of the lecture theatre.
The solar energy falls on
the solid, dense earth wall
which stores the heat
overnight because of its
thermal mass.
The external walls in WISE
are a 50cm thick mix of
hemp and lime insulation.
Other internal walls
on the ground floor
in WISE are also
dense - made of
unfired earth blocks

55. Ventilation – keeping air fresh and staying cool enough
Thermal mass can take some heat out of the air but sometimes
you need to do more. Many modern buildings use air conditioning
but that uses a lot of energy.
In St Lukes the classrooms
are cross ventilated by
natural wind flow from low
level windows or vents that
can be opened to the high
clerestory windows that are
opened automatically.
Vents
The vents are designed with wooden slats on the outside
and a grill so that they can even be left open at night in
the summer to cool the building down.

56. Ventilation – keeping air fresh and staying cool enough - WISE
Thermal mass can take some heat
out of the air but frequently you
need to do more. Many modern
buildings use air conditioning but
that uses a lot of energy.
In the lecture theatre there is a heirarchy of
cooling/ventilation systems.
First a thermostat turns the underfloor heating off.
Fresh air can flow from the lobby and up out
through vents in the lantern (stack ventilation).
Then a CO2 sensor can trigger air to be drawn with
a fan out through vents half way up the wall and
through a system that either recovers heat or
draws in cool air, depending on the weather.

57. Renewable technologies – generating electricity
Canolfan Hyddgen
has 7kW
of
PV
cells.
These
will
generate
about
¼
of
the
building’s
electricity
use
CAT put in an extra 7kW of
Photovoltaic cells attached to
WISE (added to an existing set
of 13kW). The 7kW should
produce 5300kWh a year.
PV cells are a very expensive way to
generate electricity in the British
climate.
The efficiency of the building
itself is much more important.
The WAG building in
Aberystwyth has a small
wind turbine but WAG
policy is also to buy green
electricity which will come
from much more efficient
large scale windfarms

58. Renewable technologies – producing heat
St Lukes, WISE
and the Senedd
have boilers that
burn wood chip or
wood pellets.
As WISE has ensuite study
bedrooms for people on
courses, it uses far more hot
water than the other
buildings so it has a 70m2
solar water heating system.
CAT is experimenting
with a large wood chip
combined-heat-andpower plant to provide
heat and electricity
for WISE

59. Managing energy – electricity use
Electrical devices use energy but they also give
off heat which can make a big difference in a
very well insulated building
All these buildings use low energy
lighting – LEDs and efficient
fluorescent tubes.
They also use sensors to turn them
off when they are not needed
LED lighting in WISE
Low energy computers were
specified in Canolfan Hyddgen
because such a precise system
could overheat but it’s
difficult to make sure that
users continue to use low
energy appliances.
Low energy fridge in staff
room at St Lukes

60.
Thank
You!
For
more
informaBon
and
the
next
steps,
write
to:
luigi.spiga@solitaly.org