Zero Energy Home of Inaugurated in Friuli

It’s called ZERO ENERGY HOUSE and is the result of the research project developed by Polo Villas Plus Group and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering ‘sUniversity of Trento. This is the house “smart” recently opened in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The ribbon-cutting comes after the Innovation Award of Legambiente 2009, and the project presentation at the conference “Sustainable Building” hosted in Melbourne, Australia.

Zero Energy House is a house of 450 square meters, self-sufficient in energy and self-management of the facilities. Is not connected to the network of natural gas, does not use any type of energy from renewable sources and self-producing energy from alternative sources and environmentally friendly as solar panels, solar and heat pump.

The project – said prof. Antonio Frattari, head of the Laboratory of Building Design, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Trento – born as a prototype for developing tests aimed at:
- Establish a laboratory working on the territory that provides repeatable results and methodological approach for measuring the energy savings obtainable from a plant management and control through the use of home automation devices;
- Verify the potential of a system of monitoring and management both in the regulation of environmental microclimatic conditions inside the lighting be guaranteed because the welfare conditions for optimal human presence;
- Quantify the contribution of a home automation control the lighting, shading and temperature control for energy minimization of the commitment;
- To check the actual usage scenarios for the flexible use of passive solar systems automated.

The house is located on the north side of the soil, so as to leave as much space as possible to the south for the garden and the interior more experienced as living room, kitchen, bedrooms. The south facade has a large window that lets in light and warmth in winter and summer screen is to avoid overheating. The north facade instead presents a series of small windows that provide ventilation in the summer night.

All rainwater is collected in a special tank with a filtration system and is used for water discharges in the bathroom, washing machines, for watering the garden and the garden and the water recreation pool.

The construction system used has been patented by the Group Polo Villas Plus, which uses a frame of beams and columns made of laminated wood of large section, cut to size, shaped and assembled on site using interlocking links that act by contact or by carpenters . This system leverages the flexibility and energy absorption of wood: the use of links with metal plates and pins hidden fragility can kill, while the elastic capacity gives the system a good load-bearing capacity and ensure the dissipative maximum seismic structural continuity.
The walls are “light”, made from wood panels and insulating parts. Inward fiber insulation have a natural wood, while the outside is completely covered by the coating of cork, the best insulating nature.

Not only respect for the environment (not used any treatment or toxic paint), but careful selection of materials, which have been assigned the task of bringing nature indoors. The resin floor, made with natural pigments, remembers the dark color of the earth. The six sections that “inhabit” the living area (in laminated spruce) recreate a wood “pet scene becoming effect.
Green walls evoke the green corn fields surrounding the house and thus
seem to extend inside.
Part of the Zero Energy House cover is made of green roof to the south, is a veritable hanging garden, while the part facing north were chosen less green plants need sun and slow growth.

The home automation system allows the house to perceive changes in light, temperature,
humidity, and then turn on their own switching and control of heating, cooling, opening and closing windows. The roof is also positioned to capture a meteorological unit that sends data directly to the control center of the house that is able to govern themselves according to weather conditions and programming choice.

In order to establish continuity with the architectural traditions of Friuli, were chosen finishes km zero, ie, local materials, but mostly for “raw” industrial processes that require less possible and recover items of waste. The roof was made with such traditional “tiles” handmade houses Friulian a time, the old bricks or stones of the handicrafts of the main walkway are scraps of stone working piasentina area of Cividale del Friuli.

The house, inhabited by 4 people for 12 months will be monitored remotely by the Laboratory of Building Design, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Trento to analyze the behavior of the building and applied technologies.