Open House International

Noguchi, Masa

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0001

In response to growing global warming issues and the constant increase of energy prices, housebuilders and housing manufacturers today are becoming more responsive to the delivery of net zero energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission sustainable homes than ever. Within this context, the sustainability may embrace housing economy and adequacy beyond the legitimacy in which the quality barely coincides with individuals' dynamic various needs, desires and expectations. Nevertheless, the industry's business operation tends to follow routines and the close system mode of operation often hinders the enterprises from adopting unfamiliar innovations which may be inevitable in realising the delivery and operation of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable homes.

Aelenei, Laura; Aelenei, Daniel; Gonçalves, Helder; Lollini, Roberto; Musall, Eike; Scognamiglio, Alessandra; Cubi, Eduard; Noguchi, Massa

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0002

Net Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs) have received increased attention in recent years as a result of constant concerns about energy supply constraints, decreasing energy resources, increasing energy costs and the rising impact of greenhouse gases on world climate. Promoting whole building strategies that employ passive measures together with energy efficient systems and technologies using renewable energy became a European political strategy following the publication of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive recast in May 2010 by the European Parliament and Council. However designing successful NZEBs represents a challenge because the definitions are somewhat generic while assessment methods and monitoring approaches remain under development and the literature is relatively scarce about the best sets of solutions for different typologies and climates likely to deliver an actual and reliable performance in terms of energy balance (consumed vs generated) on a cost-effective basis. Additionally the lessons learned from existing NZEB examples are relatively scarce. The authors of this paper, who are participants in the IEA SHC Task 40-ECBCS Annex 52, “Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings”, are willing to share insights from on-going research work on some best practice leading NZEB residential buildings. Although there is no standard approach for designing a Net Zero-Energy Building (there are many different possible combinations of passive and efficient active measures, utility equipment and on-site energy generation technologies able to achieve the net-zero energy performance), a close examination of the chosen strategies and the relative performance indicators of the selected case studies reveal that it is possible to achieve zero-energy performance using well known strategies adjusted so as to balance climate driven-demand for space heating/cooling, lighting, ventilation and other energy uses with climate-driven supply from renewable energy resources.

Thün, Geoffrey; Velikov, Kathy; O'Malley, Mary; Ripley, Colin

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0003

This paper presents the Latitude Housing System, a speculative model for a means of imagining multi-scalar nested considerations for the development of a mass-customized net energy producing housing system geared to the specific conditions of the Great Lakes region in North America. In the most general sense, the project is motivated by an attempt to frame the discussion of such housing beyond its energy performance alone, and expand by implication, the ways in which we might discuss and debate approaches to the design and delivery of sustainable housing. Considerations that range from regional economic synergies and models of clean-tech collaborations to behaviour shaping building controls systems are presented and briefly outlined as they are applied to a constructed proof of concept prototype, North House, which is based on the Latitude system.

Frattari, Antonio

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0004

CasaZeroEnergy is the prototype for a building that does not use energy produced from non-renewable sources, but produces its require energy by using alternative energetic systems. Designed according to the principles of bioclimatic architecture, the building was integrated with passive systems for optimizing the site's climatic conditions for heating in winter and for cooling and ventilation in summer. The house was constructed with natural, renewable, recycled and recyclable materials. For this reason it can be classified as a “natural building”. Its main feature is the integration between the building and the alternative systems in order to produce energy from renewable sources: sunspace, solar collectors, photovoltaic panels, a geothermal system and a pellet boiler system. Home automation manages all the mechanical systems to ensure comfort and reduced energy consumption at the same time. The sunspace is a passive solar system used mainly for heating indoor spaces during the winter season. The building's cooling system is based on natural ventilation strategies and on geothermal heat pumps. The building is provided with shading systems. A smart system was devised to guarantee user safety and security. This kind of system can be controlled remotely and provides constant security for the building.

Røstvik, Harald N.

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0005

The world population just passed 7 billion. Fear of growth towards 35 billion, if the “high fertility rate scenario” was maintained, is reduced. The “stable fertility rate scenario” is more likely, stabilising the population around 10 billion in 2050 (Le Monde Diplomatique, 2011). In 1987, as a response to the need for focusing on housing for the lower end of the cost scale, on homelessness, the United Nations chose 1987 to be “Year of Shelter for the Homeless”. An international architectural competition was organized. 123 architects from 44 countries competed in the final (UIA, 1987). Many proposals focused on energy challenges. This paper recoups the UN initiative 25 years ago. It contrasts the challenges of developing countries with those of the developed world, by studying examples from the North European cold climate's typical mass housing in Norway. One of the examples is from after the Second World War, when in 1948 attempts at building cheap housing was initiated. They met resistance from the establishments of engineers and architects (Hasselknippe, 1982). Another example is from 2012. The paper also studies an example from a South European cooling demanding climate, in France. The aim of the contrasting is to map the progress over the 65 years since 1948, discussing area- and material efficiency as well as methods of reducing costs and achieve a more sustainable mass housing development as signs of an environmental shift of paradigm emerge. Through the comparative analysis, the paper studies combination possibilities between the architecture that is built anyway for the upper cost segment and solutions for the lower cost segment. It explores and discusses if experiences and synergies between them can strengthen both and it proposes a way forward.

Cesaris, Alessandra De; Mandolesi, Domizia

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0006

The home is the place where the intimacy of living is manifested and where relationships with the outside world are formed. The truest sense of domestic space is expressed in the opposition between the interior dimension and collective aspirations. A society's needs and aspirations are reflected in the transformations of the dwelling, the city's basic unit and constituent element. The history of the dwelling can be read as the history of the relationship between the desire for the self-representation of an interior world and the desire for identification and recognition within a community. These considerations lie at the heart the research conducted by HousingLab - DiAP - Sapienza of Rome with the goal of developing low-cost residential projects that can be customized and tailored to individual needs. To meet the demands of a large and heterogeneous public, these projects must refer to industrial processes for the manufacturing of mass-produced goods. But how is it possible to reconcile industrialization and mass production with the need for individual expression or with the desire to freely give form to a home, modify it, and define its character according to individual tastes and its physical context? The goal is to create a catalogue of a system of a limited number of easy-to-assemble, standardized and prefabricated components that can generate controlled, but extremely varied and flexible, configurations of domestic space in order to accommodate different needs in relationship to individual taste and different locations. This article will present a series of projects designed by HousingLab - DiAP - Sapienza of Rome highlighting the relationship between architectural quality, energy use, environmental and economic sustainability, and innovation.

Rocha, Cecília Gravina da; Formoso, Carlos Torres

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0007

Mass customisation involves the provision of product variants that fulfil clients' specific requirements seeking to increase product values. The configuration process involves a chain of decisions, which needs to be undertaken to create product variants that meet each client specific requirements. In this paper, this chain of decisions is conceptualized in terms of customisation units. Each customisation unit encompasses a customisable attribute (e.g. size, colour) and the range of items offered for this attribute. A design science approach was adopted in this investigation. In this approach, knowledge is produced by creating and testing a solution, which provides practical and theoretical contributions. A method is proposed to analyse and improve the configuration process by conceptualizing this process as a tree diagram. The proposed method is used to analyse the configuration process developed by organisations of the house-building sector based in the U.K. and Brazil: a manufacturer of floor tiles, contractors, and registered providers. These analyses enabled a comparison of the distinct configuration processes adopted. In addition, problems associated to the configuration process (such as burden of choice) and opportunities for improvements were also identified. Finally, alternative chains of decision were also devised based on these analyses to address the problems identified.

Shimizu, Chihiro

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0008

As interest grows in environmentally friendly buildings, or “green buildings,” the real estate industry is expected to play an increasingly active role in the realization of a low-carbon society. Various efforts toward such a society are currently being promoted vigorously within an international framework. To supply a socially desirable level of green buildings via the market mechanism, the economic value of green buildings (as measured by the market) must be commensurate with the required investment. Many remain sceptical, however, about the true economic value of green buildings. A thorough analysis has yet to be conducted to evaluate whether green buildings realize income increases commensurate with the enormous initial investments required, although it is clear that cost savings do result from lower energy consumption. This paper shows through a series of analyses that certain market conditions must be in place in order for green buildings to produce economic value. Specifically, it used the hedonic approach to clarify whether or not there is added economic value, focusing on the new condominium market in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Based on a demonstration analysis of the housing market, the author shows that new condominiums with “green labels” using “sustainable measures” command a premium of approximately 5.8% in asking prices and 4.7% in transaction prices.

Altan, Hasim; Refaee, Mohamed; Han, Liangxiu; Noguchi, Masa

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0009

Energy usage of households accounts for a significant portion of total energy consumption and carbon emissions. Scottish homes today are highly energy consumers emitting on average 3 tonnes of CO2 per house annually and the amount exceeds the UK average of 2.75 tonnes of CO2. Moreover, 26% of the households are actually facing fuel poverty and it is therefore a critical task to efficiently manage and minimise energy trends in housing in order to meet carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction and energy consumption cut targets such as 80% overall cuts in carbon emissions by 2080 for the UK, compared with 1990 levels. The study has been undertaken within the Zero Energy Mass Custom Homes (ZEMCH) research network's demonstration projects e.g. ‘ZEMCH 109’. The existing post-council end-terraced house was intended to be extended in South Ayrshire, Scotland in 2012. As part of the project, the Building Environments Analysis Unit (BEAU) research centre has conducted a post occupancy monitoring of the energy and indoor environmental conditions e.g. indoor air temperature, relative humidity and CO2 levels in the Scottish affordable home which will also continue even after the construction of the newly built extension and the refurbishment of the existing home. It is therefore important for the successful demonstration of the ZEMCH 109 project and for the purpose of this study that a detailed monitoring and a post occupancy evaluation (POE) of the exiting NRGStyle home are performed sufficiently in order to investigate the relationship between energy consumption and the indoor environmental conditions and cross-checked with the accepted standards.

Hürol, Yonca; Beisi, Jia

2013 Open House International

doi: 10.1108/OHI-03-2013-B0010

CLIMATE CHANGE ETHICS – navigating the Perfect moral Storm