In the Moscow region, in the Chekhovsky district, a prototype of an inexpensive energy-efficient individual residential building was built, the cost of which is approximately equal to the average price of an ordinary suburban housing. In our country, passive autonomous houses, economical in operation, until recently seemed to be something fantastic and unattainable due to the too high cost of construction and equipment required to generate heat from renewable energy sources. The specialists of InterStroy, ISOVER and the Passive House Institute set themselves the task of developing and erecting an affordable energy-efficient residential building that is environmentally friendly, retains heat as much as possible and uses alternative energy sources. The project was developed according to German standards specifically for those regions of our country where there is no possibility of using natural gas, coal or electricity.
It cannot be said that the designed house with an area of 290.9 m² is distinguished by special aesthetic and architectural qualities. A simple three-story volume with an attic, an unpretentious square plan, the absence of any decor and plastic on the facades in the form of balconies, terraces and bay windows, simple plaster or concrete walls and a rather modest glazing area. Such stinginess of funds is explained by the desire to reduce the cost of the project as much as possible, reduce heat loss and increase energy efficiency. At the same time, the implemented pilot project clearly demonstrates almost all of its architectural capabilities. For example, the roof is deliberately made partially single-pitched radial with a rather complex contour, partially flat with the possibility of operation. Various combinations of a ventilated facade with an external facade plaster enrich the image. Also in the hands of the architect is the whole varied palette of colors and shades for exterior wall painting. In this case, the colors were restrained, natural, and during the construction, a ventilated facade with hinged panels made of natural wood and plaster was used.
For this project, an efficient and economical modular structure has been proposed with a standard module 9.6 x 9.6 meters, which allows an area to be increased from 90 m² and above. On two residential and attic floors there is a kitchen, living room, dressing room, nursery, five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The exploited basement and roof are designed to accommodate engineering equipment, a relaxation room, a sauna and a gym.
But the main thing in the project is, of course, its technical and operational qualities. Therefore, special attention was paid to the choice of the design of the external walls. The supporting and enclosing structures are made of monolithic reinforced concrete with a thickness of 150 mm. Concrete, very dense in structure, provides high-quality sealing of the internal volume for monitoring and controlling air exchange and maximizing heat retention (up to 80%). In addition, a high load-bearing capacity of the walls with their minimum thickness is ensured, which has a positive effect on the cost and timing of work.
Above, the concrete wall is clad in a massive heat-insulating shell made of ISOVER mineral wool slabs. These highly efficient, environmentally friendly thermal insulation materials ISOVER Plaster Facade in two layers of 200 mm with a total thickness of 400 mm and more were used to insulate plaster walls. And it was thanks to this innovative product that it became possible to use alternative, renewable energy sources, for example, the geothermal energy of the Earth, for heating and air conditioning a building. For the insulation of the ventilated facades, the materials ISOVER VentFasad Optima were chosen, laid in three layers of 120 mm each, as well as ISOVER Vent Facade Top (30 mm). “We used ISOVER solutions to insulate the house, as they have successfully proven themselves in other energy-efficient facilities. It is convenient that the company has qualified energy efficiency specialists who provide timely consulting assistance,”said Dmitry M. Pole.
But in an energy-efficient house, insulation begins not from the walls, but from the base, therefore, an insulation made of extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 300 mm is also laid under the foundation slab. The basement is equipped with 350 mm XPS insulation. And the roof, parapets and cornices are sewn up with insulation with a low volumetric weight.
With such a significant wall thickness, InterStroy specialists, together with experts from ISOVER and the Passive House Institute, had to think about developing their own system for fastening semi-rigid insulation, consisting of special adhesives and fasteners with increased length. Also, two variants of ventilated and "wet" façade subsystems were created. One subsystem consists of I-beams made of OSB, installed vertically, filling the space between the trusses with insulation of the "ISOVER" type. The second one is made of metal brackets and wooden bars, made in the form of a frame, filled with insulation of the "ISOVER" type. This system showed good manufacturability during construction and provided high strength and thermal insulation characteristics of the outer shell of the building. Together with Saint-Gobain, the development of other types of unified subsystems continues in order to make them cheaper and improve their performance.
Another important point in the design of a passive house was the development of a competent glazing concept. Trying to avoid additional heat loss, the developers, however, had to provide future residents with enough natural light. Therefore, when designing the glazing of a house, its orientation to the cardinal points was strictly taken into account. The minimum glazing is taken on the north side, the maximum - on the south. In hot summer time, it is planned to additionally use an automatic sun protection system.
From the inside, the load-bearing concrete walls are not closed, but only plastered and painted. As a result, they will be able to accumulate heat on a hot day, keeping the room cool, accumulate it during the day and release it at night. This will ensure a comfortable and evenly distributed temperature in the building and will allow additional savings on air conditioning. The house also has heat recovery ventilation. A heat pump using the geothermal heat of the Earth and solar collectors were chosen as the heating system. The heat generated by these units, according to the calculations of "Company ENSO INTERNATIONAL", will be enough to heat water and provide the house with heat throughout the year. The specific consumption of thermal energy at home will not exceed 35 kWh / m² per year, which is several times lower than the average energy consumption in Russia.
After the completion of the insulation and the installation of windows, the director of the Institute of Passive House in Russia, Alexander Elokhov, conducted an intermediate test for air permeability. “When testing the air permeability of the outer shell of the object at the stage of rough finishing, excellent results were obtained: the average air exchange rate at a pressure difference of 50 Pa does not exceed 0.45 times per hour, which meets the requirements of a passive house, the boundary value of which is 0.6 times per hour, he said.
Thus, the first energy efficient house in Russia has proven its worth and competitiveness. In addition to all the advantages described above, it must be borne in mind that current operating costs will be minimal, they practically do not depend on price increases. In addition, recently there has been a noticeable decrease in the cost of equipment for the use of alternative energy sources. And according to forecasts in the future, this cost will only decline. Based on the results of monitoring the operational properties of the constructed building, it is planned to continue optimizing costs and reduce construction costs by another 10-15%. And this means that in the near future, the construction of energy-efficient houses may become widespread.
About Saint-Gobain
In 2015 Saint-Gobain celebrates its 350th anniversary. 350 years and 350 reasons to believe in the future. Thanks to its experience and innovation, Saint-Gobain is today a world leader in creating comfortable spaces for people to live, work and play. The company develops, manufactures and markets high quality materials and solutions for the construction industry. In 2014, the company's turnover was 41 billion euros. Saint-Gobain has offices in 64 countries around the world. It has over 180,000 employees. More detailed information about Saint-Gobain can be obtained on the company's website www.saint-gobain.ru
