HoTT | House of Tomorrow Today
HoTT produces more energy over one year than it uses without a less comfortable indoor climate. To gain energy solar energy is harvested effectively. With a air heat pump, heating in the floors with phase changing materials (PCM’s) for storage, thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic (PV) solar cell system, the house is powered exclusively by renewable energy.
To use less energy highly insulated walls and roofs, a effective hybrid ventilation system, low temperature heating and high temperature cooling and energy-efficient household appliances are installed.
HoTT allows sunlight and daylight to get into the living space. In the summer automatic sunscreens and roof overhangs prevent to much warming. Daylight mainly comes into the living space trough the roof, the wall openings are placed as focused views. The Velux Daylight Visualizer has evaluated the home’s daylight levels and found that it has an average daylight factor of at least five percent in all living spaces.
Maximized passive solar heat gain and manually controlled hybrid ventilation ensure a good indoor climate for every resident.
Automated, intelligent control of the home’s windows is the primary source of ventilation in spring, summer and autumn. The stack effect enables night ventilation in the summer. Together with the PCM-floors no extra cooling system is necessary. In the winter, however, the system uses a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.
“We should not try to forecast what will happen, but try to make provision for what cannot be foreseen”. Prof. John Habraken stated in 1967 that building the future is offering flexibility now. HoTT is except for the foundation fully prefabricated, meaning a dry construction and demountable and adaptable in the future. Resulting in less wast and longer usage of the building.
With Active House there is another concept used in HoTT, namely Slimbouwen. In brief Slimbouwen is about using less material, addaptability of buildings and making the process of building more effective.
Further information: www.actiefbouwen.eu (for now only in dutch), www.slimbouwen.nl (also in dutch), and twitter @actiefbouwen
