Plus-Energy Settlement in Freiburg

Overview

• Location: Freiburg, NRW, Germany
• Building type(s): Single-family residential
• New construction
• 87,300 ft2 (8,110 m2)
• Project scope: 59 3-story buildings
  2,110 ft2   (196 m2)
  1,570 ft2   (146 m2)
  1,400 ft2   (130 m2)
  1,320 ft2   (123 m2)
  1,260 ft2   (117 m2)
• Urban setting
• Completed 2006
  The solar settlement was built in phases between 1999 and 2006
• Rating: Plus energy house

The Plus-Energy Settlement in Freiburg is a fixture of the community, the city and the region. It exemplifies the use of regenerative energy and provides its inhabitants with the social benefits of a housing community offering a high, ecologically conscious standard of living.

In the Solar Community at Schlierberg, natural resources were a primary consideration in the overall construction concept, the choice of materials, and the water and energy systems. Inhabitants are encouraged to be creative with the aesthetics of their living spaces, and incidental living costs and expenses are kept low through convenient access to ecological mobility by public transport, by bike or on foot. (See www.rolfdisch.de)

Environmental Aspects

The development takes advantage of passive solar heat and lighting with a layout that is mindful of the path of the sun. All the terraced houses face south, and the distance between the rows of houses is designed to prevent obstruction of natural light during the winter.

The community's heat and domestic hot water are provided by a district heating grid and a local network of solar energy. The heat is generated by hot water vacuum collectors on a neighboring office building and a central timber combined heat and power station (chp). Thus, energy is generated in an exclusively regenerative way.

Photovoltaic arrays on the roofs of the houses turn solar radiation into electricity. The excess electricity thus produced is fed into the utility grid. Due to a German renewable energy law, solar electricity fed into the grid is reimbursed at a rate of 0,42 €/kWh over the 20 years following construction, allowing a return on investment for the solar generators. (See www.rolfdisch.de)

Owner & Occupancy

• Owned and occupied by Individual(s)
• Typically occupied by 170 people

Houses are a mix of rentals and owner-occupied homes.

Building Programs

Keywords

Integrated team, Design charrette, Green framework, Simulation, Green specifications, Performance measurement and verification, Transportation benefits, Water harvesting, Efficient fixtures and appliances, Efficient irrigation, Graywater, Massing and orientation, Insulation levels, Glazing, Airtightness, Passive solar, HVAC, Lighting control and daylight harvesting, Efficient lighting, On-site renewable electricity, Cogeneration, Durability, Benign materials, Local materials, Certified wood, Daylighting, Thermal comfort, Noise control, Low-emitting materials

next topic: Process

Content Last Updated: 03/23/2009