Beyond Zero

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D e p a r t m e n t o f A r c h i t e c t u r e a n d B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t

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Copyright NoticeCopyright NoticeAl l the mater ia l in these s l ides

may not be used or reproduced wi thout the

express permiss ion of the authors

The Saint Gobain Nottingham H.O.U.S.EThe Saint Gobain Nottingham H.O.U.S.E

Ben Hopkins (Bennetts Associates)

Chris Dalton (Sheppard Robson)

Rachael Hibbert (Evo Energy)

THE COMPETITIONSOLAR DECATHLON EUROPE 2010

The Rules:

• Plot of 25m x 20m

• 5.5m high• 5.5m high

• Site area of 74m2

THE BEGINNING

•Began as a 5th Year diploma studio project

•Led by the winning group the design was developed by a

student team of all year groups and courses.

•To perform environmentally in both Madrid and UK

climates

•To show that the house can work within a community

housing scheme for a range of tenures

•To comply to competition rules and regulations

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

•To comply to competition rules and regulations

Family Home

• A truly sustainable house is one which provides adequate density to form a

sustainable part of an urban fabric.

• An appropriate response to the Madrid 2010 brief was to show how a small

family house could be produced within the brief.

THE DESIGN

family house could be produced within the brief.

Environmental Issues

• At all times we have considered the implications of providing what is

effectively a self sufficient house.

•Meets Code Level 6 and PassivHaus standards.

4 Day build4 Day build

• Perfect opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of off-site construction.

• The house is designed in “chunks”. These pieces were carefully designed to

allow efficient logistics.

Ground Floor First Floor

THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

1. Panels arrive and filled with insulation 2. Modules formed from panels and fully

finished in factory conditions

3. Modules craned into position on site

4. On site finishing 5. Treatment of courtyard 6. House mirrored within masterplan

1. Studio 7, Kings Meadow Campus...

• The panels are manufactured by Pasquill and delivered to site

2. Constructing the modules

• The finished panels come together to form the

individual modules

• The modules are fully finished both internally and

externally before being transported

• All services are combined with two modules with plug

and play connections to the rest of the houseand play connections to the rest of the house

Trial Run...

•We were asked to showcase the Nottingham H.O.U.S.E as a

primary exhibition at EcoBuild (2010), Earls Court, London

• The process of transporting the modules, assembling and

disassembling them in a shorter time period than for the

competition was a much needed exercise

3. On Site in Madrid

• Before the modules could be craned into position the temporary

competition site had to be prepared

• The site was levelled, with timber sections marking out the

footprint of the house

Craning the modules into position

• The modules were craned in one by one and directed very

precisely by highly skilled crane drivers

• Steel supports were placed on the modules to prevent twisting

during transit and lifting

4. On Site finishing

• Once in position the modules needed to be sealed at the

junctions to create a controlled environment inside

• Flashing was added over the joints, solar panels installed on the

roof and systems plugged together to create a fully functioning

house

5. Courtyard and Landscaping

• An ETFE screen bounds the courtyard, replicating the

environmental characteristics of the neighbouring house in the

terrace

• Planter boxes lined the courtyard providing growing space and

also defined paths and routes on the public tour

6. The Finished H.O.U.S.E

The Competition Process

3. Performance Tests1. Public Tours 2. Jury Panels

Public Tours

• Thousands of people shown around the house in

English and Spanish.

• Great public response to the innovative but very

realistic approach to housing.

Jury Panels

• Expert panels evaluated the HOUSE through tours given by the

student team.

• Panels evaluated Architecture, Innovation, Communications, Market

Viability, Sustainability and Solar Systems.

•The HOUSE was awarded second place in the Sustainability Contest.

Performance Tests

• Tests conducted to show the HOUSE performance. From cooking

contests to the efficiency of the freezer.

• The energy balance for the HOUSE was also measured as well as

the Hygrothermal comfort.

Winter Daytime

Winter Night

Dismantling

•Modules were separated and then removed in much better

conditions than the assembly, allowing team Nottingham to be

one of the quickest teams of the competition.

What’s happened since..

• The HOUSE is now re-assembled permanently on the University

campus as part of the Creative Energy Homes project.