Adaptable House

The Adaptable House is among a series of six demonstration houses in Nyborg, Denmark, which illustrate different ways of minimizing CO2 emissions. The six houses constitute a CO2 laboratory that will identify the single-family houses of tomorrow and their CO2 accounts.

The six houses constitute a CO2 laboratory that will identify the single-family houses of tomorrow and their CO2 accounts.
The project looks into the CO2 accounts of the houses in all stages: Construction, operation and maintenance.
The six houses are based on the same design framework:

• The building should be a single-family house
• Size: 130-172 m2
• Budget: Average economy
• Architectural design with broad appeal
• Sale of the houses after completed experiment

Each house zooms in on specific aspects of the potential for reducing CO2 emissions, and all houses represent qualified responses to the challenges posed by themselves. The overall objective of the development project is to gain experience and create debate.

SUSTAINABILITY
The Adaptable House is based on Henning Larsen Architects’ sustainable design method, which minimizes the overall environmental impact of the project from the very first sketch.

The method operates with three levels: energy reduction; energy optimisation and energy production. At an early design stage, the building geometry is optimized by means of professional calculations and simulations of daylight, performed by Henning Larsen Architects’ in-house experts. This reduces the need for artificial lightning and costly heating and ventilation solutions.

Subsequently, low-maintenance, easily operated technical solutions are incorporated into the project, optimizing the energy performance of the building. If the desired energy classification is not obtained by these measures, energy-producing technologies such as solar cells or geothermal heat pumps are integrated into the project.

SAVINGS
The Adaptable House offers substantial CO2 savings. A family can save 26 tons CO2 by choosing The Adaptable House in preference to a standard house (based on a 170 m2 house with an energy consumption of 60 kWh/m2/year). In addition, a family saves 33 tons CO2 annually for heating and operation of The Adaptable House compared with a standard house.

The Adaptable House consumes 36 % less energy than a standard house. This primarily owes to its geometry, which is designed to reduce energy consumption. In addition, the optimized spatial layout means that excess square metres for e.g. corridor spaces are avoided. Another reason for the low energy consumption is the modular design, which provides high air density and a minimum of joints, which are often the weak point in the heat balance.

Studies show that approx. two out of three families who change addresses move to a new location within the same municipality. This illustrates that it is often deficiencies in the house and not the local community which make families move. The Adaptable House can be accommodated to meet changing needs and requirements and can thus reduce the number of relocation, which affect CO2 emissions and are a demanding process for the residents.