ISOVER provides insulation solutions for a unique project in Barcelona, Spain. By adding a completely new wall to the 60 year old house, this residence now uses 4kWh/m2 a year and looks better than ever! This project featured in the Isover Energy Efficiency Awards 2009.
The project involved the renovation of a small, 60-year old, family second home close to Barcelona. Because the house was only used in the summer, thermal performance was very poor, and it was also generally insecure and poorly equipped. To convert it into a principal residence, the architects had to find ways of improving energy consumption through the use of passive systems, create an extension in a style consistent with, but not identical to, that of the existing building, and finally use economical dry systems that would be simple to self-build without specialist labour, because of the owner’s limited budget. On the south side of the new building, the architect has incorporated a 'Trombe' wall, a glass fronted concrete wall with an air space between the elements, which captures energy and uses it to heat the whole building. The air behind the glass is heated by the sun and then circulated around the building through a ventilation system, with the thermal inertia of the concrete wall ensuring that the heat is distributed evenly throughout the day. As a result, the winter heating requirements of the new part of the building are virtually nil, and those of the old section have been cut by two thirds. In summer, heat build-up is prevented by opening the windows.