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Households

Sustainable and eco-efficient apartment buildings

CONTEXT

Eco-efficiency is oriented to generate buildings that respect the environment and are thermally more stable to enable greater comfort while reducing energy demands. Eco-efficiency and sustainable development, based on spatial planning and the architectural design of residential environments, have a significant effect on health.

Improvements in the reduction of physical (noise, electromagnetic waves, emission reduction and the need to generate energy, etc.), chemical or biological environmental pollution have a direct or indirect effect on health: reduction of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and immunological and hormonal disorders.

OBJECTIVE

• Foster the construction of sustainable and eco-efficient housing (public and private) due to its positive effects on health: Reduction of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and immunological and hormonal disorders.
• Reduction of CO2 emissions, resulting from the reduction in energy demand, the increase in the use of renewable energy and the improvement of energy efficiency.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for the development of housing (public and private) and communities

• Reduce the energy demand of homes through:
  • The use of building envelope materials with high thermal inertia.
  • The increased use of insulation in building envelopes: facade walls, roofs, floors, etc.
  • The use of the most insulating materials possible for openings and windows, taking into account factors like: The use of non-metallic frames or frames that break the thermal bridge, a high air barrier level, the use of double or triple glazing with a noble gas filling (e.g. argon) and low-emissivity glass.
  • The suitable protection of openings to prevent the excessive effects of sunlight on the interior. Southern-facing openings (mid-day sun) with a horizontal projection in relation to the size of the window prevent the effects of direct sunlight in the summer while allowing it to enter in the winter. In openings facing east or west (morning or afternoon sunlight), a projection is not efficient given that the sunlight shines more horizontally on the glass. It is necessary to install vertical elements that also respect visual transparency in the interior of the home, blinds or mats. If necessary, the glass could include solar control filters capable of regulating the entry of solar radiation.
• Use passive air-conditioning systems, which prevent the consumption of energy, favour comfort and prevent environmental contamination, such as:
  • The use of cross ventilation systems.
  • Offer different facade solutions for the different orientations.
  • The use of shafts that generate cross ventilation and/or the chimney effect and with plant life to foster the creation of a microclimate.
  • The installation of Trombe walls to favour the heating and ventilation of the air.
  • The use of terracing to take advantage of the effects of the sun, in addition to semi-underground structures that configure thermal walls and green roofs in order to take advantage of thermal inertia and the stabilisation of the temperature.
• Incorporate the concept of eco-efficiency into the construction of buildings, based on:
  • Fostering building techniques that facilitate reuse and the reduction of waste.
  • The use of renewable energy and investments in the efficiency of installations.
• Apply typological logic to favour the environment
  • Develop types of housing that foster the participation of the users in their transformation: flexible, expandable and perfectible housing, among others. Dwellings that are designed in such a way that it is possible to transform them are more sustainable thanks to the energy saved on renovations and additions and their greater capacity to incorporate the needs of users.
  • Foster shared facilities and maximise the socialisation of domestic services: garages, storage rooms, bicycle parking, clothes horses, saunas, meeting rooms, leisure, play areas for children, etc. Sharing spaces in the building improves housing performance and efficiency.
  • Use local materials with a low ecological footprint.

Proposals and recommendations for the administration

Many environmental aspects have already been gradually incorporated and their application is compulsory in accordance with the building technical code (CTE) and therefore councils only have to ensure strict compliance.

If the aim is a level of eco-efficiency and sustainability above the standards set by the CTE, councils can:

• Demand their incorporation through municipal building by-laws or regulations that affect both new builds and renovations.
• Foster eco-efficiency and sustainability through tax deductions linked to an established level of efficiency and sustainability, foster local awards for innovation, etc.
• Foster community district heating systems in apartment buildings, as their consumption and maintenance are more efficient, they are technically cheaper and simpler to install, and they increase the performance of installed systems.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

LEGISLATION

• Llei 24/2015, del 29 de juliol, de mesures urgents per a afrontar l'emergència en l'àmbit de l'habitatge i la pobresa energètica.
• Decret 75/2014, de 27 de maig del Pla per al dret a l'habitatge.
• Decret 111/2009, de 14 de juliol, de modificació del decret 21/2006, de 14 de febrer, pel qual es regula l'adopció de criteris ambientals i d'ecoeficiència en els edificis.
• RD 314/2006, de 17 de març, por el que se aprueba el Código Técnico de la Edificación i les seves modificacions introduïdes per les disposicions posteriors.
• Decret 21/2006, de 14 de febrer, per qual es regula l'adopció de criteris ambientals d'ecoeficiència en els edificis.

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

• EcoHabitar. 2018. Casas saludables y eficientes. Congreso online. 
• Rubio, F.J. (Grupo ferrovial, fundación entorno) Construcción Sostenible como inversión en salud: Vivienda y entornos residenciales saludables. Congreso nacional de Medioambiente.
• M.Rojas, J., Galán-Marin, C., Fernandez-Nieto, E. 2012. Parametric Study of Thermodynamics in the Mediterranean Courtyard as a Tool for the Design of Eco-Efficient Buildings. Energies 2012, 5(7), pp. 2381-2403.
• Montaner, J.M. 2015. Sostenibilidad e integración en el entorno. In: Barcelona: Editorial Reverté La arquitectura de la vivienda colectiva. Prácticas y proyectos en la ciudad contemporánea.
• Comissió Europea, 2020. A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives.

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

• Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Toxicitat dels materials" 
• Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Edificis d´habitatges amb materials saludables" 
• Àmbit Planificació urbana. Fitxa "Fomentar tècniques constructives més sostenibles"
• Àmbit Equipaments. Fitxa "Energia renovable"

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