Case Study 1:

Cold Climate
Year 2
Technologies Semester 2
02/02/2012
Glenn Ombler RIBA
& Craig Stott
MEng(Hons), BArch, MA.
Case Study 1:
Community Centre, Ludesch, Austria
2004-2005
Architect: Hermann Kaufmann
Architect
Architect Profile: Hermann Kaufmann
We have two overarching themes challenging us: Sustainable building in the broadest sense,
and the modern use of timber construction.
2007 Winner Global Award for Sustainable Architecture
Adolf Loos said, that an architect is nothing more that a mason who learned Latin, we
actualize this for Hermann Kaufmann: a fine craftsman, who by the way is an architect. He and
his hlzerne Verwandtschaft (wooden fratery) define a locally and nationally recognized
social, ecological, economical, political dimension. His work teaches us, that an ecologic ethic
is not limited to a list of technical innovations, that the simplicity of this new rationalism is of
timeless beauty.
Jana Revedin
Geographical Context
Vorarlberg
Second smallest province
380,000 inhabitants
Pop. density = 142 persons / km!
(England = 395 persons / km
26,000 kWh End-Energy
consumption/(p.a.) per person
2,900 Watt permanent per person
85,000 buildings in total
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uXLUoqzlT2k&feature=channel
CHP
Cold Climate Data: Ludesch
Project Brief
Goal of project:
To create a communication centre for the municipality of Ludesch.
Previously the municipality did not have a compact old core or a grown civic centre.
Important public buildings within the village did not have a geographical or architectural relation.
With this community centre the developers succeeded in creating a social centre for Ludesch.
Site Plan
Project Specifics:
Multifunctional building with a useful floor area of 3,135 m!.
The communicative centre is the forecourt which is canopied with photovoltaic modules.
Centre houses:
Community Centre
Municipal Office
Business Offices
Meeting Rooms
Public facilities:
Library
Day Care Centre
Playground
Post Office
Shops
Layout
Roof Plan
Ground Floor Plan in Context
Concept Layout
A: Retail
B: Flexible Municipal Spaces
C: Admin & Offices
A
B
C
1. Covered Village Square
2. Cafe
3. Multi-Purpose Hall
4. Playground
5. Shop
6. Library
7. Post Office
8. Childcare
9. Offices
10. Local Authority
1
2
3
4
5
6
5
7
Ground Floor
1. Photovoltaic Canopy
2. Cafe
3. Multi-Purpose Hall
4. Playground
5. Shop
6. Library
7. Post Office
8. Childcare
9. Offices
10. Local Authority
1
10
8
9
9
First Floor
North Elevation
East Elevation & Section
Materials
Cradle to Cradle
The building was designed using a Closed Loop System.
Therefore no harmful materials or substances were used where
an ecologically friendly alternative was available.
Biological Metabolism Vs Technical Nutrition
Closed Loop
Closed Loop in Practice:
Over 300 products were tested against the Environmental
Associations Eco-Construction Guidelines
Less than 10% of the products tested were suitable.
For a building material to be environmental is must not contain:
Greenhouse effect gases (e.g. Carbon Dioxide, Methane)
Ozone depleting gases (e.g. Chlorofluorocarbons)
Acidification gases (e.g. Sulphur Dioxide)
Any elements harmful to health (Lead, Arsenic etc)
A material must also:
Consume the minimum amount of energy
Be Deconstructable
Be Upcyclable
To Achieve a Closed Loop:
Insulating materials are made of renewable resources
(wood fibre, flax, hemp, sheep wool)
Avoidance of PVC-materials
(windows, doors, coatings, pipes)
Avoidance of any material containing formaldehyde
Avoidance of solvent containing paste and plasticising colours,
paints and glue
Regional Materials:
To minimise the carbon footprint of the
materials, and provide a boost to the local
economy, the timber used throughout the
building is regionally sourced Silver Fir.
The Insulating Sheeps Wool comes from the
surrounding farms.
Sheeps Wool Insulation:
Insulation:
The exterior walls were insulated with cellulose.
Sheep wool was used as insulation material for the fit-out and
finishes.
Sheep wool replaced the commonly used polyurethane window
insulation.
Fenestration Detail Showing Sheeps Wool Insulation:
Environmental Performance
Passive Design Measures:
Cooling
Passive cooling through ground water - without
a conditioning system
Solar Shading
Window blinds a distance of 100 cm from the
windows can be lowered
Canopies of the same width provide constant
protection from the highest solar angles
Glazing
Appropriately sized and located windows,
including the buildings north faade, allow an
excellent supply of daylight.
Building Management System
Blinds are linked to a control system which
activates the sun shading and lighting system
on predefined settings.
This ensures an optimum interaction of cooling,
heating, daylight and artificial light at all times.
Passive Shading
Photovoltaics
The roof consists of 350 m! (120) high
performance translucent PV modules, which are
laid out in twelve sheets and face southwest.
The roof provides for weather protection and
serves as sunshading.
Photovoltaics
The PV array generates 16,000 kWh electrical
energy per annum.
The building consumes 10,000 kWh meaning
it generates between "9,000 - "14,000 per
annum selling electricity to the national grid.
PHOTOVOLTAIC OUTPUT / YEAR
kWp X S X Rf X ZPV
kWp = Installed peak power output of PVs
S = Annual solar radiation / year (kWh/m!)
Rf = Reduction factor
ZPV = Overshading factor
So: For Ludesch Community Centre:
20kWp X 1000kWh/m! X 0.8 X 1.0 =
16,000 kWh/ year
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2mCTSV2f36A
Photovoltaics
Energy Strategy
Connection to biomass district heating to supply
primary heating energy and hot water
Solar energy - translucent photovoltaic cell
installation generates buildings electricity
Solar Collectors used to top up district heating
supply in winter and provide cooling in summer
Ground water to supply the necessary cooling
energy and to pre heat the fresh air for the
ventilation system
Rainwater use for toilets, washing machines and
watering landscaped areas
Solar Water Heaters
In addition to the PVs there is 30m
2
of solar
absorbers heating 4,500 litres of water for the
buildings central heating system.
Heating & Cooling System
BMS Building Management System
The whole building equipment is linked with a
direct digital control.
Additionally a coupling of the electronic plants
for light, shading systems etc. is linked with the
direct digital control.
This control is visualised through a building
service manager and allows a continuous
optimisation and an easy maintenance.
Construction
Pre-Fabricated Building System
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JiYPMNnVV24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=IwB8Dw0gpW4
Prefabrication
Construction Axonometric
Construction Process
Building is pre-fabricated off site in a factory
Prefabricated elements arrive on site
Elements are very quickly constructed
Once Water tight, Plumbing & Electrical Fit-
out can take place
Finishes are applied
Construction Process
Fit-out example:
Ventilation system concealed beneath
wooden ceiling strips
Structure & Envelope
Faade Detail 1
Photovoltaic Canopy Detail
North Elevation
Photovoltaic Array Covered Courtyard
Faade Detail 2
Internal View
Key Figures
Construction time: May 2004 to Oct. 2005
Volume: 14,500 m#
Effective area: 3,135 m!
Total net costs: "5.6 million which is only 1.8% greater
through using ecologically friendly materials than
standard building materials
Heating degree-days: 3,815 Kd
Minimum outside temperature: -15 C
Median inside air temperature: +20 C
Static building heating load: 60 kW
Annual heating energy consumption:
27,742 kWh/a, 13.8 kWh/m!
Annual cooling energy consumption:
15,301 kWh/a, 7.5 kWh/m!
Annual electricity consumption 10,000kWh
Primary energy consumption 130 kWh/m
2
(0.011 toe)
Standard building equivalent consumes ~ 650 kWh/m
2

Energy used in construction 18 kWh/m
2

Equivalent masonry building consumes ~ 50 kWh/m
2

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5Ruwbg6CkeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=j2_ZDwkBVZY&NR=1
Fly Through
Further Reading
Community Centre in Ludesch, DETAIL 6/2007, Energy-
Efficient Architecture, pp. 657-662.
Kapfinger, Otto, Hermann Kaufmann Woodworks:
Architecture Durable, (Berlin: Springer Verlag, 2008)
Roberts, Simon, Guariento, Nicolo, Building Integrated
Photovoltaics: A Handbook, (Basel: Birkhauser, 2009)
New Communal Centre, Ludesch,
http://www.nachhaltigwirtschaften.at/results.html/id3572
Eco Architecture, Gemeindezentrum Ludesch,
http://www.ecoarchwiki.net/pmwiki.php?
n=Projects.GemeindezentrumLudesch?action=browse
Wood focus, Community Centre, Ludesch, Vorarlberg,
http://customers.evianet.fi/woodfocus/download.php/
download/document_data/10220/
Puulehti06-01Ludesch.pdf?woodfocusid=2
Hermann Kaufmann
http://www.hermann-kaufmann.at/en/1.php?
kid=4&oid=00_96&dsc=Gemeindezentrum%20Ludesch