Ecological Details
Ecological Details
Ecological Details
The common feature of all houses beyond the use of the plant-based sewage treatment system and composting toilets is their compact design. The dense building method to be found in the structure of the settlement is thus reflected in the interior. Space- and resource-saving building appears as "no frills" architecture that builds up rather than flat.
The various ecological details also represent the path of ecological construction technology development: photovoltaic systems and insulation made from recycled old materials can be found in the newer houses, on the older innovative winter garden implementations and grass roofs, as well as the first implementations of high thermal insulation standards.
In the Allermöhe ecological settlement, developments were anticipated that are now also finding their way into conventional house construction and are considered to be particularly exemplary there (insulation standards, low-energy houses, indoor climate, solar systems, rainwater use).
Demand of Thermal Energy
Energetically sensible orientation + reduced heating demand:
The houses are oriented with large open sides to the south, largely closed to the north by deep pent roofs. Since this concept is completed by window areas minimized to the north, a basis for energy-saving living has already been laid. The interior rooms are arranged in an energetically sensible way: to the north entrance, connecting, bedroom and storage rooms, to the south living room and children's rooms.
In addition, there is usually very good thermal insulation, well beyond the legal requirements, which is why the individual heat requirement per m² of area is sometimes considerably lower than conventional houses built at the same time. Many of the houses have winter gardens in front of the southern facade, some extend over 1 1/2 - 2 floors, so that additional heat can be conducted into the house.
Building Ecology
Everywhere emphasis was placed on diffusion-open or -favouring wall constructions and the use of building materials that are harmless to health, so that the indoor climate in all houses is exemplary. The choice of environmentally friendly and healthy colors (walls), oils (floors) and floor coverings (wood, linoleum, cork, unpolluted carpets) was generally in the hand and always in the interests of the residents.
Wood in particular satisfies ecological demands: It is an energy-saving construction and renewable raw material. It can also be found in the settlement as a key construction material: in all houses there are wooden beam ceilings, wooden windows and many are built entirely in wooden skeleton or frame construction.
Grass roofs and rainwater harvesting
Around half of all roofs in the settlement are designed as grass roofs in a northerly direction - they provide nature with part of the area sealed by the building and thus also offer breeding grounds for birds, for example. At the same time, they also ensure a pleasant indoor climate in the attic in summer and, through their buffer function, make an important contribution to using the rainwater that accumulates in the settlement close to the location.
In the hard-roofed houses, the rainwater, some of which is temporarily stored in underground cisterns, is used in some families for washing and usually for watering the gardens.
Use of technology
In individual houses, ecological technologies are used in a targeted manner in order to reduce energy consumption or to produce energy themselves.
The particularly windproof, low-energy houses additionally funded by the Hamburg Environment Agency are such: They have excellent thermal insulation in the roof, outer walls, floor and windows as well as special windproofness, which has been certified by a blower-door test. Controlled ventilation of these houses, which makes manual ventilation unnecessary and prevents associated energy losses, further reduces their energy requirements and ensures high indoor air quality despite the high insulation standard.
Some residents use thermal solar systems to heat their hot water and take the solar heat with them over a maximum of 400 liter buffer storage, even on days with little sunshine.
In addition, electricity is produced in four photovoltaic systems in the settlement, which covers up to fifty percent of the annual average amount of kilowatt hours consumed in the respective households.
