architecture & surveying firm
Renovations, Restorations, Energy Efficiency, Real Estate Consulting | BELLUNO | ALPAGO | FELTRE
ENRICO BORTOLUZZI ARCHITETTO A BELLUNO, ALPAGO E FELTRE. RESTAURI, RISTRUTTURAZIONI, EFFICIENZA ENERGETICA, BIOARCHITETTURA. CASE CASACLIMA, PASSIVHAUS, CLASSE A, PROGETTI DI INTERNI DESIGN - PAOLO BORTOLUZZI PERITO A BELLUNO E ALPAGO. ASSISTENZA A COMPRAVENDITE, STIME, PERIZIE, SUCCESSIONI, CATASTO, CONSULENZE.
ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS AND PASSIVHAUS
in Belluno, Feltre, North Veneto and Dolomites Area
Never before has the issue of energy played such a significant role—not only in our daily lives but also on the national and international political agenda—as it has in recent years. While today we still hear about Class A buildings—structures that are expensive to construct, particularly due to their mechanical and electrical systems—over the past thirty years, the focus on efficiency and comfort has shifted toward the concept of passive buildings, zero-energy buildings, and, as far as we’re concerned, PASSIVHAUS certification.
WHAT IS A PASSIVE BUILDING?
This building provides a high level of indoor comfort and meets all or nearly all of its energy needs for heating and cooling passively—that is, without the need for any mechanical systems other than controlled ventilation.
HOW IT WORKS: BIOCLIMATICS
The operating principle is simple: instead of designing a substandard building envelope whose flaws are corrected by expensive systems, we must design a high-performance envelope, carefully engineered to lose less heat than it can accumulate in the winter and to avoid overheating in the summer. This is achieved both by paying attention to the windows—which must be properly oriented and calculated—and to the walls, which must be well insulated, free of improper thermal bridges, and airtight.
THE SYSTEMS OF A PASSIVE HOUSE
So does a passive house have no heating or cooling systems? No! But thanks to its design features, these systems are greatly reduced and simplified: just consider that a 100 m² Passivhaus-certified passive house needs only 1 kW of heat on the coldest day of the year—the equivalent of a space heater running at half power! The other crucial system is the controlled ventilation system, which ensures constant air exchange and maintains optimal comfort conditions.
CONTROLLED MECHANICAL VENTILATION - CMV
If you’re getting into the world of energy conservation and high-efficiency homes, you’ll often hear about CMV. If you don’t, run for the hills! Controlled mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is an essential system in high-efficiency buildings, as it ensures indoor air exchange 24 hours a day, automatically adjusting to meet the detected needs.
WHY IT'S WORTH IT
More than thirty years of experience have shown that a passive building constructed to Passivhaus standards is more cost-effective than a Class A building. The reason is simple: in addition to being up to three times more energy-efficient—and therefore less expensive to operate—a modest investment in building envelope insulation leads to significant savings on building systems.
WOODEN AND BRICK HOMES AND MYTHS TO DISPEL
The main myth about passive houses that needs to be debunked is that you can’t open the windows: of course you can! I usually give this example: if you’re stuck on the freeway in the middle of winter, sitting in your warm car with filtered, clean air from the air conditioner, would you ever think of throwing the windows wide open and letting in cold, dirty air? The same thing happens with a passive house equipped with mechanical ventilation.
The other myth is that passive houses must necessarily be built of wood: no! They can very well be built using traditional masonry, reinforced masonry, wood with sandwich panels, XLAM panels, and even wood, straw, and clay: what matters is the end result: comfort and cost-effectiveness.
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BORTOLUZZI ASSOCIATI IS A FIRM THAT PROVIDES CONSULTING AND ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE BUYERS IN ITALY