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An eye on the future
Sustainability is about more than just insulation and energy saving – a glimpse of things to come.
In recent years countless innovative sustainable residential housing projects have been realised all over the world, demonstrating that compromises do not have to be made in terms of energy standards and the quality of building materials. They are stylish, modern and aesthetically pleasing.
All this is Green Living.
Sustainability is a rather elastic concept. As far as our Garden of Eden is concerned, it starts with taking the tree roots into account and working very closely with the gardeners and landscapers.
Gerda Maria Gerner, gerner°gerner plus
100% energy independent
Five green apartment buildings being built in Vienna’s Hohe Warte area will be heated and cooled using only geothermal technology, eliminating the need to burn any fossil fuels.
Fifty geothermal probes, carefully drilled to avoid any tree root damage, will to provide residents with heat in winter and cooling energy in summer.
A good example of the project’s high construction values is the triple-glazing used in all the windows, which has an excellent thermal insulation coefficient.
Comfy warmth guaranteed
Temperatures remain virtually unchanged throughout the year in the clay soil, even during the freezing winter months. The 50 geothermal probes placed at 10-metre intervals across the one-hectare plot, reaching depths of up to 150 metres, will collect this geothermal energy to meet the properties’ heating requirements. The system uses heat pumps with heat recovery technology to supply the buildings’ heating systems.
Additional climate control will also be possible thanks to neat hidden vents.
Well-tempered indoor climate
The virtually constant ground temperature will also be exploited to provide cooling, and the sun’s heat will be kept at bay by external blinds. The design includes underfloor heating and window convection units to provide warmth in winter, and integrated built-in ceiling air conditioning, fed directly with geothermal cooling energy for the summer.
Emission-free living
On close inspection, sustainability can be found in some unexpected places. Every parking space in the underground car park will have charging facilities for the electric cars of the future. Even though the international market for electric vehicles is still in its infancy, this move is indicative of the holistic approach to emission-free living. This technology will be given the chance to germinated in the Garden of Eden.