Antonio Moura - March 2009

Low-Energy Building Design

Low-energy building design is not just the
result of applying one or more isolated
technologies. (wind turbines, heat pumps,
etc

It is an integrated whole-building process that
requires advocacy and action on the part of
the client and design team throughout the
entire project development process.
Low-energy
building
design
Micro
Generation
Design
Building Energy
Management
Systems
Embodied
Energy of
Materials
Design
Shape of the Building
Passive Solar Design (orientation)
Passive Solar Design (windows)
Movable Shadowing Devices
Shape
Shape
Shape
Passive Solar Design (shape)
Passive Solar Design (extensions)
Passive Solar Design (garages)
Solar orientation & Movable shadowing devices
Micro
Generation
Heat Pumps
Wind Turbines
BEMS
Building Energy Management Systems
Software
The Facilities Manager
can easily monitor and
override the System
1. Status Points (verifies conditions on & off)
2. Command points (switches on & off))
3. Analogue Input (measures analogue values)
4. Analogue Output (modulates analogue values)
Hardware
Basic example
If the Local Authority wishes to support the project,
they should display the same data to the public as well.
A screen in the entrance should display how
much energy the building is using & producing
on the moment, last day and last month.
All data should be available online all the
time.
Green Wash
Online posts saying turbines
probably are not wired.
No manufacturers name.
No info at ALL !!!
Italian manufacturer
6 Kw/h
Brand: ROPATEC
Materials
With low Embodied Energy
Straw bales
Dimensions of a typical straw bale:
350mm X 450mm X 1000mm
(14 X 18 X 39 approx.)
Weight: 30 K (66 pound)
Cost per unit depends on season: 2.5 -
5.0 (delivery to be agreed)
A wall 3m X 6m (10 X 20) will need 60
straw bales (51 + 15%)
This photo is of a large Straw Bale building
in UK (Sworders Ltd, Fine-Art
Auctioneers based in Essex) with 1100m
(11,840 sq. foot or 0.272 acre).
This is a modern building with rainwater
catchments, solar water heating, bio-mass
space heating and lime rendered walls.
Important Construction Details
A good pair
of boots
Important Construction Details
A good hat
Important Construction Details
WINDOW
POSITIONING
Low embodied energy: Straw bales are natural sub-product of crops

Thermal Insulation: Straw bales are superb insulators

Sound Insulation: Straw bales they act as a very efficient sound barrier.

Load bearing: The walls are incredible strong the bales are not just pilled, they are tied down. It
is possible to use these types of walls as load bearing walls.

VOCs (volatile organic components): These walls can be built free of glues, plastics and paint that
represent a health issue.

The interior is rendered with a clay based plaster and the exterior with a lime based plaster.
Cement should be avoided because the walls need to breathe.

Fire performance: Loose straw is very flammable and during the construction stage care must be
taken in order to avoid problems. Like paper, its easy to burn a single sheet but when trying to burn
the phone book everybody knows that its quite hard this is because the oxygen trapped inside
the bale is not enough to feed the combustion process.

Help available with this recovered technology: There are numerous books explaining different
construction methods. The internet is a good source of information as well. Amazonails strawbale
innovation is willing to help any project with their expertise.
ADVANTAGES:
Supply chain: The bales are very susceptible to moisture content. There is not
a formal supply (building merchants dont store them in their yards) and the
builder needs to explain carefully to the farmer that moisture above 20% will
damage the bales definitively.

Moisture: If the roof fails allowing water to get into the bales or dampness
arising from the bottom penetrates the walls the bales will rot and need to be
replaced.

Buildability: Building with strawbales is not a Sunday activity despite the
feeling transmitted during the course is not fun. It requires very skilful
workmanship to achieve the aim of good insulation and avoid dampness
penetration. Strawbales are not standard materials like bricks and blocks and
good site management is required to keep quality at a high level. In short,
requires a skilful contractor otherwise this construction method is not advisable.
DISADVANTAGES:
Cost 1: Building with strawbales is not cheaper than other
methods. The purpose in using this material has two reasons:

It is a sustainable and renewable resource
It has remarkable insulating properties.


Cost 2: The external walls of a modern building represents
about 10-15% of the whole costs, so any savings will not
represent a major subject.
MYTHS:
150

years

ago
we won we will win again