The model home 2020 project is a vision for

climate neutral Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon dioxide (). Reaching net ze ...

buildings with a high degree of liveability. The project was started in 2009 and involves the construction of six

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

s in five countries across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Each building in the project is designed to reflect and respond to the different climatic, cultural and architectural conditions of the countries in which they are built. After completion the houses are open to the public during a test period of 6–12 months after which they are sold. Each house is monitored during the test period to learn how the experiments turn out in real-life conditions.
The learnings
will be shared openly with other projects, industry experts and contractors to create synergy effects in the building industry's effort to come up with solutions for sustainable buildings. The houses in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

were built in 2009, those in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

were built in 2010 and those in the UK and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

are scheduled for completion in 2011.

Background

The Active House Alliance has developed a set of principles for " active house" construction, which focuses on achieving a balance between

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

, indoor climate and the environment. The model home 2020 project is in full accordance with the active house principles. The project is backed by the VELUX Group in cooperation with multiple local and regional governments, suppliers, architects, engineers and researchers. The model home 2020 project tests how the active house principles perform under real-life conditions. The knowledge derived from the projects will be documented and used to take an active part in developing

sustainable building Green building (also known as green construction, sustainable building, or eco-friendly building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's l ...

The projects

* Experiment #
Home for Life
in

built in 2009. Home for Life is a visionary proposal for the family home of the future. The building is the result of an interdisciplinary project to incorporate the issues of

energy consumption Energy consumption is the amount of energy used. Biology In the body, energy consumption is part of energy homeostasis. It derived from food energy. Energy consumption in the body is a product of the basal metabolic rate and the physical acti ...

, comfort and visual appeal into a holistic entity, with these parameters being mutually complementary and maximising quality of life in the home and the world around it. * Experiment #
Green Lighthouse
in Denmark built in 2009. Green Lighthouse is Denmark's first public

carbon-neutral Global net-zero emissions is reached when greenhouse gas emissions and Greenhouse gas removal, removals due to human activities are in balance. It is often called simply net zero. ''Emissions'' can refer to all greenhouse gases or only carbon diox ...

building. It was developed in a strategic partnership between the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

, the VELUX Group, VELFAC, the Danish University and Property Agency and the Municipality of Copenhagen. The underlying vision of the project is to erect a beacon showing the way towards climate-neutral buildings of the future that provide the best indoor climate with masses of daylight and fresh air to the benefit of the residents' health and comfort. * Experiment #
Sunlighthouse
in

built in 2010. Sunlighthouse will be Austria's first carbon-neutral, single-family home. The vision is to build a house with exciting and appealing architecture focusing on the sloping roof. The house must be generally affordable and therefore meet certain specifications of dimensions, material and appearance. Sunlighthouse provides an exceptionally high proportion of daylight and will achieve a positive energy balance by reducing its overall energy consumption and by using

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

. * Experiment #
LichtAktiv Haus
in

built in 2010. LichtAktiv Haus is the first -neutral modernisation of a so-called Siedlerhaus, a semi-detached house from the 1950s located in the Wilhelmsburg district of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

The innovative modernisation strategy combines maximum liveability with optimum energy efficiency. The once tight and closed structure of the building has been transformed into spacious rooms with high levels of daylight, providing occupants with the best living comfort. Natural

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Respirator, a ma ...

ensures a healthy indoor climate. The goal now is self-sufficiency in energy. * Experiment #
CarbonLight Homes
in UK opened during 2011. CarbonLight homes are the first new home in the UK designed and built to the new UK Government definition of zero carbon. They are designed to be real homes for real people with construction techniques suitable for use by mass house builders. CarbonLight Homes use nature in an intelligent way to maximise daylight and encourage a sustainable lifestyle. The design is open plan and incorporates high levels of

daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...

and natural ventilation intended to minimise energy consumption among residents and generate a sense of community. The homes show that common-sense design can be used to create inspirational sustainable houses that can be easily replicated by UK house builders. * Experiment #
Maison Air et Lumière
in

opened during 2011. Maison Air et Lumière is a new generation of active homes that puts the

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

of its inhabitants at the centre of its environmental approach. The unique features of the house lie in intelligent use of the sloping roof to combine well-being and

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...

. The architectural concept is based on different roof pitches that increase its ability to capture sunlight, making it an energy-positive home.

The challenges

The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) has adopted a comprehensive package for European energy policy up to 2020.http://ec.europa.eu/energy/index_en.htm It entails EU member states reducing their total energy consumption and CO₂ emissions by 20 percent. Moreover, all EU member states must show that 20 percent of their total energy consumption comes from renewable energy sources. According to EU statistics: * People in the EU spend 90 percent of the time indoors. * Buildings consume more than 40 percent of the EU's total energy consumption. * Up to 30 percent of the buildings within the EU do not provide a healthy indoor climate.

References

External links

Ecobuild blog

Model home 2020 website

Story from UK about model home 2020

Film about Green Lighthouse

Learnings from the Model Home 2020 project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Model Home 2020 Project Sustainable architecture