ISSUE 5
JANUARY 1995
lBUILDING TECHNOLOGY THERMIE PROGRAMME: promotion of energy technology in Europe EDITORIAL
FEATURES
New JOULE - THERMIE The new THERMIE Programme (1995/98) is part of the 4th European Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. The joint "JOULE - THERMIE" programme will consist of actions in research and development (JOULE) and in demonstration (THERMIE) in the field of Non-Nuclear Energies. The total budget for the four-year period is approximately 1,000 MECU, of which 530 MECU will be allocated to THERMIE. The first call for proposals was launched on December 15, 1994. The closing date for demonstration project proposals is 24 March 1995. While the principal objectives of THERMIE remain as before there will be some changes in focus under the new programme. For information about the Call for Proposals contact W.Folkertsma, DGXVII, Fax +32.2 295 0138/39/40.
GREEN BUILDING IN OLD DUBLIN The new 'Green Building' in Dublin's Temple Bar is archetypal in that a mixed-use building (shops, offices and apartments) for a 26m by 11m infill site on a narrow street is a common design problem in older towns and cities. It is prototypical in that it expresses an environmental philosophy suited to the 21st century and tries to do so in a commercially viable manner. Working to a tight 'fast-track' schedule for both design and construction phases meant that compromises had to be made. For example, no recycled aggregate could be found locally for the concrete and it was not possible to use re-cycled copper for the roof as originally envisaged. But the building incorporates a range of 'green' features in the context of an aesthetically satisfying solution.
IN THIS ISSUE
The concrete structure and walls of dense concrete block, highly insulated externally with rockwool insulation and finished with plaster render, provide high thermal mass. Windows are double-glazed, 'low-e' and argon filled.
Building Technology looks at low-energy designs for offices in Cologne and Sussex, a 'green' building in Dublin, and two daylit training schools in the Loire Region of France.
A well has been sunk 150m into granite to extract dry ground heat. Water pumped through the well transfers its heat, via a heat pump, to water stored in a thermal reservoir. This in turn is pumped through coils embedded in the floor slabs to provide 100% of space heating.
THERMIE
The
six-storey
south-oriented
Atrium in Green Building.
courtyard has a fully-openable glazed roof and, classed as an external space, has non-fire rated windows opening into it. In the Winter air at roof level is heated by the sun, mixed with fresh air, and recirculated to the base of the courtyard from where it rises through the open windows to ventilate the occupied spaces. A pool at basement level humidifies the air and provides 'white noise', while at the upper levels of the courtyard, where high light levels permit smaller windows, extensive planting reoxygenates the air. In Summertime the roof is opened. Air drawn in through the base of the courtyard, or through windows opening onto street and courtyard, provides both stack and crossventilation. Three wind generators (installed capacity 4.5kW) and photovoltaic panels on the roof, together with
European Commission Directorate-General XVII for Energy