Vila Y is
an active house. However, it does not boast this visually – all the
technological facilities are carefully hidden so as not to optically pollute
its environment.
Rather
than the production and consumption of energy, the priority is creating a pleasant,
generous space with a relaxed atmosphere of “lightness of being” for both the
inhabitants and their numerous guests.
As a
matter of principle, the architecture of Vila Y refuses to contaminate the
building’s visible surfaces by the black boards of photovoltaic panels or
thermal collectors. Everything is carefully hidden from view – the panels are
behind the attic, the electric converters in the fencing, wells for the heat
pump are underground.
After
all, nobody wants to see the landscape optically contaminated by wind turbines
or the black of photovoltaic panels where meadows and fields used to be.
However
“green”, energy generation should not devastate a landscape’s aesthetic value,
nor determine the architectural character of a building, because it is not the
priority.
Vila
Y is a luxurious house.Not that it would be pompous, excessive in size
or that it would boast its owner's social status, but mainly because of what it
offers to its users – comfort.A comfort that starts in a spacious anteroom where
you can sit in a cosy armchair while you tie your shoelaces, resting your leg
on a slanted support. A comfort that entails freeing your mind from worries
about the energy bill, simply because more is generated than used (this despite
the comfort of a heated walkway so that in winter you don’t have to shovel away
snow or worry about slipping when there is ice).
The
house’s solar plant is not there to show how “green” the owner or the architect
is – it improves the house’s comfort, raises its utility value and
significantly contributes to the feeling of “living easy”.
Vila
Y is a highly individualised home intended for couples approaching the autumn
of their lives (just before retirement), who lead a very active life and
receive frequent visits from their children’s families with many grandchildren.The house is
often full of friends and guests.
The
villa is situated in a Bratislava suburb, in a new street leading to an
attractive lake.The newly designed structure of family houses is
rather diverse and the villa lives a life of its own.The parcel
is flat, in line with the intention of the user (owner) – to have a strictly
barrier-free home that is also suitable for the elderly.There are no
steps, no doorway thresholds.
The
construction and disposition is rational and based on the conventional
double-aisle longitudinal design.Two elevated masses are wedged into the basic
double-aisle at an angle to each other.The villa
consists of three intersecting blocks remotely resembling the letter Y.The bearing
structure is reinforced concrete, thermal insulation is mineral fibre and the
breathing façade is covered in black and white alucobond.The windows
have insulated triple glazing.
Generous
dimensions of the gathering spaces (the hallway, living room, dining room,
library and wine cellar) accommodate all social activities.The house’s
main spaces are linked to the longitudinal axis, meeting it at various angles.This creates
interesting interior views as well as exterior view compositions.Although the
spaces are generous, they form different expressive sections that retain
intimacy and open up southward to the garden and a pond.The cooking
area is the natural centre, retaining contact with all corners of the
free-flowing social space.
The house
has top-level technical equipment. Photovoltaic panels with an installed
capacity of 9 kW are mounted on the roof. A Schueco 125 BLO 1 micromorph module
is used with a maximum output of 125 W – 72 pcs. in total. The Schueco
east/west flat-roof mounting system is employed with a slant of 10°. The system
feeds generated electricity into the distribution network at an estimate of
9000 kWh/year.
Heating
and cooling is provided by a water-water heat pump. There are two wells on the
premises. The expected overall positive energy balance is around 20% of
generated electricity.
How does it feel to get
paid every time the sun comes up?
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