1. Sustainability idea The G-M house is located in the South-Eastern extremity of Italy , and it is surrounded by the green typical olive trees and the blue Mediterranean Sea. The project is based on the principles of bioclimatic architecture, and green building, through the perfect integration of architecture, landscape and microclimatic comfort. (consume less for a better life !!!). The new building was designed as if it had been in this place "....all along " , inspired by the concept "architecture without architects ": more specifically the project aims to link the technological and typological characteristics of the building with the climatic characteristics of the site and the use of renewable energy resources, recovering the ancient rules of construction related to the local micro-climate and other local resources available; it’is an energy-efficient building, suitable to satisfy the physiological needs of users, through the balanced use of natural potential of the environmental and climatic factors of the place. ( building class 5 of the ITACA Protocol). With this approach it has been possible to maximize the benefits obtained from the use of renewable energy, in particular, solar energy, by limiting the use of active air conditioning systems in both summer and winter, however, by making less use of fossil fuels.
The location, orientation, building form, the careful volumes articulation has been studied by the path of the sun and the direction of prevailing winds, all in a symbiotic relationship between content and container, between the characteristics of distribution interior spaces and housing construction. The exterior walls are very thick and are made of a local stone called "tufo" ", isolated in the cavity with cork panels, and with an outer thermo-insulating material of adequate thickness (composed by lime, clay, natural fibers based on recycled prickly-pear from the same site, straw, cork and perlite granulated, so as to achieve the right balance between " thermal mass " and "light isolation", between materials with characteristics " capacitive " and materials with capacity " resistive " in order to obtain a significant thermal mass of energy enabling to perform specific functions depending on the seasons: in winter, the building envelope has the function to capture, store, preserve and restore the thermal energy carried by sunlight and other sources of passive thermal energy, while, in the summer, through the high thermal inertia and the white external insulation, has the function to protect it from overheating.
The natural cooling of the house is based on a careful study of the characteristics and distribution of the rooms, windows size and location, and also the use of patio that allows cross ventilation and the expulsion of the unwanted heat (heat sink that uses air, sky, earth); iIt's also provided a system of re-using rainwater and greywater recycling systems. The interior design is linear, simple and in accordance with the use of natural and recycle materials. Also it is based on the principles of eco-architecture, without chemical additives, resins and solvents (low VOC).
2. green materials: Structural masonry: the walls were made with local stone called ”tufo”, with certification of environmental sustainability thermal insulation: the building envelope has been isolated with cork panels, and a thermal coat plaster, it consists of natural hydraulic lime, clay, natural lime, with granulated cork, perlite, prickly pear fibers and straw and hemp fibers. exterior coatings: the exterior paintings are made with natural slaked lime of natural origin, cooked at low temperature and high-maturation. internal coatings: the interior paintings are made with stucco without chemical additives, resins and solvents (low VOC). floors: the paving of the semi-basement floor is made with smooth concrete, using Portland cement with natural clay, chalk, cocciopesto and recycle materials; the paving of the ground floor is made in wood parquet FSC-certified. Bathroom coverings: the bathroom floors and wall coverings have been made with the tadelakt technique Heating, Cooling and recycling System: the building is equipped with a radiant heating and cooling system in the floor, powered by solar panels, biomass boiler, heat pump connected with underground cistern; also for energy efficiency and comfort, it has made use of correct combination of natural cooling and passive ventilation. it is useful in rainwater collection and water recycling system, by using the water for watering plant and toilet flushing. windows and shielding: the doors and windows are made from FSC certified wood with Low-E and with selective glass; the horizontal screens are made in marsh reeds, while the vertical screens consist of wood shutters.
