Solar Electric Solariums Power Incredible Dutch Housing Project

In the Netherlands, green building is the law. Certain energy efficiency requirements are in force for all new buildings. And in the world’s 28th most densely populated country, with over 16,000 people per square mile, housing projects are vital to conserving green space. In 2007, Netherlands enacted its Energy Efficiency Action Plan in an effort to reach its national energy efficiency goals, making this coastal European country a likely setting for integrated solar design. A new housing project in the small town of IJsselstein near Amsterdam illustrates those efforts.

For American architect Gregory Kiss and his Dutch collaborator, Han Van Zwieten, their commission to build a 14-unit housing project in IJsselstein is all about smart use of space and energy. Integrated solar power presented an obvious solution. As architects, they wanted to focus on aesthetics as much as function, so thin-film solar panels made more sense to them than the relatively bulky, if more efficient, conventional solar panels.

So the pair designed modern homes with open floor plans accentuated by large, bulging, multi-level solariums encased in solar panels. Only a few gaps were left for operable windows to let in natural light and fresh air. To some extent, the homes are reminiscent of the Team Germany solar-powered home that won this year’s Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. All told, the homes are only 1,400 square feet inside, but the open floor plan and glass-clad solarium make the space feel larger. The thin-film solar panels lining the exterior provide 30 percent of each home’s energy needs.

Photos & Story: Dwell

Posted on December 22nd in Solar News by Dan.