Zero-Energy Modular Residential Buildings, Beijing, China
Lilies – Solar Energy for My Home
International architectural design competition for experimental zero-energy residential buildings in Beijing. Prize for Technical Excellence.
Organizer: International Solar Energy Society / China National Engineering Research Center for Human Settlements / Chinese Renewable Energy Society
Years: 2007/2008
Place: Beijing, China
Architect: Bianchini & Lusiardi Associati
Status: awarded competition design
Our “Lilies” residential complex comprises three independent buildings. Like the flower from which it takes its name, the complex “grows” on water and gets the energy for its existence from sunlight. The energy it requires is generated by 24 Stirling motors which use the difference of temperature to create electricity; furthermore, heating and cooling are provided by heat pumps using the water in the ponds as a heat source/thermal mass.
The buildings consist of modular units fastened to a modular load-bearing structure made of carbon steel. Each building’s stairs, elevators, and horizontal distribution are placed inside an inner courtyard. I singoli blocchi abitativi sono agganciati ad una struttura portante modulare in acciaio e si aggregano sul perimetro della pianta lasciando libero lo spazio centrale dove sono state collocate le scale e le passerelle che distribuiscono agli appartamenti. Based on a 0.6-meter module, each apartment is equipped with a low-voltage system with a power socket and 4 LEDs in each module; this way every point in the dwelling can accommodate a light fixture and/or provide energy to appliances.
Technology
Each building is equipped with eight Stirling-Solar units manufactured by SOLO Stirling GMBH, which generate up to 64 KWP of electricity. The engines exploit the temperature difference between a “hot chamber” – heated by solar radiation through a parabolic mirror – and a “cold chamber” cooled by the water of the pools beneath.
Cooling and heating
Winter: passive heating from Sunlight reflected by the pools. Active hearing from geothermal heat pumps powered by the energy generated by the Stirling engines.
Summer: sunscreen and vegetation filter incident radiation from the Sun, Natural ventilation flow is incremented by the shape of the parabolic concentrators on top of the buildings. Passive cooling is increased by the thermal mass of the pools’ water. The inner courtyard at the core of each building acts as a ventilation chimney, creating an ascendent airflow that helps extract heat from the apartments surrounding it
Figures
Net floor area of the dwellings: 38 to 76 square meters (409 to 1018 square feet). Site area: 1680 square meters | Total net floor area of the presidential complex: 7200 square meters | Buildings’ height: 15.9 meters | Levels: 6 – 5 of which for residential units.
