“Beyond borders of Bio-Achitecture: The Biospiral House case study”. This house, designed and built in 2016/2017 is a prototype of an integral self-sufficient house part of a more wide Permaculture project.
It's a collaborative research project in sustainable
architecture and construction that aims to study the best techniques
and materials to obtain healthy, comfortable and
spiritual/aesthetically inspiring dwellings, with a tendency towards
zero environmental impact. Based in a passive integral solar
technique and a green roof, maintains high levels of comfort, does
not need to be heated in the winter nor cooled in the summer,
maintains high indoor air quality, produces its own energy, warm its
water using recycling materials and treats locally its residues. The
bioclimatic architecture and the careful selection of the building
elements are used for their cardinal function and disposition, for
example, a strong thermal mass to the south using a cob wall and
strong insulation with a wall of bales of straw to the north.
In addition to the production of energy-efficient
housing, this project also aims to study the best techniques to
reduce the environmental impact in relation to the whole of its life
cycle, from its construction until its end life. For this reason,
all the water and electricity used in the construction of Biospiral
House was obtained and produced locally, as well as the vast
majority of materials are absolutely biodegradable and locally
available.
Another
component of research is the forms and their energy flows. In this
case, the option for a reciprocal roof and a double spiral layout
gives this house an interesting experience in relation to the
potential of the sacred geometric patterns. The Biospiral House
being an experimental house aims to generate and share knowledge
about sustainable housing and thus establish models and benchmarks
for the creation of a sustainable future.
