An architect’s impression of the conventional villa (left) and the Passivhaus.

 

The Passivhaus at Barwa City will soon welcome its first residents - a typical family in Qatar who wants to live in an eco-efficient house with a number of eco-friendly features, Qatar Foundation’s weekly publication Telegraph has reported.

The QF project - jointly implemented by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), Barwa Real Estate Group (BRE) and Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) and supported by engineers from Texas A&M University at Qatar - features two side-by-side 225sq m villas, to compare the energy use and environmental footprint.

A family will live in the conventional villa too, for a comparative study on the efficiency of the Passivhaus - named “Baytna” (meaning ‘Our House’ in Arabic).

The conventional villa is built to a one-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) standard whereas the Passivhaus villa will consume 50% less energy and water, resulting in a halving of carbon footprint.

Super insulation and thermal mass allow a Passivhaus to decouple the internal environment from the harsh external conditions. The energy efficiency measures also include high performance glazing, mechanical ventilation with heat/cold recovery, low energy lighting, low air leakage rates, high efficiency air-conditioning, and solar energy tapped through photovoltaic monocrystalline silicon panels on the roof.

Each of the two single-storey villas will host the same number of people - a father, mother and two children - who will stay for at least six months.

The project has adapted a German concept that included a range of energy and water-saving features designed to operate in Qatar’s climate.

Tested to stand in extreme cold weather in Europe and in the US, the proponents want to see if the Passivhaus will make it in extreme heat.

Dr Alex Amato, head of Sustainability at QGBC, said the Passivhaus aims to set new environmental standards that will create a model for the home of the future.

“It is built with sustainable material and fitted with the latest solar energy and water recycling technology,” he noted.

Dr Amato said one of its unique features is it can transfer excess energy back into the electricity grid - “a first for the country.” It should consume 50% less energy and water and 50% less carbon dioxide emissions compared with the conventional house.

A team from the Texas A&M University at Qatar will monitor and analyse the families’ energy and water consumption, as well as the response and performance of materials used for the two houses.

After six months, the families will be given training on how to live eco-friendly lifestyles before allowing them to stay for another six months.

Amato said the live-in experiment has been chosen to produce more true-to-life findings than using a computer-simulated test.

“With this project, we are able to test the effect of training, while also investigating cost-effective solutions,” he added. “If we can achieve success, the next step will be to see how we can reward people for their behaviour, and to expand the programme for existing houses and new neighbourhoods.”

Monitoring will focus on heating and lighting, insulation, the use of shade and natural cooling, and water and electricity use.

How families interact with their surroundings and the way the Passivhaus responds to occupancy will also be monitored.

The experiment also aims to promote the use of eco-friendly technologies such as bioreactor tanks which dispose and recycle water.

Dr Amato believes that cost of adopting Passivhaus standards for Qatar’s climate can be reduced if “lean construction” techniques are applied. These include prefabrication and off-site manufacturing and the establishment of a sustainable procurement supply chain.