The Shell Passivhaus

Building architecture today means being aware of the impact our actions have on the landscape and taking a stance on climate change and the future we are helping to make. Piraccini+Potente Architettura has put sustainability at the top of its must-have list for all their projects, i.e., zero energy consumption, zero emissions and healthy comfortable living environments.
The residential project called “The Shell Passivhaus” in the Romagna countryside near Cesena, Italy, not only complies with Passivhaus Protocol standards but also aligns with the typical rural typology to be found in this part of Italy not far from Rimini on the Adriatic coast.
The practice’s clients were a couple who wanted their now 
non-compliant 1950s house turned into a comfortable sustainable one-story home. Designing a new building became the opportunity to combine traditional rural building practices with the most innovative sustainability standards. A knowledge of the local climate, careful tracking of the sun’s path, and solutions to exploit the wide seasonal temperature differences once again became the essential elements of building with a mind to low resource consumption and intrinsic sustainability.
That project design started with a meticulous in-depth study of rural buildings in the area around Rimini. The outcome was this parallelepiped shielded by a prism that extends to meet the specific needs of the house. The main façade faces south to maximize thermal gain from direct sunlight while the north façade is virtually a blank wall limiting heat dispersion and protecting against the cold winter winds. The portico on the south front provides shading during the summer and allows for outdoor activities in the shade. Overall, the compact form of the new building avoids heat loss while the pitched roof insures stormwater run-off.
As well as following function, form also complies with bioclimatic building...

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