Sustainability of house with bioclimatic greenhouse

The management of energy, climate and all the resources of a house are increasingly important factors in contemporary architecture. We can even say that today they are almost more significant than the "traditional" compositional aspects of a building. Looking at the sustainability of a project does not mean neglecting the quality of the architecture, but bringing together new ideas and solutions with increasingly complex and changing needs and processes. An excellent example of architecture that follows the spirit of our times is the residence designed by architect Federico Mojentale in Thiene, Veneto. Recalling the principles of Scandinavian architecture, the villa revolves around a tropical bioclimatic greenhouse that contributes to the cooling and heating of the house in a completely natural way. For the automated management of the system, the architect Mojentale relied on ABB, which provided a dedicated solution.

The house's thermoregulation uses the greenhouse's solar collection, natural air circulation and heat exchange with the flow of water from the internal waterfall. Inside the greenhouse there is a water basin that collects the rainwater filtered by the green roof and which also serves as a thermal regulator, cooling the environment in summer and accumulating heat in winter. The temperature and humidity inside the house are managed with the greenhouse windows and thermal curtains around it. The system is controlled by an ABB PLC and interfaced with the ABB i-bus® KNX building automation system. This controls the lighting and the automatic operation of the thermal curtains around the greenhouse, as well as providing all the comforts of home, such as the advanced Welcome M video intercom system from ABB, which can be controlled remotely using a smartphone. A solution with high technological and aesthetic content, the ABB-tacteo® KNX system with touch controls, was also used for the house controls. Made of capacitive glass, the ABB-tacteo® KNX controls have been developed to offer a civilian range with modern design and functionality combined with the functionality and flexibility of KNX systems. The controls, made of frameless capacitive glass, react without contact and offer unlimited possibilities for the creation of intelligent installations, merging technology, design and functionality.