According to Robin Spence, daylight is essential for the physical and
mental well being of the person. Homes must therefore be as transparent
as possible. Light constructions have specific demands for the energy
house keeping of a building. A lightly constructed building heats up quickly
due to its low mass which requires extra measures to control the inner
climate. Robin Spence developed the 'variable skin house'. Besides carrying
out the transparency to the extreme, the design for his home in Cornwall
is based on the principle that, even in Northern Europe, there is enough
sunlight (radiation-heat) hitting the roofs to fulfil the heating and
lighting needs.
 A rendering of the house |
 Section of the house (model)
|
The glass enclosure of his home forms, so to speak, a second skin, which regulates the ventilation and inner climate by a computer-controlled lamella system. The transparent enclosure is constructed from an insulated glass outer layer on steel profiles, containing a layer of insulated lamellas, whose position reacts on the climate changes inside and outside the home.
The variable outer skin has three basic positions:
- In the winter, when the outside temperature is lower than the inside
temperature, the lamellas are opened to allow the entrance of radiation-heat
from the sunlight. The excess of hot air is drawn out and ventilated via
floor grates to a heat-exchange in the basement. The warmth is stored
in the water reservoirs that are set up there.
-During the night and when the outside temperature during the day drops
below -2 degrees Celsius the insulated lamellas are closed to keep the
warmth inside. In this situation the home will be heated with the warm
water stored in the basement.
-During warm summer days the lamellas are tilted or even closed to keep
the heat outside.
The level difference in the area is used to create a natural airflow. Because of the level difference between the front and backside of the home, opening sliding doors can create a convection-ventilation. During extremely warm days the heat-exchange can be used as a cooler.
jv