Maxiaulario Universidad in Huelva
ISOVER provided insulation solutions for a new university in Spain. The architects wanted to make it a model of responsible design while keeping energy efficiency in mind. ISOVER never stops learning and was happy to provide a learning institution with its high performing products
This was a university building in the south of Spain, with 26 classrooms and capacity for around 1,600 students. The architects were keen to make it a model of responsible design, with particular attention to energy consumption. It was therefore necessary to orientate the building to take photovoltaic panels and negotiate an agreement with an electricity supplier to buy any surplus energy produced. Finally, the objective was to create a functional and comfortable interior that was more than just a collection of classrooms, and to leave sufficient space on the plot for car parking.
The building was developed on 4 levels, including a basement with storage and archiving areas. Linking the three upper levels is a large open atrium where most of the student traffic is concentrated. The positive environmental benefits of this concrete structure will begin to be measured after between 5 and 10 years of the building’s estimated total life of 75 years. There are plans to install a centralized monitoring system to measure the energy used for heating and lighting the building, and to measure the energy produced by the photovoltaic system.
The first stage was to reduce the amount of water, energy and other materials required for the construction, by carefully planning the architectural elements and eliminating any unnecessary components. Large double-glazed windows have been installed to the NE and SE elevations to maximise natural lighting in the classrooms, and 456 m² of photovoltaic panels were installed on the south facing part of the building to take advantage of the sunshine in this region of southern Spain. All of the costs associated with energy use in the building will be fully recovered from the proceeds of the sale of electricity generated by these panels.
This very low energy building featured in the ISOVER Energy Efficiency Awards 2009 (https://www.isover.com/isover-energy-efficiency-awards).
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This was a university building in the south of Spain, with 26 classrooms and capacity for around 1,600 students. The architects were keen to make it a model of responsible design, with particular attention to energy consumption. It was therefore necessary to orientate the building to take photovoltaic panels and negotiate an agreement with an electricity supplier to buy any surplus energy produced. Finally, the objective was to create a functional and comfortable interior that was more than just a collection of classrooms, and to leave sufficient space on the plot for car parking.