“The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects the number of air conditioning systems around the world to triple in the next 30 years – to 5.6 billion. Cooling appliances already account for approximately ten percent of global electricity consumption.” The half-hour ZDF documentary ‘Klimakiller Klimaanlage’ (Climate-Killer Air Conditioner) – viewable online in the station’s media library – looks at the environmental hazards of greenhouse gases and introduces alternatives. One of them is our ‘Concept 2226’, more specifically the Lustenau building.
When asked how he found our office, ZDF correspondent Mark Hugo explained that it was a simple matter of searching the Internet. The ZDF team spent a full two days in June shooting in Lustenau. Prof Dietmar Eberle explained how the 2226 concept enables us to dispense with any technical cooling, heating and ventilation while still maintaining comfortable temperatures of between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius. This temperature stability comes from a harmonised balance of thermal storage masses, optimised geometry of the volume and window area proportion. People and machines in the building (computers, lighting, etc.) generate heat while sensor-controlled ventilation panels provide the necessary ventilation. Baumschlager Eberle Architekten’s combined knowledge and 35 years of experience have also contributed significantly to its success.
The 2226 concept, as Prof Eberle points out, is based on traditional building knowledge – it’s the “the future of the past”, so to speak. No wonder Eberle and the ZDF team visited Glopper Castle in Hohenems, where the professor explained the know-how of our ancient forebears. “Light distribution in the building depends only partly on the size of the windows; it has much more to do with window position, with the proper arrangement of natural light and the materials and properties use in the interior.”
Click here for the article in the ZDF media library - 2226 will be presented from about minute 21. The media library is accessible in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only.
Prof. Dietmar Eberle during filming in Glopper Castle, Hohenems, AT
