Dynamic dwellings as innovative and sustainable renovation concept

Abstract

Global problems such as depletion of natural resources and local challenges such as affordability of homes have enforced our society to commute to a more sustainable development. This has led to the Flemish energy legislation “EPB” which called for a more energy efficient upgrade of our Flemish housing stock. However, the high focus on energy-efficiency induced new problems such as increased material use by wrapping up the building envelope with large quantities of additional materials and techniques which also led to higher building costs. Moreover, typically the whole building is considered as a climatized volume throughout the year, regardless of seasonal changes because user behavior and living patterns are seldomly taken under consideration by designers. Therefore, the aim of this research is the development of an innovative, sustainable dwelling concept that offers a dynamic internal environment in line with more diversified living and heating patterns. By making use of dynamic internal climate zones the energy consumption can be lowered without having to excessively insulate or increase material use and/or building costs while still providing optimal comfort and spatial quality. This research will consist of three main phases. First, by means of case studies, relevant data on sustainable, climate-responsive, dynamic design strategies, user behavior/experiences and living patterns of residents is gathered. Second, a dynamic dwelling concept will be developed by doing research by design and constant qualitative and quantitative evaluation through assessment methods. Finally, the concept will be implemented in the context of shrinkage by which the surplus of traditional, static and underused dwellings, limited financial resources and a need for sustainability are questioned. The relevance of this research is to provide new dwelling concepts that allow a sustainable renovation of the traditional Flemish dwelling with minimal interventions in the living environment of the resident.