Project Overview

The Sun House, with its geometrically bevelled exterior, is an Organic Architecture that combines solar power, green technology and symbiosis with the environment.

The building's facade is dominated by solar panels, and the beveled form is used to obtain a large amount of light and achieve better energy generating.

Through the combination of various energy circulation systems and advanced technological equipment, the design integrates the principles of energy storage and energy circulation into life, making this house a sustainable building that can generate electricity and breathe, perfectly embodying the spirit of green architecture.

Organisation

SunEdge PV Technology Co., Ltd

Team

Design Director: Po-Wen Cheng
Design Director: Chun-Hsiung Tu

Project Brief

Nature is the fundamental and inspirational source of organic architecture.

In order to create a sustainable building that is symbiotic with the environment, the design team has integrated technology into the design, together with an energy reuse system, using solar photovoltaics, systematic energy monitoring equipment, water recycling systems and heat collection design to maximize the efficiency of all energy sources, so that the building can regulate the environment, store electricity and recycle energy.

Through high-tech computing and design arrangements, not only can the house produce its own energy, but resources can also be reused through the recycling system to achieve a balance between electricity, heat and water supply and demand, allowing the house to live in symbiosis with nature while still maintaining living comfort.

A sense of space penetration is the core of the interior design of this project. The design of large windows and the light transmission of the solar panel itself provide sufficient brightness during sunlight hours, and the sunlight will shine over the wood grain to create a natural pattern of shadow, which becomes the most natural beauty of the interior.

Project Innovation/Need

Due to the high coverage rate of solar panels in the main house structure, the power generated with a capacity of more than 300 kWh per day, and the energy storage system is designed to store excess electricity, so that the house can generate more than 70% of its own electricity, and only 30% of the electricity at night is provided by the power company. The excess power generated can be sold back to the power company for about 110,000 sales point rebates per year, and this amount of power can offer electricity for at least 40 households in Taiwan.

In addition, the outdoor water collection area is designed to collect rainwater resources and store the rainwater in a 10-ton water storage tank, which can water up to 250 square meters of the garden turf.

Design Challenge

The concept of regeneration is used throughout the project, with self-generated energy and various energy circulation systems to build a comfortable living space.

In keeping with the concept of recycling, up to 90% of the interior materials were made from recycled cypress timber, which the owner spent four years collecting. The design team recreated different sizes of discarded timber into ceilings, flooring, furniture, partitions and wall decorations, giving each recycled piece a new value in this space.

Being a building with vitality, in addition to the arrangement of electricity, this project is equipped with a Heat Pump system to circulate heat to regulate the temperature, allowing the house to breathe naturally. By applying the principle of heat pump, when the room temperature rises in summer, cold air will be discharged from the high vent to circulate the heat inside the house; in winter, warm air will be pumped into the house from the high point through the principle of heat circulation to warm up the house by 2-5 degrees.

Sustainability

This organic building mainly uses solar panels to generate electricity. Considering that the case is located in the northern hemisphere, the design team wrapped the south side and roof with 25% light-transmitting photovoltaic panels to provide sufficient indoor lighting, and the roof directly above with only 9% light-transmitting photovoltaic panels to shade and reflect sunlight. The overall configuration of the house can reduce the solar radiation heat by 40% and make the indoor temperature 3 degrees cooler than normal houses.

At the same time, because the building is equipped with an intelligent system and ventilation equipment, the air conditioner will only be automatically turned on until it reaches predefined degree, so when the electricity consumption is at its highest, the energy saving ratio will also increase. Unlike regular homewares that consume more energy in the summer, this project can store more energy during the most energy-consuming period.