The Luukku House is a home optimized for both the cold Finnish winter months and the hot Spanish summer. It is a zero-energy house in the Finnish climate and a plus-energy building in Spain.
The design of the Luukku House spans from the concept of a traditional Finnish house, closely linked with nature. Building materials were selected to achieve a low carbon footprint. In its Life Cycle Analysis of construction materials the house shows a total carbon footprint 15 000 kg and carbon storage capacity of 26 000 kg.
Timber-based materials are used in a variety of applications from structure to insulation, cladding and interior finishes. The design incorporates the innovative use of existing products and demon-strates the results of active product development.
Energy is produced by photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors. The energy balance has been calculated throughout the project as part of an interactive process where design solutions have been based on the results of energy simulation. The aim has been to find the most energy-efficient solution possible without compromising the home-like atmosphere of the interior.
Energy production and consumption, weather station information and the physical performance of the finished building are all monitored using constant, real-time metering. All information is available through one user interface, on the screen in the house and via the internet.
Innovative solutions and saving energy
The building envelope is designed to prevent heat loss during the Nordic winter. This is achieved through the high air tightness of the core and thermal-break exterior elements, thick insulation and careful detailing. The windows use a quadruple glazed frameless unit fixed directly to the frame. This results in excellent thermal insulation with no thermal bridges.
Energy-saving solutions include the use of interior materials for moisture and thermal buffering which enhance indoor air quality. The wooden interior panels are profiled to expose a high sur-face area to circulating air. These act to absorb and release moisture balancing the humidity levels in the house.
The Luukku House is the result of inter-disciplinary collaboration within the Aalto University. From design to construction there have been almost 100 people involved in the project from the collaborating schools and industrial partners. The main funding partner of Luukku team is the Energy Programme of Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. The Finnish Minister of Housing, Mr. Jan Vapaavuori, is patron to the project.
Luukku House participated in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 -competition in Madrid. It reached the fifth position in the decathlon of energy efficient building and was awarded with first prize in architecture and honorary mention for sustainable solutions. Next summer Luukku will move to Mäntyharju vacation housing fair 2011.
Finnish Wood Award 2010