Y2E2 ; Maison de l'Ile de France, Cité Universitaire in Paris
Electric and energy-efficient appliances (electric stove, heat pump, electric water heater, LEDs)
Building orientation, natural lighting, insulation, water conservation, natural ventilation
Solar panels
Geothermal heat pumps and energy
Maison de l'Ile de France, Cité Universitaire, Paris - attempt to Net Zero
The 8-storey building is compact. The south facade, exposed to the noise from the urban motorway has been treated to create an acoustic barrier and since it is south-facing, it is possible to install solar thermal collectors. Linked to a heat storage system in two 110 m3 tanks, situated in the south facade, the system provides 75% of the heating requirements and can be regarded as an example of the environmental policy of the Région and the International Campus. This innovative technology is combined with a singular architectural signature: the facades are entirely covered in steel insulation panels
The stylish staircase is meant to entice people to walk instead of taking the elevator.
Its system involves thousands of devices feeding into a powerful computer “nerve center” that tracks energy use and coordinates heating, cooling, and other operations. Windows darken automatically when it’s hot outside and open up to let fresh air flow in. Air circulates through a quarter mile-long concrete labyrinth 12 feet underneath the building, providing passive heating and cooling—the labyrinth tends to be cooler than the air outside in the summer and warmer in the winter. Central to the operation are 52 geo-exchange wells drilled 500 feet into the earth that function like heat pumps. Water-filled pipes buried underground pull heat from the earth in the winter to heat the building and then send heat from the building back into the earth during the summer to cool it.
“Martine stated that we are only going to build the square footage that we can support with onsite renewables—period,”