Since the beginning of July the Weissenhofsiedlung in Stuttgart has been one building richer with the official unveiling of the so-called B10 Active House by Stuttgart based architect Werner Sobek.
Realised in collaboration with the Stuttgart Institute of Sustainability in context of the Schaufenster Elektromobilität - Electric Mobility Showcase - research project, the B10 Active House goes beyond normal passive house standards and has been designed to enable it to utilise renewable energy sources to generate some 200% of its own energy needs: thus allowing it not only to be used as an energy source for electric vehicles and the recharging of other electric devices, but also to assist in powering neighbouring, older, buildings. The new generation helping the older generation in a sort of social architectural anthropomorphism.
Over the next two years scientist from Stuttgart University's Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK) will both collect and analyse data from the B10 Active House and optimise the self-learning building automation system - the heart of the project.
Whereas in the first twelve months of the project the house will be uninhabited, for the second twelve months two occupants will live in the 85 sqm house to allow it to be tested under "real" conditions.
Following the end of the two year trial the B10 Active House will be de-constructed and rebuilt at another location. Which, yes, does sound like an elaborate, and not especially resource efficient, process; however, the B10 Active House has been designed as prefabricated, flat pack system and the complete house can be built and/or unbuilt in just one day.
The B10 Active House can be viewed at Bruckmannweg 10, 70191 Stuttgart - so behind Mies van der Rohe's house, and between buildings by Max Taut and his brother Bruno Taut, in the middle of the Weissenhofsiedlung
Full details can be found at www.aktivhaus-b10.de
