2017 - Daylight Symposium
“Healthy and sustainable buildings with daylight and fresh air” by Johannes Schwörer
Speakers
Johannes Schwörer
Managing Director
Schwörer Group
Lecture from the 7th VELUX Daylight Symposium “Healthy & climate-friendly architecture– from knowledge to practice” that took place in Berlin on 3-4 May 2017. For more information visit http://thedaylightsite.com
The requirements for buildings regarding energy efficiency and sustainability have been steadily increasing over the past few years. At the same time, more and more house builders are looking for a healthy home. Founded in 1950, Schwörer Haus KG has focused on these issues since the very beginning. The most important building blocks for this include the use of the environmentally friendly material that is wood and the future-oriented application of photovoltaics.
A pioneer in energy systems, Schwörer Haus was awarded the European Solar Prize as early as in 1996. When combined with a well insulated building outer, houses that previously appeared primarily to be energy consumers can be transformed into energy generators. The issue of health in the home is also of central importance to Schwörer in the development of future-proof houses – because, regardless of good energy values, the people living in the houses expect a high level of living comfort and a healthy environment. For this, they require sufficient daylight and healthy air. This is why using building materials and building systems that have been tested for harmful substances is just as important to Schwörer as their “heat gain technology” – controlled room ventilation with heat recovery that the company has installed in every one of its house as standard since 1983.
This guarantees a healthy indoor climate – as proven by the TÜV Rheinland and Sentinel Haus Institut test, during which the indoor air quality of 650 buildings was tested. In order to ensure a sufficient amount of daylight, the size and positioning of windows in the roof and facade play an important role in the design of Schwörer houses: rooms used predominantly during the day – such as living rooms, studies, kitchens and children’s rooms – receive the ideal amount of daylight. The utilization of daylight inside the building not only contributes to the wellbeing of the occupants, it also decreases the building’s energy consumption. In this way, the use of artificial lighting is reduced and passive solar gains reduce the need for heating. For example, the Schwörer Healthy Home demonstrates how a sustainable, energy-efficient and healthy home can be created at a good price-performance ratio.
The roof in particular serves as a source of energy and light, guaranteeing both liveability and energy efficiency. The systems used here – from the roof windows, to the PV, through to the shades and controls – all show how living will look in the future: sustainable, comfortable and healthy! Johannes Schwörer is the Managing Director of the Schwörer Group. With over 39.000 houses constructed, SchwörerHaus is among Germany’s biggest prefabricated house manufacturers. Its many innovations in the field of energy-saving HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) and house design have made the company a pioneer. Experience in this field, coupled with long-term company retention, have resulted in continuous further development in every field.
