The social housing project in San Fermin, an emerging district on the periphery of Madrid, won the 1999 competition for one of three buildings with a focus on "social housing with a high degree of energy efficiency." The competition was initiated by the Empresa Municipal de la Vivienda {EMV Community Housing Development Agency). The brief called for concepts pertainingto bioclimatic planning in multi-story buildings with integrated active and passive use of solar energy. Despite subsidies provided by the EU for any additional costs resulting from ecological and energy-efficient measures, cost-efficiency and proof of operating efficiency for the solar systems were to en ha nee the model character of the project

Yañez Parareda, Guillermo

Servicio de Coordinación de Bibliotecas de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Energy-efficient Social Housing: 
Residential Building in Madrid 
Architect: 
Guil lermo Yahez, Madrid 
Selected data: 
Completion: 2004 
MUFA: 
3,939 m : residential 
251 mz retail 
GSA: 6,420 m2 
GRV: 15,740 m3 
Heating energy 
requirement: 
6252 KWri/m3a 
U-value flat roof: 
0.32 W/m'K 
U-value wal l : 
O.4-3/O.5B/0.77 W/m !K 
depending on orientat ion, 
buffer effect nf projecting 
components is not 
included 
U-value window: 
2 . l 8 W / m « 
U-value f loor: 
0.45 VWm-K 
The social housing project in San Fermin, an 
emerging district on the periphery of Madrid, 
won the 1999 competition for one of three build-
ings with a focus on "social housing with a high 
degree of energy efficiency." The competition 
was initiated by the Empresa Municipal de la 
Vivienda {EMV Community Housing Develop-
ment Agency). The brief called for concepts 
pertainingto bioclimatic planning in multi-story 
buildings with integrated active and passive 
use of solar energy. Despite subsidies provided 
by the EU for any additional costs resulting 
from ecological and energy-efficient measures, 
cost-efficiency and proof of operating efficiency 
for the solar systems were to en ha nee the model 
character of the project. 
The building adopts the existing U-shape in the 
extremely dense development with two parallel 
north-south blocks linked by one east-west 
block. 
To the west, the block is complemented by a 
higher, neighboring slab, which protects the 
complex and especially the courtyard against 
the noise from a six-lane traffic artery. 
Parking for the entire complex is provided in an 
underground garage, which is lowered into the 
ground by only half a story and receives natural 
light through a skylight in the courtyard. Due to 
the natural slope of the site, the east side of the 
story provides space for retail units at street 
level. Raised on top of this plinth, the 4-story 
structure with a recessed attic story accommo-
dates a total of fifty-four apartments. 
In addition to the use of solar energy in winter, 
shading and natural ventilation during Madrid's 
hot summer months were essential criteria for 
the planning and construction concept of this 
building. Both criteria are fulfil led with con-
structional means and in the arrangement of 
the apartments within the plan. 
The units are oriented toward two sides to 
ensure cross-ventilation. Within the three sides 
of the U-shaped development, the apartments 
are arranged in a differentiated manner accord-
ing to orientation: living spaces are located on 
the south or west side, while bedrooms face 
north or east. 
B B 9 
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B B B B 
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1 Bird's eye view, the 
high density of ihe area 
gives it an urban char-
acter. 
2 Section - south eleva-
tion (courtyard) 
3 Floor plan upper story, 
not to scale 
4 Site plan with sur-
roundings, not to scale 
The building service installations form cores at 
the center of the apartments, a layout that 
makes it possible to achieve an optimum build-
ing depth. This centralized placement of the 
installations also allows for the shortest possi-
ble distribution for supply and disposal. 
Different opening dimensions and the systems 
provided for solar gain and shading give the 
facades a varied appearance - always accord-
ing to orientation and location, and according 
to sunshine or shading conditions. These varia-
tions enliven the rather severe block develop-
ment and serve as an attractive visual expres-
sion of the bioclimatic initiatives. 
The courtyard is landscaped with local plant 
species chosen to improve the microclimate, 
especially in summer. Irrigation of the plants in 
the afternoon cools the outside air by means of 
evaporation. This factor plays a key role for 
natural ventilation in summer. It enhances the 
effect of both the cross-ventilation in all apart-
ments and the convection ventilation provided 
via solar shafts. 
Ventilation shafts in the central core provide 
cooling for the apartments with east-west 
orientation. As a result of the Venturi effect, 
air is extracted from the living spaces through 
the roof, while fresh air from the courtyard 
flows through the windows into the apart-
ments. 
The sum of all these measures resulted in 
energy savings of over 40 percent and half the 
C02-emissions by comparison to conventional 
buildings that meet the established stand-
ards. 
• 
r ^ iS 
KWh 
1000Q 
9000 
B0O0 
7000 
6000 
5000 
4000 
3000 
2000 
1000 
0 
,10 
J 
5 Functional diagram of 
cross-ventilation 
6 South elevation (courtyard) 
with glazed balconies and 
external horizontal shading 
(fixed). 
7-B Insulation/shading studies 
9 Energy gain from collectors 
(KWh, red), warm-water 
requirements (KWh, blue) 
and average percentage of 
supply covered by the sys-
tem (%, green) 
10 Roof elevation with south-
facing solar collectors; 
shading on west facade 
(courtyard) provided with 
folding shutters with adjust-
able louvers 
Heating is provided from a central gas boiler 
operated in modular fashion. Distribution is 
conventional, by radiators with individual ther-
mostats in each unit. The heating system is 
computer-monitored and operated. 
Transfer stations with meters are housed in 
cabinets designed for this purpose next to the 
entrance doors. The meters can be read from 
the outside to calculate individual consump-
tion. 
A second, also gas-operated boiler is used for 
warm-water processing, supplemented by a 
solar system comprising twenty-four collec-
tors, each covering an area of 2.5 m2. The collec-
tors are installed on the flat roof at a 40° angle 
and face south. The system covers roughly 70 
percent of the total warm water requirements 
and has a calculated amortization rate of 12.4to 
9.5 years, depending on the projected costs for 
the conventional energy sources. The energy 
contribution of the system translates into a 
reduction in C02-emissions of nearly thirteen 
tons. 
Like the openings, the exterior walls are also 
designed in response to orientation. On the east 
and west sides, they are designed as single-skin 
walls composed of thermal insulating, light-
weight and porous brick. On the south and the 
fairly solid north side, the walls are fitted with 
an external thermal insulation layer. The buffer 
effect of the glazed balconies was not taken into 
consideration in the calculation of the overall 
energy balance. 
In the interior, the solid construction form sup-
ports the storage capacity required to compen-
sate for temperature peaks in summer. All 
Sunshade awning: 
BO/40 rnm aluminum louvers 
in steel frames, galvanised 
and enamelled 
77777f77777777T 
ShuLters: 
WMte-raquersd aluminum 
Windows: 
4 mm+ 6mm cavity+ 4 mm insulating : 
lackered aluminum frame 
Wall con struct! art: 
2D mm exterior rendering 
29Q mm parous, Jiglu brick niasariry 
(/. 0.203 W/mKI 
15 mm stucco 
77777777777777 
o 
7777777777777? m 
n 
n 
a 
Adjustable 
louvers, 
laquered 
aluminum 
Center bay as 
iolding shutters 
for opening 
Shutters; 
White fgq-uf^red aluminum 
Windows: 
4 mm + 12 mm cavity + 4 mm 
insulating glass 
LaquBrefri aluminum frame 
Wail construction: 
40 mm ETICS 
Brick masDnrv 
15 mm stucco 
a 
Pfvot-hung window 
Translucant ql&ss 
Sunshade awnings: 
AJuminuni louvers 
Gaivanizedanrtenameliet 
sloe! brackets 
Windows: 
5 mm single-parm glazing 
Laquared aluminum trame 
Fixed glarinf! 
TrHfislLcenttoughenad gla 
Laquereri aluminum frame 
^ \ \ \ \ t f 
11 Detail section east facade 
12 Detail section west 
facade 
13 Detail section south 
facade 
14 Functional diagram of 
ventilation with solar 
stack 
openings are equipped with shading elements, 
specifically designed according to orientation. 
These elements allow sunshine to penetrate 
into the interior when needed or, conversely, to 
block it, an essential feature given the extreme 
conditions in summer. It is important to note 
that the shading elements do not diminish the 
efficiency of the natural ventilation. The south-
facing balconies, with translucent glass panels 
in the parapet 3rea, are designed to act as sun-
traps. Horizontal louvers provide shading in 
summer on this side. 
Folding shutters with horizontal, adjustable 
louvers protect the west-facing balconies 
against the low evening sun during the hot sea-
son. Bedrooms facing north and east feature 
smaller windows, whereby the east-facing win-
dows are equipped with shading in the form of 
fixed horizontal and vertical elements. 
The systems require very little maintenance 
and are easy for the residents to operate. Since 
their functions are clearly designated and rec-
ognizable, there is no risk of incorrect use. 
15 West elevation (court-
yard}: facade with shad-
ing by means of folding 
shutters and adjustable 
louvers 
16 East elevation (street): 
smaller opening with 
combined horizontal and 
vertical shading 
17 Functional diagram of 
shading systems \f\ front 
of balconies on the west 
side [courtyard) 


Energy-efficient social housing: residential building in madrid

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