79100 Freiburg: the house turns to the sun and produces more solar energy than it consumes on average over the year. The house of the architect Rolf Disch, a pioneer of solar architecture, is probably one of the first and best-known plus-energy houses in the world. The Heliotrope is one of the few residential buildings in Europe to have a building-integrated biaxial tracking PV system. Completion: 1994
| Street/District | Ziegelweg / Merzhausen |
| Completion | 1994 |
| Location | land deemed not to be developable |
| Type | wooden construction, prefabricated in models, as new building |
| Residential units | 1 |
| Residents | 2 |
| Form of ownership | Condo |
Sustainability measures |
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| Ecology | PlusEnergy house: the photovoltaic system on the roof generates more electrical energy than the building consumes. Optimal use of solar energy due to the possibility of orienting the building in the optimal direction. It turned out that the re-turning requires only a little electricity (comparable to a video recorder in stand-by), but it does not lead to any major solar gains. However, the turning mechanism is very suitable for achieving summer thermal protection.use of rainwater, use of a dry composting toilet and clarification of wastewater in a reed bed sewage treatment plant. |
| Economics | The rotating mechanism for the building was cheaper than a shading system.
Parts of the development and construction of the building were funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Technology of the State of Baden-Württemberg. |
| Socio-cultural | The Heliotrope is used as an image carrier for ecological building, as it arouses great public interest due to its innovative form. |
| Special features | The Heliotrope is one of only a few houses that has a dual-axis tracking PV system. With an optimally designed system, this results in an annual average of up to 45% additional yield compared to a system mounted permanently facing south. |
| Awards |
Special prize at the competition "The Golden House" 1996 Special prize at the competition "Freiburger Innovationspreis" 1996 German Architecture Award 1995 Recognition |
Video (2018) about the PlusEnergy house "Heliotrop" by Rolf Disch in Freiburg, Germany.
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Video (2014) "Rolf Disch turns 70".
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| Literature | Schlötzer, Adolf: Der Heliotrop: seine Geschichte, Konstruktion und Genauigkeit / presented by Adolf Schlötzer, 1909 Munich, Techn. Hochsch., offprint from: Zeitschr. des Bayer. Geometerverein ; Vol. 13 |
| Link | www.rolfdisch.de/...das-heliotrop |
| Contact | Rolf Disch, Architect's Office, Wiesentalstr. 19, 79115 Freiburg, Germany |
| Text | Sandra Metzner, Karlsruhe 2004 |
Last Updated: December 25, 2020
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All project/s of the planning office: Rolf Disch; Urban region: Freiburg and surrounding area; Country: Germany; Characteristics: 03 - 4 floors; typology: Building; Thematic: Green roofs, Renewable, Photovoltaics, Historical projects from 1980, Wood construction, composting or separation toilets, Model building, Reed bed treatment plant, PlusEnergyHouse, Rainwater infiltration, Solar architecture
