Bio-climatic homes: energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

Sustainable building has, without a doubt, been a turning point for the construction industry in the last decade and has become one of the major trends in the property sector.

Concepts such as energy efficiency and green or eco-building are now familiar, but today we are going to discuss the so-called bio-climatic homes. Which are the basis and the principles of these homes?

The features of bio-climatic homes

• Their concept and design is founded on the harnessing of natural resources and renewable materials to obtain greater energy savings.

• The sun is one of the main sources of energy, so bio-climatic homes are usually east-facing and reducing the number of windows on the north-facing side where there is less sunlight. Solar panels are an essential component of green-build projects.

• Other weather conditions, such as rain and wind are also a useful source of energy, capable of not only making homes self-sustainable, but also of generating energy reserves for future use.

• Vegetation is used as a thermal insulator, protecting the home from wind and the cold in winter and providing shade in the summer. It is also an effective “natural sound barrier” and so acts as insulation against noise.

• It is essential that bio-climatic homes are structured appropriately to achieve maximum efficiency and energy-savings. To achieve this, their architectural design must adapt effectively to the environment, the location and the surrounding natural setting. Their orientation is also a key factor, as described above.

• The concept behind them is to minimise their negative environmental impact.

• On the one hand, these homes are designed to be self-sufficient and to use natural resources responsibly, causing as little harm as possible to the environment by emitting no CO2 into the atmosphere.

• On the other hand, the materials used in their construction are chosen to maximise their ecological credentials, with a particular emphasis on the use of natural materials, such as wood and bamboo or stone. Among the processed materials used, polystyrene is preferred because of its effective insulating capacity.

Gestilar aspires improve quality of life without harming the environment. All its projects are designed according to environmentally-sustainable criteria, making the most of natural light and sunlight, and following procedures to optimize energy use. Its homes have excellent temperature and humidity control, to ensure maximum comfort in terms of warmth, sound and light.