The Energy Flex House, Henning Larsen.

One of the two 200 square metre buildings, the EFH Family, is inhabited by a family to check its energy efficiency in actual use, while the other is used for research, the EFH Lab. Built close together in the town of Taastrup, Denmark, they served as a model for the United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen in 2009.

With low energy class level 1 design aimed at optimising use of both passive and active solar energy without compromising on comfort, the constructions feature amazing new solutions for sustainability and cutting-edge technology.

And so we find the classic layout of the single-family home overturned to improve liveability and use of natural light. The kitchen is on the upper level, a well-ventilated living area flooded with light. The other rooms, such as bedrooms, bathrooms and utility rooms, are on the lower floor, where they interact with the outdoors in a way appropriate for their intended use.

The EFH Family was documented to see how people live and consume in this experimental building by measuring consumption parameters and by collecting the inhabitants’ subjective feedback. All this because carbon neutral living is a good solution for our planet, but if it is to be implemented on a large scale it must also be objectively feasible.

Design: Henning Larsen Architects with The Danish Technological Institute and Buro Happold Engineers, http://www.henninglarsen.com/
Location: Taastrup, Denmark
Year: 2008-9
Photographs: Thorbjoern Hansen Kontraframe
Related links: Viborg Town Hall http://www.floornature.com/blog/sustainable-architecture-in-a-low-energy-consumption-class-for-henning-larsen’s-andldquoviborg-town-hallandrdquo--7633/

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