|
ENVIRONMENT
- OUTDOOR AND INDOOR
Less energy ( 50%) is used for the production of the steel plates than for bricks and concrete. This is supplemented with the possibilities to recycle the steel and to use the existing plates from ex. ships. The steel plates are - when placed and provided with cathodic protection - a non-polluting material. Steel is a well known product; no unexpected surprises to be anticipated. Steel is easy to shape; the architect and the engineer can design ready-made parts to assemble on site with no construction waste as a result. As the plates are placed in narrow ditches and the excavated earth replaced and compacted, there will be no excess soil to be removed from the site. The house can be demolished when it is worn down and the steel plates may be used again for another house. The economic life of the steel plates depends on the sacrificial anodes to the cathodic protection. These are replaceable, and the economic life of the steel plates will be prolonged accordingly.
The continuous steel plate is homogeneous - contrary to brick and/or concrete walls with joints as "weak points" as regards humidity and heat energy losses.
Houses built according to the ThermoLogica concept are well insulated, environmentally sound and air tight. The excellent indoor climate is ensured by a forced air exchange. Apart from reducing the humidity and thus the number of house dust mites and micro fungi, the forced air exchange also diminishes household odours from cooking and tobacco. Even vacuum cleaning is reduced to a minimum. The forced air exchange keeps the indoor climate under full control and the relative humidity never exceeds 45 to 50%. The indoor climate feels "neutral". The temperature difference between the floor and the ceiling is never more than 1 oC.
The special characteristic of houses built after the ThermoLogica concept includes forced air exchange combined with a special type of structure which has not been used before; a house of steel. The outer walls of the house include the steel plates. Inserting a steel mesh in the insulation of the ceiling or using a thin metal sheeting as roof the Faraday's cage principle is applicable.
The magnetic fields in the ThermoLogica house are less compared to other house. The static field is of the order 20 to 30 % less. The variable fields are probably likewise smaller but no comparable tests have been made in other houses. It is likely hat this has a positive effect on the persons staying in the house. The tests also indicated that the electromagnetic field inside the house is extremely stable. The negative impact of electromagnetic fields on health is being debated. Cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and asthma have been mentioned. The reduced impact of electromagnetic fields in the steel house may explain why everyone feels extremely comfortable in the house. This is probably also one of the reasons why so many asthma/allergic persons experience improved life quality while living in the steel house. It should be pointed out that even if a person only stays half the time in the house, goes to work, goes shopping, etc. the house will have the positive impact. Asthma-allergic persons who have lived in the house have managed to reduce their medication significantly if not completely. A list of the diseases which have been affected positively by the ThermoLogica house has been prepared based on personal experience, on information from the Asthma and Allergy Society, as well as on the experience gained by professor J. Novak, Praha, CHS.
A filter at the air intake in the heat exchanger may be inserted to protect against pollen infiltration.
Denmark's Technical University (D.T.U.) has measured the ion density in the house and has found it significantly different from traditional houses. This may be due to the electronic neutralization in the steel plates as a consequence of the cathodic protection.
The EEC-regulation on the CO2-emissions on environmental issues will certainly mean a number of large environmental investments. The treatment of pollution from power plants, production plants, and from other constructions will be facing new restrictions. 70% of the energy requirements in Europe are needed - to a large extent - in the cities. Effective and environmentally sound exploitation of energy for residential heating is discussed widely in the daily press. The total CO2 - emissions in Denmark will have to be reduced by 20% by 2005. Why use extra energy for heating? It has been proved possible by the construction of the experimental house, where several families have lived, to heat this house from free heating only. NESA (Danish Power Supply) has measured the energy consumption on a separate meter. No energy has been used to heat the house as the forced air exchange, the good insulation, and the usage of "free heating" has been sufficient to keep the indoor temperature at a very comfortable level. The heating of housing and hot utility water causes about 45% of the total CO2-emissions in Denmark.
It is very difficult and cost consuming to protect buildings against polluting and pathogenic gases such as radon coming from the ground. It is difficult to weld plastic foil in floors, and they will crack anyway as the buildings settle. It does not require any extra costs to protect houses built according to the ThermoLogica principle with dense steel plate walls and with forced air exchange.
Radon will seep upwards from the ground with a maximum pressure of 5 Pa. Radon pollution was found in the house in Espergærde in a mild degree. A test was carried through in the test house in Espergærde. By creating an overpressure of 10 Pa on the suction device, the Radon penetration stopped completely. A pressure of 10 Pa corresponds to a 10 mm water column, which is imperceptible. |