solar decathlon: astonyshine solar house

astonyshine solar house by france + italy all images courtesy of astonyshine

students from france’s école nationale supérieure d’architecture paris-malaquais and école des ponts paristech joined forces with italy’s polytechnic of bari and university of ferrara to produce ‘astonyshine’, a prototypical house for the solar decathlon europe taking place in madrid, spain in september of 2012. exploring the classical aesthetic of stone masonry, this home reintroduces the historic building material for its low technology thermal qualities. when quarried within 1000 kilometers from the site, benefits include its minimal toxicity risk, ability for downcycling and recylcing as well as reduced air and water pollution during construction. perfect for warm climates, thick perimeter walls will still provide proper insulation while self-ventilating as it is more permeable than concrete.

a modern design interpretation for a typically limiting material, the structure is comprised of lower level living and dining area and a loft for convertible bedroom. the ground floor is bound with a glass facade to overlook a small courtyard. the roof is an upgrade of a reinforced stone arch design introduced by french architect viollet-le-duc, instead interweaving stones to mimic timbers in a reciprocal frame to reduce the forces from horizontal thrust. the curved surface is ideal for lighting and acoustics. a concentrated energy system which hybrids photovoltaics and thermal energy sources will power the dwelling.

living and dining on the ground floor

view of loft from ground floor

loft

exterior

video courtesy astonyshine

isometric

floor plan / level 0

section 1. wooden structure flooring system 2. stone walls 3. stone roof 4. laminated wood beams 5. triple pane windows 6. stairs 8. toilet 9. bedroom 10. kitchen 11. wooden partitions 12. wood structure mezzanine

section 1. wooden structure flooring system 2. stone walls 3. stone roof 4. laminated wood beams 5. triple pane windows 6. stairs 7. mezzanine