SOLAR XXI
Office building for the Energy Efficiency Unit, LNEG campus, Lisbon
SOLAR XXI building is located inside the LNEG campus - National Laboratory of Energy and Geology - in Lisbon. Built in 2006 as part of a research project, its main objective is to be an example of a low energy office building using a combination of passive design techniques with renewable energy technologies.
The south façade stands out for its photovoltaic system of crystal blue panels with heat recovery which assists the heating in winter time. The building entrance is positioned in order to enhance the visual contact with this emblematic façade. In summer time, a ground cooling buried pipe system is used to cool the building, together with night cooling strategies.
The different systems - photovoltaic, solar collectors, ground cooling - are integrated by a pragmatic design as neutral as possible, a laconic architectural solution with minimum rhetoric in order to emphasize the demonstrative character of the building.
