France constructing first building to require no air-con or heating
France is pioneering an innovative building that is expected to keep temperatures between 22C and 26C all year round, without using air conditioning or heating.
The building - to be constructed in Lyon -will be the first of its kind in France, designed by an Austrian architecture firm, Baumschlager Eberle, and it will not use any heating, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation to maintain cool and comfortable temperatures year-round.
According to French media Actu Environnement, the interior temperature will not exceed 26C in the summer, and it will not drop below 22C in the winter.
The feat, if successful, could set the example for other projects in France as the country grapples with energy-efficient ways of keeping building temperatures safe and comfortable, particularly as global temperatures warm as a result of the climate crisis and heatwaves become more frequent.
How will it work?
Designers have focused their efforts on insulation, so that the building can store warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer.
Featuring triple-glazed glazed windows, the building will also have concrete floors and 76cm thick walls made of wood-fibre insulation and lime-coated hollow clay bricks.
It will also feature "an intelligent natural ventilation system", which will include motorised shutters and allow occupants to control temperatures in their own environment in the building, the architecture firm explained to Actu Environnement.
The building will be six storeys tall, offering both residential and commercial units, and it will be located in Lyon's Confluance district. It's set to be completed by 2025.
Nexity, the company that hired Baumschlager Eberle to design the building, claim that the building will be France's most energy efficient, using less than 2KWh (kilowatt hours) per square metre per year.
Other steps toward lower energy consumption in France
This is not the first project to decrease energy consumption in France. During the winter of 2022, France was able to cut its overall energy consumption by 10 percent.
The government launched a sobriété enérgetique - energy-saving - plan in an effort to decrease reliance on gas amid the war in Ukraine, as well as to counter ongoing problems with nuclear power plants needing to be taken offline for repairs.
While the plan was particularly focused on the winter of 2022, it is only a stepping stone in the country's ambitious plan of cutting total energy usage by 30 percent by 2040.
Measures such as lowering the heating in public buildings, as well as in municipal pools, will be continued into upcoming years, while businesses were asked to come up with industry-specific plans to reduce energy consumption.
Meanwhile individuals were encouraged to take voluntary steps, like turning off lights and devices when not in use, as well as encouraging households to not heat above 19C.
In preparation for increasingly hot summers, several French cities, including Paris, have made efforts to increase 'cool spots' by adding greenery. The French government has also passed laws regulating the use of air conditioning, including banning shops from leaving their doors open while the AC is in use.
READ MORE: Grass roofs and siestas: How Paris is preparing for the day temperatures hit 50C
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The building - to be constructed in Lyon -will be the first of its kind in France, designed by an Austrian architecture firm, Baumschlager Eberle, and it will not use any heating, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation to maintain cool and comfortable temperatures year-round.
According to French media Actu Environnement, the interior temperature will not exceed 26C in the summer, and it will not drop below 22C in the winter.
The feat, if successful, could set the example for other projects in France as the country grapples with energy-efficient ways of keeping building temperatures safe and comfortable, particularly as global temperatures warm as a result of the climate crisis and heatwaves become more frequent.
How will it work?
Designers have focused their efforts on insulation, so that the building can store warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer.
Featuring triple-glazed glazed windows, the building will also have concrete floors and 76cm thick walls made of wood-fibre insulation and lime-coated hollow clay bricks.
It will also feature "an intelligent natural ventilation system", which will include motorised shutters and allow occupants to control temperatures in their own environment in the building, the architecture firm explained to Actu Environnement.
The building will be six storeys tall, offering both residential and commercial units, and it will be located in Lyon's Confluance district. It's set to be completed by 2025.
Nexity, the company that hired Baumschlager Eberle to design the building, claim that the building will be France's most energy efficient, using less than 2KWh (kilowatt hours) per square metre per year.
Other steps toward lower energy consumption in France
This is not the first project to decrease energy consumption in France. During the winter of 2022, France was able to cut its overall energy consumption by 10 percent.
The government launched a sobriété enérgetique - energy-saving - plan in an effort to decrease reliance on gas amid the war in Ukraine, as well as to counter ongoing problems with nuclear power plants needing to be taken offline for repairs.
While the plan was particularly focused on the winter of 2022, it is only a stepping stone in the country's ambitious plan of cutting total energy usage by 30 percent by 2040.
Measures such as lowering the heating in public buildings, as well as in municipal pools, will be continued into upcoming years, while businesses were asked to come up with industry-specific plans to reduce energy consumption.
Meanwhile individuals were encouraged to take voluntary steps, like turning off lights and devices when not in use, as well as encouraging households to not heat above 19C.
In preparation for increasingly hot summers, several French cities, including Paris, have made efforts to increase 'cool spots' by adding greenery. The French government has also passed laws regulating the use of air conditioning, including banning shops from leaving their doors open while the AC is in use.
READ MORE: Grass roofs and siestas: How Paris is preparing for the day temperatures hit 50C
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