Heliotrope (building)

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The heliotrope (from heliotropism ) in Freiburg im Breisgau is the first rotating solar house designed by the architect Rolf Disch . The house, which was occupied in 1994, was built as an experimental house. A recognition prize was awarded as part of the German Architecture Prize 1995. In 1996, the building received special prizes in the competition Das goldene Haus by the magazine Haus und Garten and as part of the Freiburg Innovation Prize .

The heliotrope in Freiburg at 16:48
The heliotrope in Freiburg at 11:41 am
Heliotrope Freiburg

Technological basics

The 18 meter high building is highly insulated and glazed on one side. With the help of a central rotating mechanism, the building's orientation towards the sun can be changed.

The energetic effort to turn the building after the sun is with a motor power of 120 watts and a consumption of only 20 kWh per year. However, the energy consumption of the house is at a very low level even without turning.

The building was realized using extensive environmental protection techniques. In addition to the generation of electrical energy through a photovoltaic system on the roof and vacuum tube collectors to the balustrades, which provide hot water and space heating, even today less common elements come as the systematic use of rainwater , dry composting toilets of and clarifying wastewater in a reed bed treatment plant for use . The basic architectural shape of a rotating column made of wood and one-sided glass surfaces enables the building to use the solar radiation as required by adjusting the orientation using the rotating mechanism to the respective position of the sun according to the heating energy requirement. On hot days the glass facade is turned away from the sun and on cold days it is turned to take advantage of the greenhouse effects .

The house has no floors, but a chain of rooms arranged in a spiral. At its core, it consists of a 14-meter-high wooden tube with a narrow spiral staircase and a strand of hoses and cables in the middle. The drinking water, for example, flows through milking hoses. You can follow the rotation which never exceeds 400 degrees.

In 25 years, Rolf Disch and his wife Hanna Lehmann have shown around 20,000 people, around 60 per month, through the house.

More heliotropes

At the same time, Hansgrohe AG commissioned another heliotrope as a visitor center and exhibition room in Offenburg . In 1995 a third was built in Hilpoltstein Bavaria as a dental laboratory.

literature

Web links

Commons : Heliotrope  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 30, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Rolf Disch - The Heliotrope ®. Retrieved July 30, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Jens Kitzler: Sunflower for two people. Badische Zeitung, July 28, 2019, accessed on July 30, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Wulf Rüskamp: The Heliotrope in Freiburg is 25 years old and still modern. Badische Zeitung, July 25, 2019, accessed on July 30, 2019 .

Coordinates: 47 ° 58 ′ 24 ″  N , 7 ° 49 ′ 59.6 ″  E