Full article on the work of the Municipal Library of Villamediana de Iregua as the first Passivhaus building in Spain in eccoconstruction

Play Arquitectura participated in the 19th International Passihaus Conference held on 16-19 April 2015 in Leipzig. On 16 April a specific seminar was held on PHPP 9, DesignPH and new decentralised ventilation systems for Passivhaus buildings. On 17 and 18 April some 60 presentations were presented in 4 blocks, including Enerphit, Non-Residential Buildings and the booming market of China. All the latest developments in new components, construction systems and applications were also presented. Finally, on 19 April excursions were made to different buildings built under the Passivhaus standard, with Play having the opportunity to visit a nursery and primary school, a fire station and a sports centre.

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, a group of Italian technicians visited the Save the Planet Project. Library of Villamediana de IreguaThe group, made up of a total of 18 people, mostly architects and engineers, also included university professors, directors of engineering colleges and construction schools and representatives of construction companies from all over Italy. The day began at 9:30 in the morning at the youth centre in Villamediana de Iregua and consisted of a total of 3 presentations and a visit to the construction site of the Municipal Library built under the Passivhaus standard.

The first presentation was made by the architect Roberto Garcia Berlanga and focused on the General Municipal Plan of Villamediana de Iregua as an eco-efficient regulation. The second presentation was given by Ángel Ibáñez Ceba and dealt with the eco-district of Sarriguren and its sustainability strategies and balance between human and natural systems. Finally, the third presentation was given by Esteban Pardo Calderon and focused on the Passivhaus standard in public buildings and on the Villamediana de Iregua Municipal Library Project as the first Passivhaus public building in Spain.

The Mayor of the town, Tomás Santolaya, and the councillors for urban planning and culture attended the event at all times. The Italian group highly valued the town's commitment to regulations and a construction standard for public buildings that are so demanding in terms of energy efficiency and so committed to sustainability, both of which place the municipality at the forefront of urban and municipal eco-efficiency.

On March 20, 2015, the first Blower Door test was carried out at the construction site of The Municipal Library of Villamediana de Iregua having obtained a very positive result of 0.43 h-1. The test was carried out by the company Energy House and also had the presence of the construction company Harinsa Navasfalt, the window company Ventaclim Llodiana carpentry, the Onhaus sealing company and the technical management. After the first test, a study of the tightness of all the gaps was carried out using a smoke detector, discovering and correcting some infiltration points. Once this first milestone has been overcome, the final works on interior and exterior cladding can be carried out with the aim of finishing the work during the next month of May and being able to open the doors of the first public Passivhaus building in Spain.

On Friday, February 13, 2015, the directors of 4 of the most prestigious Italian construction schools visited the construction site of the new Municipal Library of Villamediana de Iregua in order to schedule a visit with 20 professionals that will take place on March 19 within the framework of the international project SAVE THE PLANET.

The SAVE THE PLANET Project involves 40 professionals working in SMEs and in the field of vocational education and training in construction at various levels: training centre managers, trainers, workers' training managers/consultants, technicians, architects and structural engineers.

The project offers three mobility streams: to Germany in May 2014, to Finland in October 2014 and to Spain in March 2015. The aim is to create a cross-sectoral, strategically qualified group that, through intensive knowledge enhancement, can initiate a comprehensive process of innovation in national construction, both in the vocational training system and in the company system. The coordinating school, in agreement with its European partners, offers a special training programme for the analysis of the best practices that currently exist in Europe, giving practical advice, sharing tools and methodologies, and comparing products and results throughout the development of the project. There is a basic need to include the concept of sustainability in the overall approach to construction, as an overall design is increasingly required that encompasses all disciplines, including energy efficiency and calculation of water consumption, choice of the most suitable orientation, well-being, safety and comfort of the inhabitants, elimination of waste, reduction of long-term costs and the use of sustainable construction materials and construction techniques. The overall objective of the project is to implement and share a new attitude in the national construction culture with the following objectives:

-Develop and test advanced methodologies and construction techniques for Highly Efficient and Sustainable Buildings through the study and analysis of outstanding examples considered at the highest European level.

– Adopt tools and systems to monitor energy consumption.

-Adaptation to environmental and demographic changes, anticipating the tools necessary to identify the new skills needed for the sector and professions

-Improve knowledge and skills of strategic roles both in the vocational and educational training system and in SMEs, as a necessary condition for general dissemination to students and workers

 – Motivate companies and the Public Administration to adopt a new attitude in the design of urban plans and developments to apply and disseminate new, more efficient and sustainable construction systems.

The new Villamediana de Iregua Library was chosen for this project because it is the first public building in Spain built to the most demanding standard of energy efficiency, health and comfort currently in the world, the Passivhaus standard.