Solar-powered Dutch home produces all of its own energy with surplus to spare

When Marjo Dashorst and Han Roebers set their sights on designing a sustainable home in Zutphen, a municipality on the east side of the Netherlands, the couple turned to Amsterdam-based practice Attika Architekten to realize their dream. The goal was to develop an energy-efficient home that would not only meet all of its own energy needs through renewable systems but also be capable of producing enough surplus energy to charge an electric car. The resulting project, aptly titled the Energy Plant House, combines solar panels, passive solar strategies and a highly insulating envelope to achieve its energy-plus goals.

In contrast to its more traditional, gable-roofed neighbors, the Energy Plant House sports a contemporary, boxy appearance. The three-bedroom home is spread out across two floors: a ground-floor volume clad in sand-lime brick and a partially cantilevered upper volume wrapped in reclaimed 60-year-old Azobé campshedding planks. Reused Stelcon plates anchor the terraces. Large sliding glass doors on the north and south sides of the home create a seamless connection between indoors and out.

To meet the client’s goals of an energy-plus home, the architects installed 32 rooftop solar panels with a capacity of 9.6 kW. Energy production is supplemented with a 8kW heat pump with a closed source at a depth of 180 meters as well as a heat exchanger in the ventilation system.

Energy efficiency is optimized with a well-insulated envelope and vegetated roofs. Strategically located windows — from the skylights to the tall east and west windows — flood the interior with natural light despite the northern orientation. Unwanted solar gain from the south end is mitigated with an overhang from the cantilevered upper volume; advanced remote-controlled outdoor awnings have also been installed to shade the residents from harsh sunlight.