Students in Oman build eco-friendly house
By staff - Sun Jun 24, 6:35 pm
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MUSCAT – A house in which its occupants feel cool and comfortable throughout the year without paying high electricity bills? Yes, it is possible, according to a group of young researchers in Oman.
The 30 students and their professors of architecture at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) developed such a building, run without any additional energy, for the Eco House Competition sponsored by The Research Council (TRC).
A model of the ‘GUtech Eco House’ was exhibited to the public at Muscat City Centre recently and was selected by an international jury to be built as a prototype on the new GUtech campus in Halban.
The Eco House takes up many features of traditional Omani architecture, such as building with mud bricks, using natural ventilation for cooling, and choosing native plants for gardening. It combines this with new technologies like insulation, radiant cooling and heat exchangers.
Also, it carefully looks at the volume, orientation and openings of the house.
The main message of the Eco House, explained GUtech student Shaharin Hossein, is that it is possible to radically reduce the consumption of energy.
“To learn from the past, we went to many Omani villages and found out why mud-bricks, called sarooj, were used in the past. This material is perfectly suited for a hot and sometime humid climate,” Hossein said, adding: “Also it does not need any additional energy as the bricks are sun-dried. We did make some ourselves, and look forward to support the builders.”
Source: Khaleej Times
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