astronomy

Heliotrope (building)

Heliotrope (building) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Heliotrope (building) rather than just read about it. In short: The Heliotrope is an environmentally friendly housing project by German architect Rolf Disch. There are three such buildings in Germany.

Key takeaways

Heliotrope (building) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Heliotrope (building) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Heliotrope (building) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Heliotrope is an environmentally friendly housing project by German architect Rolf Disch. There are three such buildings in Germany. The first experimental version was built in 1994 as the architect's home in Freiburg im Breisgau, while the other two were used as exhibition buildings for the Hansgrohe company in Offenburg and a dentist's lab in Hilpoltstein in Bavaria. Several different energy generation modules are used in the building including a 603 sq ft (56.0 m2) dual-axis solar photovoltaic tracking panel, a geothermal heat exchanger, a combined heat and power unit (CHP) and solar-thermal balcony railings to provide heat and warm water. These innovations along with the favorable insulation of the residence allows the Heliotrope to capture anywhere between four and six times its energy usage depending on the time of year. The Heliotrope is also fitted with a grey-water cleansing system and built-in natural waste composting.

At the same time that Freiburg ’s Heliotrope was built, Hansgrohe contracted Disch's architecture practice to design and build another Heliotrope to be used as a visitor’s center and showroom in Offenburg, Germany. A third one was then contracted and built in Hilpoltstein, Bavaria to be used as a technical dental laboratory. Disch's unique design accommodates different utilizations from private residences to laboratories, and nevertheless maintains the structure's positive energy balance. Disch also designed the Sonnenschiff office complex.

PlusEnergy PlusEnergy is a concept coined by Rolf Disch that indicates a structure's energy efficiency. A PlusEnergy building holds a positive energy balance, generating more energy than it uses. The first Heliotrope Disch built in 1994 was the first house to be PlusEnergy certified. Disch built several more projects with PlusEnergy certifications with the goal of bringing the concept to the residential, commercial and retail space. “PlusEnergy is a fundamental environmental imperative,” Disch claims. Disch believes that passive building is not enough because passive homes still emit CO2 into the atmosphere.

Environment and energy needs The house is designed to face the sun with its triple-pane windows (U = 0.5) during the heating months of the year and turn its highly insulated back (U = 0.12) to the sun during the warmer months when heating isn't necessary. This significantly reduces heating and cooling requirements for the building throughout the year, which are provided for by a heat pump, while hot water is provided by vacuum-tube solar panels. Photovoltaic solar panels with a rated power of 6.6 kW on its roof provide five to six times more energy than the building uses, making the building "energy positive" (PlusEnergy). To further improve energy generation, the panels also rotate independently of the building to follow the sun, while being able to adapt its orientation in case of strong winds.

Water usage and natural waste management In order to limit water usage, a gray water circuit (for washing dishes and clothes) is used. Wastewater is purified in a vegetated cascade pond outside the edifice and it also collects rainwater. Natural waste and excrement are dry composted in the structure as well.

Awards 2008 German Sustainability Award 2007–08 Japanese PEN-Magazine Creativity Award 2005 Wuppertal Energy and Environment Prize 2003 Global Energy Award 2002 European Solar Prize 2001 Photovoltaic Architecture Prize Baden-Württemberg

Selected works

Heliotrope, Vauban, Freiburg, 1994 Heliotrope, Offenburg, 1994 Heliotrope, Hilpoltstein, 1995

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Heliotrope (building)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Heliotrope (building) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Heliotrope (building) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Heliotrope (building) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Heliotrope (building)

In research: Heliotrope (building) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Heliotrope (building) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Heliotrope (building) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Freiburg im Breisgau, Houses in Germany, Low-energy building, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Heliotrope (building) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Heliotrope (building) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Heliotrope (building) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Heliotrope (building) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Heliotrope (building) in simple terms?

The Heliotrope is an environmentally friendly housing project by German architect Rolf Disch. There are three such buildings in Germany.

Why does Heliotrope (building) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Heliotrope (building)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Heliotrope (building).