108 Presentations
brane roof, meets all of these criteria, maximising access
to natural light and allowing for the design of additional
open spaces
20
. Wind direction analysis resulted in optimal
gravitational ventilation solutions. The two-storey atrium
was designed to facilitate natural air circulation, which,
when combined with an automatic window opening sys-
tem, allows for saving a considerable amount of energy
that is required for standard mechanical ventilation. Indoor
temperature is regulated with a ground heat exchanger,
cooling beams in some rooms and a system of heat pumps
that utilise geothermal energy. Furthermore, the use of tri-
pleīglazed windows in faƧades and the elimination of ther-
mal bridges in the building limits the impact of signiīæcant
temperature changes that can happen during the day. An-
other key aspect is stormwater storage. The building was
designed to collect stormwater from the entire roof surface
and store it in an underground tank. A part of it would also
be used to īæll up the moat around the building, improving
microclimate and air humidity in the immediate vicinity of
the library via evaporation. This water can also be used in
the building as greywater for watering plants, which play
a key role in shading and improving the quality of public
spaces designed near the building (Figs. 7, 8).
To achieve a zero net energy status, a building must
have not only a minimum yearly energy consumption, but
must also produce it itself. Climate analysis determined
the choice of energy generation system. The general area
of Hollister has an average of 266 sunny days per year
21
,
which enables eīµµective use of natural sunlight as an ener-
gy source. The buildingās orientation and saw-tooth roof
were not accidental. Photovoltaic systems are the most
common form of energy generation for buildings and are
the most costīeīµµective in terms of price, surface require-
ments and performance. Photovoltaic panels located on
the roof account for over 97% of the energy produced by
the building. The entire battery system is oriented south-
wards and was designed to be īætted to the roofās surfaces,
whose slopes were adapted to its needs thereby making it
unnecessary to build specialist support structures and al-
lowing for a simpliīæcation of the assembly system
22
. Due
to employing an attic wall and setting the entire installa-
tion back from the roof edge, the latter would be invisible
from the ground-level. Wind and motion were to be equal-
ly important in the design. Sixty-seven small, vertical
wind turbines with a power output of 2,800 kWh/yr were
designed on the southern facade. The energy produced by
the users when moving around the library would also be
used in the most frequently visited part of the building, the
atrium, where the design features a Pavegen
23
īoor that
20
Analysis of form conditions relative to the climate and building
use as per [16].
21
Climate data for 2016 [17].
22
Detailed information about technical solutions and technologies
provided in: [18].
23
Pavegen is a global leader in converting human motion into en-
ergy and in supplying data on this subject. Its proprietary installation is
formed from triangular tiles connected to a vibration absorber that can
produce up to 5 W of energy from every step [19].
converts vibrations produced by human movement into
electrical energy (4,500 kWh/yr). In summary, it should
be stated that the sources listed above could be used to
produce 306,616 kWh/a of energy, while the building
would have an energy demand of 292,760 kWh/a, result-
ing in a yearly net energy gain of 4.7%. Of course, energy
demand and production rates would change from month
to month, which is why a greater surplus would be ob-
served during summer, while in winter a deīæcit would be
possible. All calculations and simulations were performed
using eQuest 3-64 software
24
. The calculations showed
that the building achieved the EUI
25
level assumed by
the organisers, which was 24 kBTU/sf/yr. The library pre-
sented in this paper reached a value of 22.2 kBTU/sf/yr
(70 kWh/m
2
/yr), which means an improvement of the ex-
pected energy use intensity by 7.5% (Figs. 9, 10).
Conclusions
Atrial Creep by Andrzej Kaczmarek was recognised
by the competition jury primarily because it demonstrated
an in-depth understanding of local place-based character
and citizen needs. It met all assumptions in a rational and
well-balanced manner while having a modest form. This
is important as many architectural competitions see rec-
ognition being given to designs of buildings that dominate
their surroundings, with īamboyant forms that constitute
the so-called architecture of spectacle
26
. In this case, it
was an attempt at a balanced approach to design and the
problems that accompany it. California is a world leader
in terms of applying the precepts of sustainable develop-
ment and this is a very good trajectory that spreads due
to the wide-ranging training of designers, contractors and
educating all of society. At present, in an era of climate
crisis and plans made by the European Union concerning
a European Green Deal that is to transform Europe into
the worldās īærst climateīneutral continent
27
, it is beneīæcial
to popularise sustainable development and zero net energy
buildings in Poland. This requires proper legal regulations
by the central government and municipal īænancial incen-
tives, an informed society and years of joint work by scien-
tists and engineers from many īæelds. However, it is worth
engaging in these eīµµorts to contribute to the prevention
of the destruction of the natural environment and climate
catastrophe
28
by designing zero net energy buildings that
are also architecturally attractive and comfortable in use.
Translated by
Krzysztof BarnaÅ
24
The software is free to download from: [20].
25
Energy Use Intensity [21].
26
This phenomenon has been discussed in: [22].
27
Announced in 2020, the European Green Deal assumes that the
content shall become independent of natural resources and shall achieve
a greenhouse gas emission rate of zero by 2050 [23].
28
A 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) demonstrated that all feedback loop parameters that lead to worsenī
ing global warming had been rising [24].