Design of Passive Building Foundations in the Polish Climatic Conditions

Tomasz Godlewski,Stanisław Łukasik,Łukasz Mazur,Marcin Witowski,Olga Szlachetka,Eugeniusz Koda

doi:10.3390/en14237855

Tomasz Godlewski, Stanisław Łukasik + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en14237855

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Abstract

A Passive House (PH) system is not only an opportunity but also a necessity for the further development of sustainable eco-buildings. Construction of the foundation in energy-efficient houses is the key to maintaining low energy losses. The appropriate selection of building materials requires considering the thermal conditions of the environment, including its location and the zero isotherms in the ground. The main objective of this work is to analyze the possibilities of designing foundations for PHs in Poland, according to the current methodological data. In order to realize the basic aims, the work was divided into the following materials and methods: (I) literature review; (II) database of PH in Central Europe; (III) method of depth of ground freezing determination; (IV) selection of the joint of slab-on-ground foundation and external wall to analysis; (V) description and validation of the heat-transfer model. The result of the research work is: (i) analysis of the foundation under the conditions of freezing of the ground in Poland; (ii) description and validation of the heat-transfer model. The research has revealed that in the Polish climate zone, the most efficient solution for passive buildings is to build them on a foundation slab. The foundation of a building below the latest specified ground frost depths in Poland is inefficient in terms of, for example, thermal insulation, economics, and the idea of PH.

Highlights

The modern design and retrofitting of existing buildings need to consider climate change caused, e.g., by human activity in the construction industry
Designing to consider thermal bridges is a fundamental task in the construction of passive buildings [1,2]
A further division of this solution is into: scheme 1A (Figure 7), where the foundation slab is flushed with the foundation wall (61%), and scheme 1B (Figure 7), where the foundation slab extends beyond the wall face by the thickness of the foundation wall thermal insulation at 20–30 cm (27%)

Summary

Introduction

The modern design and retrofitting of existing buildings need to consider climate change caused, e.g., by human activity in the construction industry. Designers should strive to improve the energy efficiency of buildings to reduce the necessary energy for heating or consumption. Designing to consider thermal bridges is a fundamental task in the construction of passive buildings [1,2]. Wolfgang Feist, the author of the Passive House concept (PH) [3], defines it as the construction of buildings that integrate high comfort with very low energy consumption (at the level of 15 kW h/(m2a) [4]. The construction of buildings according to PH standards is one of the sustainable methods through which it is possible to reduce the negative impact of buildings on the natural environment

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