Gold Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design · 2022
The Sun House Sustainable Social Building
by Po Wen Cheng
- A' Design Award 2022 Gold Winner in Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: SunEdge PV Technology Co., Ltd
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 549,904
- Verification code 73D8A0341A · Verify this award
About The Sun House Sustainable Social Building
The Sun House is a sustainable building designed to generate and reuse energy on site. The roof and exterior walls are made of solar panels with a total capacity of 65.57 kW. The interior is built mostly from recycled cypress timber, reshaped into ceilings, flooring, furniture and partitions. A heat pump system circulates heat to regulate the temperature, and collected rainwater is stored in a ten ton tank for garden irrigation. The building provides 440 square meters of indoor space and aims to be self sufficient.
The Sun House Sustainable Social Building emerges from contemporary discourse surrounding integrated renewable energy architecture, representing an approach where photovoltaic technology transcends its utilitarian function to become a defining aesthetic element of architectural expression. This structure engages with traditions of technological expressionism while demonstrating how environmental responsibility can generate compelling formal solutions rather than merely functional additions. The façade composition reveals sophisticated understanding of solar geometry, with the pronounced angle of the photovoltaic array suggesting optimization for solar collection while simultaneously creating dramatic visual presence that distinguishes the building within its context. Technical achievement manifests in the seamless integration of energy-generating surfaces with conventional glazing systems, where the modular grid of solar panels establishes rhythmic order across the angled plane while permitting calibrated daylight penetration to interior spaces. The chromatic relationship between the deep blue crystalline cells and the green-tinted thermal glazing creates subtle complementary dialogue, suggesting thoughtful consideration of how sustainable technologies might contribute to rather than detract from architectural beauty. The entrance sequence at ground level demonstrates commitment to human-scale experience despite the building's bold technological statement, with the sheltered threshold inviting passage from exterior landscape into interior program. One notes the careful attention to material weathering and patina, particularly visible in the connection hardware, suggesting acceptance of temporal change rather than resistance to it—a philosophical alignment with sustainable thinking that embraces cyclical processes. The composition appears to celebrate transparency as both literal and metaphorical value, revealing structure and systems while allowing visual connection between interior activities and exterior environment. Viewers might consider how buildings that generate their own energy transform the relationship between architecture and environment from one of consumption to one of production, and what such transformation might mean for communities and landscapes.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- An organic architecture that combines technology, design and human-centered. With roof and exterior walls made of solar panels, the interior are mostly recycled cypress timbers. Mixing various of energy circulation systems with cutting edge equipment, the design put energy storage and circulation into practice, leveraging this sustainable house to be self sufficient.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The total area of this project including the outdoor garden is 4,496 square meters, and the building has 440 square meters of indoor space. The rooftop solar panels are 60 cell modules, with a total capacity of 65.57kW.
- Tags
- Sustainable, Solar technology, Rain collection system, Recycled building materials, technology house
- Production Technology
- In keeping with the concept of recycling, up to 90% recycled materials are used in the interior. Equipped with a Heat Pump system to circulate heat to regulate the temperature. The outdoor water collection area is designed to collect rainwater resources and store the rainwater in a 10 ton water storage tank, which can water up to 250 square meters of the garden turf.
- Design Challenge
- In keeping with the concept of recycling, up to 90% of the interior materials were made from recycled cypress timber, which the owner spent four years collecting. The design team recreated different sizes of discarded timber into ceilings, flooring, furniture, partitions and wall decorations, giving each recycled piece a new value in this space.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2015 in Chiayi County, Taiwan. Finished in February 2020 in Chiayi County, Taiwan.
- Operation Flow
- In order to create a sustainable building that is symbiotic with the environment, the design team has integrated technology into the design, together with an energy reuse system, using solar photovoltaics, systematic energy monitoring equipment, water recycling systems and heat collection design to maximize the efficiency of all energy sources, so that the building can regulate the environment, store electricity and recycle energy.
- Research
- Considering that the case is located in the northern hemisphere, the design team wrapped the south side and roof with 25% light transmitting photovoltaic panels to provide sufficient indoor lighting, and the roof directly above with only 9% light-transmitting photovoltaic panels to shade and reflect sunlight. The overall configuration of the house can reduce the solar radiation heat by 40% and make the indoor temperature 3 degrees cooler than normal houses.
- Inspiration
- Nature is the fundamental and inspirational source of organic architecture. The concept of regeneration is used throughout the project, with self generated energy and various energy circulation systems to build a comfortable living space.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Dirk Heindoerfer Photography, The Sun House, 2020.
Image #2: Dirk Heindoerfer Photography, The Sun House, 2020.
Image #3: Dirk Heindoerfer Photography, The Sun House, 2020.
Image #4: Dirk Heindoerfer Photography, The Sun House, 2020.
Image #5: Dirk Heindoerfer Photography, The Sun House, 2020.
Colors of The Sun House Sustainable Social Building
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We specialize in advanced solar photovoltaic systems and sustainable building solutions. With over 20 years in green energy, we integrate cutting-edge solar technology, energy storage, and circulation systems to create self-sufficient, low-carbon environments for residential and commercial projects.
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