University unveils green, efficient ‘MEGA house’

By Vincent Y. Chao
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Dec 20, 2009


Representatives from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology unveiled a working model of a house with computerized temperature controls and other automations that promises to cut electricity bills by as much as 40 percent. The “MEGA House” is a model of the most environmentally friendly building techniques at the nation’s disposal.

They added that the house contains computers that open and close windows, shutters and skylights according to preset temperatures inside and outside the building.

Cheng Min-yuan (鄭明淵), a professor at the university who was part of the design team, said the two-and-a-half-story building could resist earthquakes of up to magnitude seven on the Richter scale.

He said seven patents were filed by the research team during the design process.

Temperature is maintained using natural heating and cooling processes as opposed to air conditioning, researchers added. Cool air, which is pumped into the building using a pipe placed 4m below ground, interacts with hot air from a specially designed “solar chimney.”

The hot or cool air is maintained through an elaborate set of 18 specially layered windows that are not only self-cleaning, but also include panels for creating energy.

Another 48 solar panels are spread throughout the house to lessen its dependence on outside energy sources.

Both these designs are expected to result in a 20 percent to 40 percent overall energy saving.

To popularize the design, researchers also embedded radio-­frequency identification technology into the building materials to cut construction time to four months and save about 40 percent in labor costs.

Using the technology, which allows workers to locate the correct placement of materials, base construction should only take three days.