December 202415'
Photovoltaic Panels in Architecture: Necessary Evil or Opportunity?
In both urban and rural settings, solar panel installations are springing up all over the place. Many of them seem to have appeared out of nowhere, completely disconnected from the buildings that lay claim to them. As well as showing up on new builds, in recent years, they are increasingly seen on the existing built environment, and yet the technology is far from new. In fact, the first installations on Swiss territory are already more than 40 years old.
September 20234'
Ventilation by natural convection in the home
How to make it simple, easy, ecological and economical? Ventilation is an essential aspect of any habitable environment, contributing to indoor air quality and the well-being of the occupants. While many modern ventilation technologies have developed, ventilation by natural convection is an old and effective method that deserves special attention. In this article, we will take an in-depth look at ventilation by natural convection in the home, its benefits, how it works and its ecological impact.
January 20237'
Raw earth, a fertile material
There are many different inhabitants of our planet - insects, mammals and of course human beings - and all of them have been able to recognise that earth is a suitable material for the construction of places to live.
November 20226'
Passive real estate for tomorrow
The future of construction today is becoming more and more challenging. Even if it is still possible to design projects without questioning the construction methods, it is the directions we take today that will shape the future.
October 20227'
Wood to build tomorrow
It is obvious to all that wood construction, largely replaced by reinforced concrete and steel throughout the past century, is making a remarkable comeback. At Atelier Nova we have put our faith in wood and you can discover in this article what makes us see it as the future of construction.
September 20227'
The architecture of the 70s and its outdated energy strategy
The Cazard student residence, located in a working-class district near La Riponne in Lausanne, is a particularly interesting case study. It offers us a perfect situation to implement a real strategy of sober and intelligent renovation for a category of building which is very common in our cities.
August 20222'
Shou-Sugi Ban or the art of burnt wood
Always looking for environmentally friendly materials and construction techniques, we had the opportunity to successfully experiment with Shu-Sugi Ban during the recent construction of a Minergie-P timber frame house. But ultimately what makes this technique so attractive today?
July 20223'
1952 – 2022 Back to the future for a rental property
The building that has caught our attention is located in the centre of Pully. It was built in 1952 and is made up of 10 apartments with an average surface area of 100m2 each. This type of building is very common in our cities and we would like to share with you in this article an enlightening case study on their potential for energy renovation.