Project data | |
|---|---|
| Project | Detached house, Lans-en-Vercors |
| Client | Private |
Planning and timber construction | NC Solutions Bois, AUTRANS-MEAUDRE EN VERCORS |
| Wood fibre insulation | Gutex Thermoflex, Gutex Omnitherm |
| Completion | May 2020 |
| Photos | Vincent Garcin / Gutex |
Lans-en-Vercors, near Grenoble, is one of the French communes to have recorded a
their population has been growing steadily since the 1970s. Not far from urban life, this village is
situated at around 1,000 metres above sea level in the picturesque Vercors nature park, a mountain range in the Pre-Alps. As a popular leisure area for summer and winter sports in the region, this commune is also experiencing a growing demand for housing. For this reason, a new housing estate has been built in the heart of the village, comprising not only a multi-storey residential complex with a total of 29 flats, but also five detached houses. One of these was built in ecological timber construction by NC Solutions Bois, specialists in timber framing established in the region, in accordance with the wishes of the client. It blends harmoniously into the new residential complex while recalling the typical character of the houses in the region, with its gabled roof and façade clad in wood.
This single-storey detached house with a floor plan of nearly 120 m² uses wood both inside and out to make the most of the properties of this natural material. The basic structure of the house, designed in accordance with RT2012 requirements, is a traditional solid wood frame construction. As it was very important to the client to systematically meet the requirements of environmentally friendly and healthy construction, the facades, roof and walls were fitted with wood fibre insulation: the facade frames were fitted with 160 mm thick Gutex Thermoflex flexible insulation panels, while the thickness of these panels in the rafters was 220 mm. On the Vercors Alpine plateau, this ACERMI and KEYMARK certified insulation solution can demonstrate all its advantages since, thanks to its low thermal conductivity of only 0.036 W/mK, Gutex Thermoflex forms the basis of the building envelope, which protects against both winter cold and summer heat.
In order to complement the wooden frame filled with Gutex Thermoflex with a waterproof canopy covering, the exterior walls and roof were insulated with Gutex Omnitherm wood fibre insulation boards, which are resistant to compression. This universal wood fibre insulation board proved to be the optimal solution in more ways than one: it was also used as an external wall insulation system on the façade and as roof underlay. The building envelope was therefore constructed in a particularly efficient manner. In both areas of application in timber construction, Gutex Omnitherm reinforces the building envelope with a thickness of 60 mm to ensure optimum protection against the cold during the winter months and to keep the heat out during the summer months. This compression-resistant wood fibre insulation board is not only attractive from an energy point of view. It also offers a variety of configuration options for façades. While three sides of the building were designed as rear-ventilated façades clad with untreated larch wood, the south side features a plaster-coated ETICS system in accordance with local planning regulations. The rafters are also supplemented by a 60 mm thick layer of Gutex Omnitherm. This universal insulation panel demonstrates its advantages here as a windproof and rainproof underlay. This insulation structure also ensures that the building envelope remains open to diffusion and minimises thermal bridges, even with a low construction height. For the roof covering, the wood fibre panels were covered with a diffusion-open roof underlay and the rear-ventilated steel sheet cladding was mounted on wooden battens. This weather-resistant metal ensures that snow and ice cannot accumulate on the roof, thus preventing heavy snow loads.
Thanks to the building's high-quality envelope with triple-glazed windows installed without thermal bridges, this detached house built in Lans-en-Vercors in accordance with the RT2012 standard requires very little heating. During the winter months, a wood pellet stove installed on the ground floor is sufficient to heat the 140 m² of living space spread over two floors. The ventilation system is also equipped with a double heat exchanger that recovers a large part of the heat from the outgoing air. This allows for economical operation of the home at low cost while minimising CO2 emissions. In addition, the maximum use of wood as a building material, from the building's framework to the interior fittings, insulation and cladding, actively contributes to climate protection. Wood is a renewable resource that has the natural property of capturing carbon. This detached house therefore has a significantly better environmental footprint than buildings with traditional steel, masonry and concrete construction.
