Product:
Green
Building

"I have created housing solutions and other equipment for the Eskimos in Greenland, the Arabs in the desert and the Europeans in the Côte d'Azur. I have worked in 15 different countries out of the five continents in very different climatic and social contexts. The constant of my job is to keep in mind that the architectural work will remain integrated for a long period of time in one place, at a specific physical and cultural environment, and therefore will belong to the place and the culture that shelters it. I therefore propose to create a simple, smooth, elegant and timeless architecture, harmoniously integrated into the physical and cultural environment".

Hans Barreth

What is a
Green Building?

A Green Building is an environmentally sustainable building that is designed, built and operated in a way that its daily environmental impact is reduced to the minimum. It has three clear distinguishing features: it’s an environmentally responsible building, it’s efficient in the use of natural resources such as water, solar energy, minerals, etc., and it’s empathetic with the community and culture that shelters it.

Environmentally
responsible

It is characterized by the respect and usage of all resources that can be already found in its native land, which allows it to integrate in the natural environment. This can be seen in aspects such as the land use of the plot where it is built. What’s more, it is a kind of construction that reuses already developed land, renovates degraded land and preserves as much virgin soil as possible.

Efficient use
of resources

A Green Building strictly follows the efficiency criteria regarding the resources, which means doing more with less, using more natural resources (land, water, soils, minerals, fossil fuel, electricity, etc.) to achieve the same goals.

It applies this resource efficiency to other aspects in the development of the building, including the use of the soil, the architectural design, the choice of materials, waste reduction, water preservation and retention, and energy efficiency.

Thanks to this efficient use of resources, a Green Building offers financial savings and other social benefits, such as avoiding pollution and improving the health of the inhabitants of the building.

Empathetic with society
and culture

A Green Building uses the appropriate field in terms of scale and functions: it is designed to make life easier for pedestrians without forgetting the vehicles, providing convenient access to the existing infrastructure of services, schools, construction works and shopping areas.

In addition, it is ‘sensitive’ because it offers a wide range of public or almost public spaces, such as squares, terraces and patios for spontaneous or planned meetings. It also adapts to local history, culture and previously built environment that exists in a particular place.

This type of building can use vernacular designs; can be stocked up with local products and materials; respects the customs and practices of local building and honors the cultural fabric of the region. Therefore, a Green Building is a building that, although being very special, aims to interact with its environment in a harmonious way.

Our
Green Buildings

Sintes Barreth is now developing a Green Building in the Balearic Islands, an updated adaptation to the Ville Laurie model promoted in Mougins, 6 kilometers away from Cannes. This promotion offered apartments from 70 to 150m2 with suspended gardens between 40 and 80m2. The development is based on a contemporary architecture, with white walls and a certain Mediterranean style — particularly in the kitchen, which is usually facing the garden and open to the living room.

The Green Building, model to develop—first in Mallorca and then in the rest of the islands—is based on collective buildings in previously urbanized areas that are integrated into an existing social life, without causing an expansion of the city. The houses share services to minimize the environmental impact, and are fully adapted to the land, cascade or scale orientated in order to create hanging gardens.

Orchard
hanging gardens

Sintes Barreth introduces the hanging gardens, where residents will be able to produce their own fruits and vegetables. The gardens have a minimum depth of 40 centimeters, allowing the growth of plants and fruit trees, and its roots.

Special use of water is not necessary, as there is a retention system that feeds rainwater and provides a secondary water use. In addition, vegetation covers much of the facade. The plants are automatically fed with organic waste. The depth also allows eco-efficient Jacuzzi facilities to be integrated in the garden.

Thermal insulation
and energy efficiency

A Green Building strictly follows the efficiency criteria regarding the resources, which means doing more with less, using more natural resources (land, water, soils, minerals, fossil fuel, electricity, etc.) to achieve the same goals. These principles are also applied to other aspects in the development of the building, including the use of the soil, the architectural design, the choice of materials, waste reduction, water preservation and retention, and energy efficiency.

Thanks to this efficient use of resources, this type of building offers financial savings and other social benefits, such as avoiding pollution and improving the health of the inhabitants of the building.

Thermal insulation
and energy efficiency

A Green Building are bioclimatic, meaning that they are naturally cooled during the summer and naturally emit heat during the winter. There is, therefore, no energy consumption by heating or air conditioning, as the structure is made of reinforced concrete foundation and consequently serves as a radiator – like in the old houses made of stone or in caves.

The reinforced concrete foundation structure comprises a thermal insulation on the outside that allows the walls and slabs to keep the building at a constant temperature of between 16 and 20 °C throughout the year.

Thermal insulation
and energy efficiency

Winter

Summer

Thermal insulation
and energy efficiency

A Green Buildingare bioclimatic, meaning that they are naturally cooled during the summer and naturally emit heat during the winter. There is, therefore, no energy consumption by heating or air conditioning, as the structure is made of reinforced concrete foundation and consequently serves as a radiator – like in the old houses made of stone or in caves.

Another of its features is the reinforced concrete foundation structure comprises a thermal insulation on the outside that allows the walls and slabs to keep the building at a constant temperature of between 16 and 20 °C throughout the year. It is, therefore, it stays cool during the summer. When temperatures outdoors reach 30 or 35 ºC, the building maintains a nice indoor temperature of 25 ºC.

The fact is that a Green Building requires little energy to be heated. In winter, the additional heating required to maintain a temperature within 15 to 21 °C is provided by the sun, which in winter is low and enters through the large windows facing south. In case of needing additional heating, this could come from a stove fueled by organic waste and/or thermal solar panels.

The construction technique used in this type of buildings allows hot air to be distributed inside the rooms. Hot water can be produced by the heating system or by solar panels. That’s why the Green Building residual generation is 90% lower than the residual generation in classical buildings, thanks to the recycling system.

Waste
recycling

Thanks to the recycling system, Green Building inhabitants’ residual generation is 90% lower than the residual generation in classical buildings. It also facilitates reutilization. 60% of the waste produced (paper, cardboard and similar) is used to heat the building, and 30% of the remaining waste (organic) works as fertilizer for the plants on the terraces and gardens. The only waste to be deposited in public containers is glass or metal.

Green Building:
10 distinguishing features

01 It uses non-toxic and indigenous natural materials.

02 It optimizes acoustic, light and thermal quality.

03 It researches each space or building design to get a natural regulation of humidity and temperature in indoor environments, ensuring optimal wellness.

04 Therefore, avoids use of consumer devices in air conditioning.

05 It optimizes internal management of waste with an appropriate classification for each type of material.

06 It improves indoor air quality: right renewal of fresh air, ionization, limiting the appearance of germs and bacteria.

07 It avoids pollution in electronic fields by putting particular attention in the electrical and metal pipes.

08 It minimizes energy use by installing renewable energy sources.

09 It minimizes the use of water resources from outside the property.

10 It fosters relocation within the same property of trees and plants affected by development.

A new
water-consumption culture

A Green Building also means a lifestyle, in which inhabitants consume 60% less water (60m3 / year per three persons) than in a classic building (150m3 / year per three persons). This low-consume proportion is possible thanks to the installation of upper class dishwashers, which consume four times less water than dishwashing by hand.

Apart from optimizing water consumption during bath or shower, the amount of water used for the washing machine (secondary), toilets and garden (tertiary) will be recycled and treated to oxygenation.

Secondary residences
can be self-sufficient
in water consumption:

Annual rainfall registration in Palma de Mallorca reveals about 450 liters per square meter, meaning that a 100m2 terrace can pick up around 45000 liters, i.e. 45m2. This represents the 75% of consumption of a three-person household. In this regard, the 15m2 acquired through the public network represent 90% less than 150m2 consumed by a conventional housing of three.

This consumption can mean less than 45m2 annual rainfall in an area of 100 meters and, therefore, can be self-sufficient if used as a second home less than nine months a year. In addition, thanks to a system installed on rooftops, an average of 27m3 more per every three-person household can be collected in Palma. With this amount, the building would be almost self-sufficient in water resources.

Environmentallyresponsible

Efficient use of resources

Empathetic with society and culture

Winter

Summer

Environmentally
responsible

Efficient use
of resources

Empathetic with society
and culture