The Barco del Sol is a large building that integrates offices and shops designed by the architect Rolf Disch and located in Freiburg next to the Solar District designed by the same architect. It uses 60,000 square feet for retail, commercial and residential spaces.

Altogether, this building produces more energy than it consumes per year and uses the most innovative construction technology. Some aspects that make this building particular are its vacuum insulated walls, "Ventilation (architecture)" ventilation with 95% heat recovery, triple-glazed windows and its energy envelope façade.

It is the first positive energy office building in the world. The office spaces are formalized on the east and west sides completely with windows, maximizing natural lighting and employee views while minimizing energy used for artificial lighting.

The Barco del Sol includes a supermarket, a convenience store and a bakery-café on the first floor, offices and work spaces on floors 2-4 and 9 penthouses on the roof. In addition to the office and retail space, there are two conference rooms.

Contenido

PlusEnergy es un término acuñado por Rolf Disch que indica la eficiencia energética extrema de una estructura para que mantenga un equilibrio energético positivo, produciendo realmente más energía de la que consume. Con la finalización de su residencia privada, el Heliotrop "Heliotrope (building)")e, en 1994, Disch creó la primera casa PlusEnergy. Su siguiente objetivo en su desarrollo fue, por lo tanto, la aplicación masiva del concepto residencial a otros usos como el comercial y minorista. A medida que el concepto se desarrolló y ganó respaldo financiero, Disch construyó varios proyectos más con certificaciones PlusEnergy. "PlusEnergy es un imperativo ambiental fundamental", afirma Disch.[1]​ Disch cree que la construcción pasiva no es suficiente porque las casas pasivas todavía emiten a la atmósfera .

Community planning

Believing that community planning goes hand in hand with sustainable development, Disch dedicates much of its design and planning to the symbiosis of its projects with the environment. A solar community generates identification and a huge public image. Disch says it attracts many tenants, innovative businesses and creative jobs through its design. It always aims to create a community with mixed uses for an ecological urban planning concept such as traffic management, wide and attractive paths, bicycle routes and connections to public transport. In Barrio Solar, for example, tenants and owners incorporate bike and car sharing and the neighborhood has an extensive car-free zone with many public transportation connections. It has also incorporated community solutions for energy. For example, a biomass cogeneration unit that meets the additional (reduced) heating demands for your PlusEnergy homes.