Das Biohaus

Biohaus | Day 5

We started the day off waking up early in Itasca State Park to a freezing cold morning. We got packed up fairly quickly and hit the road in the vans. We stopped at Bemiji for coffee and snacks and we were on our way to das BioHaus located in the Concordia Language Villages. As we entered the campus we were warmly welcomed by the german instructor by the name of Eddy. The first thing we noticed was a very large painting on das Bahnhof by Professor Heidi Hohmann.

While attending a program at the Concordia Language Villages, you are only allowed to speak the language you are learning. You are immersed in the language and environment of the given culture. We noticed a sign that really illustrates how committed they are about teaching students their chosen language.

We toured the German Language Village, as you walk through the building you enter a courtyard replicated to make you feel like you are in Germany and all the buildings and signs around you are all based off of German architecture. Eddy even mentioned that the garbage and recycling bins were genuine as well, though he may have been kidding.

The main reason we came to this amazing place was to see das BioHaus; a building admired for its intelligent energy saving strategies. At first we all piled on the deck you see below. With all 38 of us the deck was probably over weight and the smallest move made the deck sway and us all a little nervous.

From this deck we had a great view at the green roof on das BioHaus. We talked about how to construct green roof structures and the benefits of solar panels. We learned that das BioHaus uses Solar Thermal Hydronic panels to create hot water for the house. Eddy also taught us the benefits of green roofs for energy savings and how they can help on conserving rain water. Having a flat roof is beneficial when building a green roof.

Looking down on das Biohaus

Das Biohaus

We walked around the house and learned about its thick insulated walls and how much work went into building this house in order to conserve as much energy as possible. Eddy took us on a tour around the house and talked about window design and also how the house is placed in relation to the solar aspect in northern Minnesota. We then all went inside to watch a power point about the houses construction and the facts abot Passivhauses in Germany. All the windows in this house were shipped from Germany because they could not be manufactured in the US. 

We learned that the house only took a year to build and that the main principles in these types of houses are to minimize energy loss and maximize heat gain. We had time to look around the house and admire all of the new technology. We then had the chance to talk about the process of how the technology can heat up the house from the ground, and from the sky, also how they work together and reduce energy waste while the insulation keeps all heat in. Toward the end we found out the house cost 1.3 million dollars to construct.

Eddy explaining how the heating and cooling system works.

Jim, Amanda, and Katie discussing heat conservation.

Everyone was eager to see how the technology worked.

Cormac reflecting about how the BioHaus conserved energy.

On the drive from the Concordia Language Villages to the bunk houses in Ely, all the students had time to think about energy conservation and how das BioHaus worked with our environment. It was a really great tour! Thanks Eddy!

Here is a link to das BioHaus: http://waldseebiohaus.typepad.com