House Shadow: Airfi’s air handling technology brings energy efficiency to the eco-homes of the future

News

10.6.2024

Located in Lohja, Finland, House Shadow is an environmentally friendly mini-home (44 m²), whose ventilation is provided by Airfi’s energy-efficient technology. This unique eco-home challenges traditional construction practices and offers a new perspective on ecological living.

Airfi’s CEO, Izabella Lundberg, sees similarities to the company’s values.

“House Shadow combines the same values as Airfi’s operations: the desire to challenge industry traditions and create sustainable, environmentally friendly ventilation solutions,” says Izabella Lundberg.

Behind House Shadow is architect Matti Kuittinen, who is known as an expert in sustainable construction and an advocate for the circular economy.

He has designed a mini home, which has been made from over half recycled or reused materials, and whose carbon footprint is as small as possible throughout its life cycle.

Of all building technology systems, ventilation usually has the most significant impact on a building’s carbon footprint. That’s why building technology solutions were also carefully considered.

“I first considered whether it would be possible to purchase a used one. However, I concluded that using a 15-year-old air handling unit may be too great a risk for the building’s energy efficiency,” Matti Kuittinen explains.

To choose a suitable machine, he needed information about the environmental impact of different devices.

“I wanted to know what materials the air handling unit is made of and how much of the device’s weight is recycled material. Information was scarce.”

The paths of Airfi and House Shadow crossed when Matti Kuittinen heard from a construction industry expert about Airfi’s “team who thinks in a new way”. Soon he had information about Airfi’s Model 60 air handling unit and its environmental impact.

Matti Kuittinen was pleased with the transparency and environmental awareness offered by Airfi.

“Residential ventilation systems usually cause the most carbon footprint of all building technology systems. It’s great that there are operators like Airfi who are open about the carbon emissions of their products and strive to reduce them,” Kuittinen concludes.

Airfi’s modern Model 60 air handling unit with heat recovery is responsible for House Shadow’s energy-efficient ventilation. With Airfi’s patented, AI-powered technology, Model 60 optimizes ventilation, minimizes energy consumption and guarantees fresh and healthy indoor air all year round.

In addition to the air handling unit, House Shadow also has Airfi’s Ida cooker hood.

House Shadow represents minimalism on three levels:

Minimal environmental impact The building materials are surplus or reusable, the windows and furniture are recycled, and the other parts are made from as much recycled material as possible. Thanks to this, the house’s carbon footprint is as small as possible.
Minimalist lifestyle The house has multi-purpose and modifiable spaces. Special attention has been paid to reducing the consumption of energy, water and materials.
Minimalist architecture Timeless aesthetics offers a peaceful and restful space for a simple lifestyle. The easy maintenance and replaceability of equipment and structures promote a long-life cycle for the building.