The Danish Nature Agency’s official residence in Thy
Near the scenic town of Klitmøller in Thy lies the Nature Agency's official residence. Here, the local forester lives in a small, modern passive house with an impressively low energy consumption.
The forester-house’s low climate impact is due to a large number of conscious design and material choices. Wood is chosen as the primary material as it is a natural and renewable resource. Among other things, the house is insulated with wood fiber, due to the material's ability to absorb and transport moisture, and it has a lower climate impact compared to alternative insulation materials.
"In Thy, we have not only got a beautiful home. But also, a home that really improves on a CO2 account, has a healthy indoor climate and low costs for operation and maintenance." Kim Røjgaard, The Danish Nature Agency, 2020
In order to reduce the need for artificial light and heating, and thus reduce the house's overall energy needs, the primary rooms have been given large south-facing windows, which increase the amount of daylight and heat the rooms. The facades are clad in wood, so the home blends in naturally with the undisturbed nature of the area. Through the large south-facing windows, the forest steps right into the living room, so that indoor and outdoor spaces merge, and the family can enjoy nature around the clock.
A life cycle analysis of the home has documented a CO2 footprint of just 5.1 kilos of CO2 per m2 per year. If the potential of the materials to be used as biomass for district heating at the end of their useful life is also taken into account, the CO2 footprint drops to an impressive 2.9 kilos.
