Ecological living in a library

It is an almost unbelievable fact that roughly half the half that humanity uses is for the heating of buildings. This is sheer lavishness. It is high time to find a balance and to live pleasantly, ecologically and for reasonable money.

A look at how to do this has been the attempt of the ´Harmony, Ecology and Economics in Housing' exhibition which has been created by civic association call "Ekodům" (czech call for eco-house). The exhibition by renowned architects offers information on current trends in living which place emphasis on the protection of the environment and a low consumption of energy for the acquisition, operation and disposal of buildings. It offers an alternative to the conventional understanding of construction and breaks a number of preconceptions which we have formed regarding buildings. Because we must not only increasingly keep an eye on domestic consumption of energy in the house during the year, but also the energy demand during actual construction and the renewability of the applied materials, there is information at the exhibition about commonly-used materials such as straw and clay. On exhibition panels which also contain models, there is also much information about water and energy housekeeping and on living in houses which have a minimalised consumption of energy.

Visitors to the Research Library of South Bohemia in České Budějovice could see the exhibition during the whole of September, where it had been placed by the association of Calla and Rosa. The opening and following interesting lecture by one of the authors of the exhibition, Ing. Aleš Brotánek "Eco-houses - better housing in theory and in practice" was visited by about fifty people interested in the subject. We were very happy that students particularly from construction schools and not only from the city found their way to the exhibition. You can find the electronic form of the exhibition and information about further travelling at www.ekodum.ecn.cz .

Edvard Sequens, Calla