Trias Energetica: The timeless foundation of sustainable building
In sustainable buildings, many look to advanced technologies and cutting-edge designs. However, before diving into futuristic solutions, we should first apply the most practical and powerful approach to energy efficiency—Trias Energetica. This simple concept has been guiding us for thousands of years, and its brilliance lies in its simplicity and timelessness. Trias Energetica should be the main starting point for any energy-efficient building project, providing a solid foundation before we start with more complex innovations.
What is Trias Energetica?
Trias Energetica, which got its name in the 1970s, is a three-step strategy for reducing energy consumption in a systematic, logical way:
1. Reduce the demand for energy: The best energy is energy that isn’t used. Thoughtful design choices like better insulation, energy-efficient lighting, and smarter building orientation reduce the energy needs of any project.
2. Use renewable energy: Once energy needs are minimized, the next step is to utilize renewable energy sources like solar, wind, or geothermal energy. These sources ensure clean energy for the remaining consumption.
3.Use fossil fuels efficiently: When energy needs can’t be fully met by renewables, the last step is to ensure that fossil fuels are used as efficiently as possible, reducing environmental impact.
This three-step approach is not just about technology; it’s a mindset that champions conservation and efficiency before consumption.
Why Trias Energetica is the ultimate starting point
At its core, Trias Energetica is a straightforward, common-sense approach that resonates with the realities of sustainable building. It emphasizes energy reduction as the first and most important step—an essential reminder that sometimes the greenest energy is no energy at all. This method cuts through the complexity that often surrounds sustainability discussions. It isn’t dependent on emerging technology or trends, but instead on universal principles that can be applied to any project, regardless of scale or location.
Though Trias Energetica was formally developed in the 1970s, its principles are as old as architecture itself. Ancient civilizations like the Romans and Egyptians understood the importance of minimizing energy use, even if they didn’t call it by that name.
The Romans, for instance, strategically oriented their buildings to maximize natural sunlight during the winter and used passive ventilation systems to cool their homes in the hot summer months. They were masters of energy efficiency, using thick walls, courtyards, and even advanced heating systems like the hypocaust to minimize consumption. Similarly, termite mounds maintain stable internal temperatures using natural ventilation systems. This natural engineering has inspired architects to design buildings that regulate climate efficiently without relying on external energy sources.
Similarly, the Egyptians adapted to their desert environment by designing thick-walled, mudbrick structures that kept their interiors cool. They used natural materials and passive cooling methods, such as the malqaf (windcatcher), which funneled cool air into buildings without the need for external energy sources.
These ancient techniques align perfectly with the first step of Trias Energetica: reduce energy demand. It’s a reminder that the most sustainable energy is the energy you don’t use—and that this wisdom has been guiding builders for millennia.
Modern Architecture: How we reduce energy demand today
1. Reduce the demand for energy
In today’s architectural practices, reducing energy demand remains fundamental, just as it was in ancient times. Here are some key modern strategies:
- High-Performance Insulation: Modern buildings use advanced insulation materials and airtight envelopes to minimize the need for heating and cooling, similar to the Romans’ thick walls.
- Passive Solar Design: Like Roman orientation, buildings are positioned to harness natural sunlight in winter and block it in summer, reducing reliance on HVAC systems.
- Smart Building Technologies: Innovations like smart thermostats and automated shading allow buildings to optimize energy use based on real-time conditions, cutting waste.
- Natural Ventilation: Much like the Egyptians’ windcatchers, modern designs use cross-ventilation and solar chimneys to naturally cool buildings, reducing the need for mechanical systems.
- Thermal Mass: Materials like concrete and brick store heat and release it slowly, stabilizing indoor temperatures and cutting down on heating and cooling needs.
These strategies demonstrate that reducing energy demand remains a timeless principle, now empowered by modern materials and technology. Once energy demand is minimized, the next logical step is to meet the remaining needs with clean, renewable energy.
2. Use renewable energy: A cleaner way forward
The second step of Trias Energetica—using renewable energy—may seem like a modern innovation, but ancient civilizations also harnessed natural energy sources. The Egyptians used wind to power early forms of irrigation, and the Greeks famously used water mills to convert flowing rivers into mechanical power.
Today, we apply this principle on a much larger scale:
- Solar Energy: Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, now a common feature on rooftops and facades, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
- Wind Power: Modern wind turbines, both onshore and offshore, capture wind energy and turn it into clean electricity, providing renewable power to millions.
- Geothermal and Hydro Power: Buildings now integrate geothermal systems to harness the Earth’s heat for energy-efficient heating and cooling, and hydroelectric plants generate significant portions of global renewable energy.
While renewable energy is crucial, it’s also widely understood and adopted, so we won’t dive into this step too deeply in this blog. Instead, we’ll focus on the other steps that are just as essential but sometimes overlooked in discussions of sustainable building.
3. Use Fossil Fuels Efficiently: A Transitioning Strategy
The third step of Trias Energetica—using fossil fuels efficiently—acknowledges that despite the growing use of renewables, there are times when fossil fuels are still necessary. This step emphasizes minimizing their impact through more efficient technologies and smart usage. Historically, even ancient civilizations made the most of their energy sources. The Romans, for example, used their hypocaust systems to heat large buildings by burning wood in an extremely efficient way, channeling the heat throughout the building with minimal fuel use.
Today, we continue this principle by:
- High-Efficiency HVAC Systems: Modern heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are designed to use fossil fuels like natural gas as efficiently as possible, lowering emissions and energy waste.
- Combined Heat and Power (CHP): CHP systems generate electricity and useful heat from a single fuel source, optimizing fossil fuel use in industrial and large-scale building settings.
- Energy Management Systems: Buildings equipped with smart energy management systems monitor and optimize energy consumption, ensuring that any reliance on fossil fuels is kept to a minimum.
However, as we look to the future, the role of fossil fuels is declining. With global efforts to phase out fossil fuels by 2050, this step is gradually evolving, focusing more on transitioning to cleaner alternatives while still using fossil fuels as efficiently as possible in the meantime.
Sustainable building and Trias Energetica: a natural partnership
Sustainable buildings are about balance and harmony with the environment. They aim to reduce energy use, maximize natural resources, and create spaces that are comfortable and healthy for occupants. Whether incorporating solar panels, using recycled materials, or optimizing natural light, sustainable buildings thrive when guided by the clear steps of Trias Energetica.
By reducing energy demand, integrating renewable energy sources, and maximizing the efficiency of any remaining conventional fuels, Trias Energetica and sustainable building practices perfectly complement each other. Together, they create energy-efficient, resilient structures that minimize environmental impact while ensuring comfort and durability.
The practical simplicity of Trias Energetica
In a world where sustainability is often equated with complicated or expensive solutions, the simplicity of Trias Energetica stands out. It doesn’t demand futuristic technologies, but instead, challenges us to rethink how we use energy in the first place. By focusing on simple, key principles, we can make sustainable practices accessible to everyone—whether you’re building a small home or a large office building.
Trias Energetica is not just a technical framework; it’s a philosophy that encourages thoughtful, efficient use of resources. At DIBS42, we integrate BIM technology with the principles of Trias Energetica to ensure that sustainable practices are at the core of every project we undertake, providing the foundation for buildings that are not only energy-efficient but also in harmony with the world around us. Let’s build for tomorrow, using the wisdom of today.
Author: Djorhia Nijssen-Treskes, co-founder and BIMboss at DIBS42