ᐅ Designing a Living Room Gallery with Energy Efficiency in Mind

Hello,
we are planning to build a house that will feature a gallery opening over the living room (open up to the roof, about 6-7 meters (20-23 feet) high). We designed and planned the house ourselves based on a reference project.

Now we have a question that’s troubling us:

Could heating the open living room be problematic, since warm air naturally rises?

We think we need to consider the following:
- good roof insulation
- high thermal performance of the masonry
- glazing
- air circulation (the roof must be airtight, no cold air intake from the basement or ground floor)

Additionally, we want to integrate a garage in the basement under the living area (on a slope). We plan to insulate the garage ceiling accordingly but still fear there could be additional heat loss.

Planned heating: underfloor heating and a fireplace in the open living and dining area.

Specifically, we are wondering if we have considered everything or if there are important points we might have missed. Is this approach energy-efficient and cost-effective to implement?

We still plan to consult with an energy advisor and an architect. Since we are planning everything ourselves in advance, we would be grateful for your opinions and experiences.

Here are 2 images illustrating our design (preliminary draft without furniture, railings, etc.):

- good roof insulation
- good thermal resistance of the masonry
- glazing
- air circulation (roof must be sealed, no cold air inflow from basement or ground floor)

You describe every new build

Schluffi0815 schrieb:
This will have a gallery above the living room (open up to the roof, about 6-7 meters (20-23 feet)).

We have that too

Schluffi0815 schrieb:
We think we need to consider the following:
- good roof insulation
- good thermal insulation of the masonry
- glazing
- air circulation (the roof must be airtight, no cold air from the basement or ground floor)

We have all that -> KfW 70 house

Schluffi0815 schrieb:
An additional challenge is that we want to integrate a garage in the basement under the living area (sloping site).

For us, there is no added challenge except for a base slab

Schluffi0815 schrieb:
Planned heating: underfloor heating plus a fireplace in the open-plan living and dining area.

We have that too

Schluffi0815 schrieb:
Could heating the open living room be problematic, since the warm air naturally rises?

Yes! When the fireplace is on, you should keep the doors upstairs closed – it’s better not to heat the upper floor at all

But you want to know what it’s like when the fireplace is off, right?
… in that case, the same applies: upstairs everything is set to 1 (lowest setting), except in the bathroom. And the ground floor is fine too. With good insulation, this hardly matters anymore.

An open space (gallery) is always economically unwise. This also brings us full circle to the fact that it is energetically inefficient.

The answer to the question is: Yes, it is possible. By leaving out the gallery and building smaller.

Exclusive design costs money in the traditional sense. Both in construction and maintenance.

toxicmolotow schrieb:
that this is also energy nonsense.

You mean it is more expensive to maintain a house built to current energy saving regulations with a gallery at 21°C (70°F) compared to one without a gallery (when it’s cold outside)? I don’t have a final opinion yet, but I’m looking forward to your arguments.

No doubt: The construction costs are higher.

Good evening,

Schluffi0815 schrieb:

Is it energy-efficient/economically sensible to include [a gallery]?

If you are seriously asking yourself this question, you need to take a step back and ask: is it energy-efficient/economically sensible to build a single-family house at all?

Of course, a gallery costs more money because heat rises to where it does not benefit you, namely up to the ridge (think of an electrically operated vent window!). Naturally, it is also more expensive to construct. From my point of view, it is unwise to reduce the heating to a minimum in the attic or upper floor, as this intentionally promotes thermal bridges. On my personal list of building mistakes, this ranks just after “the bedroom should be cold, so I keep the window open all year.” Unfortunately, the doctor will only provide a referral form for this condition in a few years.

I assume you will build a house only once in your life. If your financial means allow, then build it as you dream: with a gallery. Because if you are concerned about the “energy-inefficient/economically nonviable” gallery, you might want to ask yourself how “energy-efficient/economically sensible” it is to build a house in the first place. If you consider this question thoroughly, you will likely stay in your rental apartment.

Regards, Bauexperte