Our concept of ECOconstruction is based on 6 principles.
Comfort
Our homes utilize the natural resources of their environment to reduce or even eliminate the need for heating in winter and cooling in summer. Forever.
Energy efficiency
Using technologies such as thermography and temperature and humidity sensors, we ensure the quality of our homes made with natural materials. Our attention to thermal mass and insulation such as double or triple glazing and walls made of clay or lime, combined with solar orientation, provides ideal temperatures and humidity levels. Our bioclimatic experts analyze every detail to maximize energy efficiency, resulting in significant long-term energy savings.
Cork insulation
Our homes have excellent ecological insulation with expanded black cork agglomerate, even used by NASA. This insulation ensures comfort, energy efficiency, and durability. Green Heritage homes are covered with this material and combine insulation, thermal mass, ventilation, and solar exposure to provide thermal comfort. Compared to most homes in Portugal, our homes save over 80% in energy consumption both in summer and winter. For a lifetime.
We only use ecological insulation, mainly cork and hemp. The cork oak tree, from which cork is produced, is the National Tree of Portugal.
Hemp Insulation
Hemp insulation provides effective protection against heat in the summer and cold in the winter, providing a comfortable environment all year round. In addition, hemp is an excellent acoustic insulator, making homes even more peaceful and enjoyable. Hemp is also resistant to mold, meaning there is no mold growth in the home. Furthermore, hemp removes CO2 from the atmosphere in the long term, making it an environmentally responsible option. It is also a fire-resistant material, offering additional protection against fires. All of these properties make hemp a popular choice for those seeking a healthy, pollutant-free life in durable and energy-efficient homes.
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Health
We prioritize the health of the indoor environment in our homes, and we eliminate any materials that can harm people's health.
Buildings often have higher levels of pollution indoors than outdoors, which can cause various health problems. Several materials present in homes can be harmful, such as pollutants, heavy metals, mold, fungi, dust mites, and formaldehydes. It is important to perform analyses to discover the causes of these health problems. When building or renovating a home, it is important to be demanding with the materials used and to seek detailed information to avoid harmful materials.
European standards for material safety are not very reliable, so we suggest following the recommendations of the Institut Bau Biologie. For example, the European standard for safety in toxic and chemical risks in materials is EN 71-3. The paints we use are 7,000 times below this European standard!
When choosing a material, we carefully analyze its characteristics before deciding to incorporate it into our homes, and we demand strict information from our suppliers, with a guarantee that they do not contain harmful products. From the simplest to the most sophisticated models, we avoid any materials harmful to health.
Robustness
We draw inspiration from the construction systems of centuries-old homes and integrate these bioconstruction techniques with cutting-edge technologies. We exclusively use high-quality and long-lasting materials.
Seismic-resistant structures: inspired by tradition
Colombage
The earthquake-resistant structures created by Green Heritage are inspired by the famous colombage, extremely resistant buildings built with wooden structures for many centuries in France, Switzerland, and Germany, especially in regions with seismic activity risks.
Colombage houses are resistant due to their well-sized and reinforced wooden structure, as well as features such as diagonal braces and connections between walls and the main structure, reducing the risk of structural collapse.
Pombalina
After the earthquake of 1755 that destroyed Lisbon, these structures inspired the military engineers (Manuel da Maia, Eugénio dos Santos, and Carlos Mardel) - commissioned by the Marquis of Pombal for the reconstruction of the city - in the definition of the famous "gaiola pombalina".
Many of these Lisbon constructions are still in good condition, as well as many others in the historic area of Guimarães, for example, where we find buildings over 300 years old built with robust wooden structures.
Timber frame
Timber frame construction is a construction method that uses solid or laminated wood pieces manufactured in specialized factories, called "frames", to form the structural walls. Timber frame walls can be composed of closure panels, which serve as finishing and thermal and acoustic insulation, but also have an important structural function, contributing to the stability and resistance of the building. This method offers advantages in terms of energy efficiency, sustainability, and speed in the execution of the work.
CLT
CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) construction is a building method that uses panels of cross-laminated solid wood to form the structure of the building. These panels are manufactured in factories, following precise designs and using high-quality and certified wood. They are then transported to the construction site and assembled on-site, forming the building's structure. CLT construction offers advantages in terms of energy efficiency, speed of construction, sustainability, and architectural flexibility.
Project of 260 m2 carried out in Redondo (Alentejo) in 2015. The client hired us to adapt our ecological construction method to the existing project. Production drawings were made with their respective assembly plans. The house required 40 m3 of laminated glued structural wood, special anti-termite panels, about 110 m3 of cork agglomerate cut to size, in addition to several tons of clay and stone in the interior walls. The interiors were plastered with clay and the exteriors with special cork plastering mortars. The ceilings were made with Santa Catarina tiles (Algarve), (in Redondo, these ceilings are known as "tabiques").
On July 23, 2016, it was 41 °C outside and 23.4ºC inside the house. Without air conditioning, only with natural ventilation.
Speed
We have developed extremely fast methodologies for the assembly of our KITS, allowing other partner companies to then carry out finishing works with local teams. This decentralization creates jobs and leaves money in the regions where we build. This is called sustainability and local development.
Green Heritage KITS
Modern technology has opened up new possibilities for us. While colombage structures were manually constructed by dozens of workers over thousands of hours, today we use sophisticated technology to cut laminated wooden beams with millimetric precision. These beams are then packaged and sent directly to the construction site, where they are quickly assembled with special carbon steel reinforcements.
As a result, we can assemble a structure in just a few hours.
This speed allows us to offer competitive prices, as we are able to build a house in much less time than a masonry house.
Beauty
We constantly search for new innovative solutions and ecological materials that our partner architects can use in their projects. We strive to combine Art with Science and Ecology.
At Green Heritage, we believe that beauty is not just skin deep, but starts from within. That's why our approach combines science, art, and ecology to create truly beautiful and sustainable homes. We use natural and sustainable materials, designing homes that not only fit perfectly into the landscape but also provide a healthy and balanced environment for their inhabitants. We are proud to build homes that are true works of art while also protecting and preserving the environment.
Guarantee
In the last 12 years, we have created professional, friendship and respect bonds with an extraordinary network of partners, among whom are the largest European manufacturers of ecological materials for dry construction. It is thanks to them that we can be sure and confident in the materials we use. They are the ones who give us real guarantees of quality and longevity.