24 Bioclimatic Dwellings for the Island of Tenerife: 20 Years Later

Abstract

In March 1995, the ITER (Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables), along with the Excellent Island Government of Tenerife (Cabildo Insular de Tenerife), launched an international competition for 25 bioclimatic dwellings to be built in Tenerife, Canary Islands, homologated by the International Union of Architects (UIA). The International Tender counted on the College of Architects of the Canary Islands to organize a call for preliminary projects of 25 one-family dwellings located in an area within the Wind Park of Tenerife, near the sea, at the south-east of the island (Fig. 9.1). The inception of the competition can be traced back to 1995, in the Summit of the Earth in Rio de Janeiro (1992). One of the key points of this meeting was to make a statement concerning the protection of the environment (General Assembly of the United Nations 2012). Consequently, the projects in Tenerife were to be designed following bioclimatic principles adapted to the climatic conditions (López de Asiaín 2001) of the island’s seaside environment. Moreover, the integration of recycled and recyclable materials was encouraged, as well as the use of renewable energy systems.