residential green design principles in action

The house is designed to provide natural cooling during the summer months. Using the “stack effect” hot air is exhausted through operable skylights at the roof level, while cool basement air is brought up into the main living spaces. This process reduces dependence on HVAC equipment and power consumption.

With the south facing site we knew the home would be easier to heat than to cool.  Here we sloped the roof for maximum solar orientation providing room for a large solar array while mitigating solar gain. The cantilevered second floor provides for a shaded porch, while landscaping can reduce late day solar gain.

When occupants have easy access to the adjacent landscape they spend less time inside and consume less electricity. The accumulated effect of outdoor time has a real impact on decreasing power consumption.

Good green design will get double impact from building buiding attributes. In the photo above, the balcony was used to both protect the interior bedroom from direct sunlight while also providing for privacy and outdoor views.