What is passive solar design? Â It goes by many names, though all are similar: passive design, passive solar, passive heating, Passivhaus, and passive house. Â Buildings using this strategy rely on the heat of the sun to moderate the temperature indoors without the need for artificial heating and cooling. Â How do they do it? Thermal…
Tag Archives: natural ventilation
08
Oct
Oct
Imagine a building that self-regulates its temperature without electronics. A building that adapts, allowing outside air in as needed and eliminating the need for air conditioning, but that uses no energy in doing so. Â A University of California-Berkley research team has developed a new type of “building skin” that can do just that, and they…
11
Sep
Sep
A home in Barwar City, Qatar is set to be the guinea pig to answer whether Passive House design will work in the desert. Â Passive House (or Passivhaus in German) design relies on the mass of a building and super insulation to naturally heat and cool a building, limiting the need for heat and air…
03
Jun
Jun
The traditional gabled roof that we are all familiar with was engineered to slough off snowfall. But in an uncertain post peak oil future of possible energy shortages and water shortages, more and more houses are showing up with roof-shapes engineered to harvest their own rainwater, and support solar power generation.