5. Pueblo Architecture
Pueblo architecture takes
advantage of the
material, a mixture of
earth and straw. Adobe is
wonderful thermal mass:
it will store warmth in the
winter and it cools in the
summer.
Copyright(C) 1999 David Slauson. This
image is copyrighted. The copyright holder
allows anyone to use it for any
purpose, provided that the photographer is
credited.
6. Taos Pueblo (continuously inhabited for over 1,000 years)
Built between 1000 and 1450: Thick Adobe Wall Construction
7. Pueblos as Green Buildings
Adobe provides a large thermal mass and it is a local green
building product with healthy breathable walls
They are built with materials on site
Orientation: South-facing for passive solar gain
Many adjacent units increases the energy efficiency—all
have access to the south but the other directions are
protected and “insulated”
9. Mesa Verde
Great passive solar design principles in the Mesa
Verde cliff dwellings. The southern orientation with
the rock overhang means shade in the summer and
solar gain in the winter. Furthermore, the rock and
earth act as a thermal mass that stores the sun’s
energy for use at night
During the summer months, the thermal mass serves
as a heat sink to help keep it cooler
11. Assumptions at this point
You plan on building a home North of the Equator
12. Terms for orientation of the structure
Solar Azimuth (Ψ)- the
angle of the sun from
true south
Solar Altitude (α)- the
sun’s angle above the
horizon
Solar constant- How
much sun we actually get
on the building site
677 (W/m^2)
13. Orientation of the structure
Orient the structure so
that the maximum
amount of sun can get in
This includes having
your house face true
South that was calculated
(using the solar azimuth
and altitude) and using
lots of windows to get the
sun’s energy inside
14. Thermal Mass
So, now we have the sun coming in for heat, let’s
keep the heat we gained in the day until the sun
comes up again tomorrow
The structure’s southern side should have a large
thermal mass so the sun coming into all the windows
strike the thermal mass and that energy gets stored
for the night
15. Direct Gain System
In a direct gain
system, large south
facing windows are used
to allow the sunlight in
and a thermal storage
material
(concrete, slate, water, br
ick, etc…) absorbs the
solar radiation
16. Indirect Gain System
An indirect gain system
collects and stores the
solar energy in one part
of the structure and uses
natural heat transfer to
distribute this heat to the
rest of the structure
18. Math
Using the water as a
thermal mass, how many
Q mc T gallons would be necessary
to store enough thermal
energy for 3 days of space
heating? Assume the water
Q in the storage tank begins
m
c T at 150oF and has a useful
lower limit of 90oF
You have already found
m
1440000Btu
25000lb
1gal
3012.05gal that you need 1,440,000
Btu
1.0 o 60oF 8.3lb Btu for 3 days
lb F
Therefore m=25000
lbs~3000 gallons of water
19. Insulation
So far, we have worked very hard to get all the sun’s
energy that we can into the structure so lets keep it
there
The more insulation the better
BEST- Have the structure underground with an atrium
providing the solar energy and light
BETTER- Have bermed walls on three sides of the structure
GOOD- Use Structured Insulated Panels (SIPs) when building
the structure
20. Best- Underground
This is the best type of
structure for a passive
solar structure because
once the sun’s energy is
inside, not much of it can
get out
The structure is
surrounded on all sides
by rammed earth
(dirt), with only a
Southern entrance or
atrium exposed
21. Better- Berm it!
A bermed structure is the
second best option for
passive solar design
A bermed structure has
earth around at least one
wall to keep the energy
inside the house
22. Good- SIPs
Structured Insulated
Panels (SIPs) are panels
that can be used in place
of “stick built”
construction.
They are attractive
because they are highly
insulated and easy to
use, so construction
labor costs goes down.
23. How do I figure out how much insulation I need?
First you need to figure out which degree-day region you live in
24. What is a Degree-Day
Here is an example of how a Degree-Day works:
March 18 had a high temp of 42oF and a low temp of 20oF
42 20 o F
Mean Temp 31o F
2
Degree - Day(DD) 65 31 34 DD on March 18th
25. Ok, now what? Math
1 hour
Qtotal A 24 DD year
R day
1 Btu 2 h
Qtotal 2 o
3000 ft 24 5000 DD 25,714 ,285 .71
14 ft h F day
Qtotal 25 .7 10 6 Btu
26. Assumptions at this point
You have decided to build a traditional style home
using SIPs
27. Windows
Lots of large windows that are at least double pane
on the southern side of the home
The Northern side of the home is where most of the
cold and bad weather comes from so…
BEST- No windows on Northern side
BETTER- Few small windows on Northern side
GOOD- Plant quick growing evergreen trees about 6-10’ apart
on the Northern side of the structure (This really should be
done no matter what window choice is made)
28. Math
Qc k A T Total heat transfer for 12 hours through an insulated
t window that measures 4’x7’, when outside temp is
5oF and inside temp is 65oF? R value of window is
1.54
R
k
1
Qc A T Qc t A T
R
t R 1Btu
Qc 12h 28 ft2 (65 5)F
1.54 ft2 h F
Qc 13,100Btu
29. Overhangs and shading
So now that we have the sun’s energy coming in and
being stored and we also have the harsh elements
out, let’s adjust it for the seasons using overhangs
and shading.
The proper use of overhangs and shading can allow
all of the sun into the structure in the winter, but
block it in the summer
32. Plant Deciduous Trees on Southern Side
Plant deciduous trees so
they block the incoming
sun in the summer, and
once the leaves fall the
winter sun can get
through unobstructed
33. If you would like a copy of this you can…
Go to our linkedin profiles for a link to this slideshow
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gerren-d-simms/2a/442/296/
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/brennen-pedigo/69/813/6b5/
