The owners of this modest 2,300 square foot country home wanted to minimize their impact on the Earth and establish a lasting connection to nature. The project employed local craftsmen and used natural, recycled, locally sourced materials. The sunroom features an earthen mud floor made from the soil of the site! The house employs passive solar design concepts; the sunroom, situated at the center of the house, captures the warmth of the sun and radiates it throughout the living spaces. With sustainable building techniques, sensitive attention to the surrounding environment, and framed views of the exterior from every interior space, this house celebrates its site and connection to the land.
"If you have a grove of redwood trees, you'll get cool air sinking out of the trees and down to the ground," Parker says. "We designed the house to take advantage of that natural convection to cool it in the summertime." Passive solar design provides warmth. "It doesn't look like a typical passive solar house with big south-facing windows designed to soak up sun and heat," he says. "We studied the length of every overhang to see how much sun and heat you're going to get from them at every time of year and day." The house also has a radiant hydronic heating system to provide additional warmth.
If you have a grove of redwood trees, you'll get cool air sinking out of the trees and down to the ground," Parker says. "We designed the house to take advantage of that natural convection to cool it in the summertime." Passive solar design provides warmth. "It doesn't look like a typical passive solar house with big south-facing windows designed to soak up sun and heat," he says. "We studied the length of every overhang to see how much sun and heat you're going to get from them at every time of year and day." The house also has a radiant hydronic heating system to provide additional warmth.
grove of trees as natural convection cooling. Passive solar designs. Studying the overhangs' lengths to see the amounts of sun & heat gotten 24/7. Radiant hydronic heating system.