Park City Mountain Resort
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Courtyards In Urban Areas
I haven't posted on this blog in quite some time. I have been waiting to hear from the UREAP scholarship here at TRU. Considering it has been a few weeks I feel like it is time to move on and continue with my research on my own. Passive solar design can be a very broad topic. To limit my research to a more interesting question other than just is passive solar design a affordable way to build our homes. How can passive solar design be implemented as a renovation rather than just on a new house. This video shows an interesting change to the living space in a urban area to cut back on energy costs.
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Hey Sean, I have always wondered how exactly passive solar design makes a home warm in the winter, yet cool in the summer. Could you help?
ReplyDeleteHey Harry, the main reason a house with passive solar design stays cool in the summer is due to the positioning of the sun. During the summer months the sun stays higher during the day, were as in winter the strongest sun is much lower in the sky. This concept allows for large overhangs of the roof to block out sunlight in the summer yet let sun in during the winter. Having sun enter your home may just not be enough though. The key is having a thermal mass which will absorb the suns energy, this absorbed energy is released as the house cools down in the evening/night which regulates the temperature in the house. Have a look at this picture.
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It is a very simple design which grasps the concept perfectly.
Court yards in Urban Areas! I like it friend! Maybe you could look at the social and Quality of life benefits of Urban Courtyards. I was thinking maybe you could compare aspects of life with and without an Urban Courtyard.
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent idea. That would definitely help bring my research proposal to a deeper meaning than just saving energy. I would believe the quality of life would increase, as personally I would prefer to have the fresh air while doing inside activities.
DeleteThe sooner you can get some photos and drawings of the house you will be renovating on your blog the better. Then people can comment on how to best renovate for passive solar.
ReplyDeleteAlso, be sure to reference any images used on your blog that are not your own.
Seems pretty neat! Have you seen how passive solar is used in greenhouses? It could make for a really lush courtyard hah.
ReplyDeletei learned a little about passive heating and cooling in a book on rammed earth i recently read and it talked about how the placement of the building in relation to the surrounding topography could drastically change the heating and cooling costs through the seasons. the placement of the building on top of a hill could expose it to more wind and cold breezes which in turn would cool the house faster. i think that this and using design features as outlined in the previous comments would help lower the long term operation costs of a home and that more developers should be considering this if possible on future projects. the book also talked about using deciduous trees and arbors that harbor vines to help block sun in the summer and allow light in the winter. interesting field of study, look forward to learning more
ReplyDeleteyes, placement of a building can definitively change the costs. The house I am creating the theoretical renovation on, is set into the hill side at batch. From the front it looks like a two storey house but at the back it seems like a bungalow. As I said in my post today Ive made a few sketches which will show more than I can explain. I will definitely have to look into adjusting the topography with my renovation to see it I can naturally reduce the costs. Thank you for the information!
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