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Riverhead passive solar design house
- 1. passive solar design house One has to be alone, under the sky, Before everything falls into place and one finds his or her own place in the midst of it all. We have to have the humility to realize ourselves as part of nature. Thomas Merton, from “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander”, 1965, pp. 294-295.
- 2. objectives To build an as environmentally friendly house as possible Insulate as good as possible Reduce heating, electricity and water requirements Avoid draft, cold, dampness and mould Construct a “light” house, built to make use of sunlight Avoid waste or soil removal Use natural, reusable, recyclable materials Life cycle assessment approach
- 3. site selection Site found in Riverhead township - close to creek, pub, restaurant, dairy and school Site proved to be challenging Intention was to turn constraints into features
- 4. site investigations & design preparations Site “discovered” in January 2006 After checking council responsibilities, negotiations and conversation started in February 2006 ARC contacted for wastewater disposal, very helpful and negotiable Contacted RDC for stormwater and overland flow path, difficult to get to the right person Babbage Consultants to carry out survey and geotech investigation District plan requirements for setbacks, heights, stormwater, trees
- 5. project data 809.00 m2 sloping site Two road frontages with 6m offset each Limited as to parcels, never surveyed No water, no sewer $400K max budget Swamp Several previous owners failed to build Soil quality unknown Huge pinetrees Overland flow path Springs Public stormwater line
- 8. proposed site plan Boundary setbacks (District Plan)
- 9. proposed site plan Boundary setbacks (District Plan) Council Public Stormwater Line (had to be rerouted)
- 10. proposed site plan Boundary setbacks (District Plan) Council Public Stormwater Line (had to be rerouted) Overland Flow Path (Had to be preserved)
- 11. proposed site plan Boundary setbacks (District Plan) Council Public Stormwater Line (had to be rerouted) Overland Flow Path (Had to be preserved) Wastewater Disposal Field (minimum size with maximum water saving devices located in suitable dry soil)
- 12. design – ground floor Two platforms Separated by trench Bridge Triangular shape facing north Light Water Cool Air
- 13. design – upper floor Upper void area Two bedroom plus study Storage area in between Upper deck with creek views High level void windows East sun for bedrooms Light Warm Air
- 15. material selection Well insulated concrete floor slab H1.2 boron pine wall framing Untreated Macrocarpa for joists, rafters and beams Polyester insulation Untreated, unpainted Macrocarpa weatherboard Polypropylene cavity battens UPVC double glazed joinery Untreated Macrocarpa decking and flooring Longrun metal roofing
- 16. features
- 17. features
- 18. features
- 19. features
- 20. features
- 21. details Detail view of north facade A good amount of structural engineering and detailing went into this facade. Eaves were specifically designed for summer shading and winter sun penetration. UPVC window and door details needed special attention.
- 22. zero waste endavour No soil was brought to site Leftover concrete was or removed crushed and used for Macrocarpa and H1.2 retaining wall Timber was all used on Three rubbish bags site Treated timber offcuts could only be brought to Refuse Station Surplus material returned to Carters (easy process) Plasterboard surplus sold on Trademe Plasterboard leftovers ground down for garden
- 23. recycling Collected mussel shells off the beach were integrated into the bathroom theme Ballustrade offcuts were turned into a giant Jenga game
- 24. recycling Concrete leftovers from the slab pouring was crsuhed into blocks and used for a retaining wall – drystacked Leftover timber planks were used to build a terraced vegetable gaden facing north Asphalt chunks found during excavation were used as stepstones For the vege garden
- 25. challenges Mudbath: Earthworks in November Foundation beams on piles in mud.
- 26. working
Editor's Notes
- How environmentally friendly a design can be is influenced by many factors: Legislation Budget Technology Passive systems are superior to any mechanical systems: they require no service and can hardly ever fail. The sun delivers us almost all options for heating and cooling, we just have to be aware of it. We should be aware of the impacts of our decisions not only on us – the building users – but also of the impact on an economic, social, cultural and biological scale
- Picture of vacant site
- Site plan with overland flow and springs indicated blue public stormwater line is shown grey streets are shown black
- Site Plan Two pines were removed and cut into firewood for the years to come The disposal field was loacted uphill where the soil conditions were better Setbacks from the two road frontages had to be 6m Sideyards had to be 1.5m with a 3m+45deg angle height to boundary restriction The remaining space dictated the shape of the building
- Site Plan Two pines were removed and cut into firewood for the years to come The disposal field was loacted uphill where the soil conditions were better Setbacks from the two road frontages had to be 6m Sideyards had to be 1.5m with a 3m+45deg angle height to boundary restriction The remaining space dictated the shape of the building
- Site Plan Two pines were removed and cut into firewood for the years to come The disposal field was loacted uphill where the soil conditions were better Setbacks from the two road frontages had to be 6m Sideyards had to be 1.5m with a 3m+45deg angle height to boundary restriction The remaining space dictated the shape of the building
- Site Plan Two pines were removed and cut into firewood for the years to come The disposal field was loacted uphill where the soil conditions were better Setbacks from the two road frontages had to be 6m Sideyards had to be 1.5m with a 3m+45deg angle height to boundary restriction The remaining space dictated the shape of the building
- Site Plan Two pines were removed and cut into firewood for the years to come The disposal field was loacted uphill where the soil conditions were better Setbacks from the two road frontages had to be 6m Sideyards had to be 1.5m with a 3m+45deg angle height to boundary restriction The remaining space dictated the shape of the building
- Floor Plan Level 0 The House opens to the north with extentive glazing across two floors The overland flow path was channeled and a bridge across allows access to the house The cooler southern side, that is shaded by a covered walkway and the covered bridge allows cool air into the building for summer cooling The garage was placed on the already existing and further shaped platform The house had to go on piles with concrete foundation walls
- Floor Plan Level 1 Bedroom skylights facing East to capyure morning sun, which makes getting up more enjoyable Decks with east and west sun
- Elevations show glasing Few windows to east, west and south, extensive glasing to the north Solar panel facing north
- Aim was to use local products that are natural and will decompose at no harm to the environment, that are reusable or recyclable. Concrete had to be used for thermal mass, the embodied energy will be offset over time by reduced heating demand Macrocarpa is local, does not need treatment, creates a cosy and warm environment and will eventually just decompose without causing any damage to the environment. Timber in general acts as a carbon storage until is decomposes Polyester insulation is inert, allergen free, pure and can be recycled indefenitely Polypropylene battens do not need any treatment, will not rot and can be recycled indefenitely. Added advantage: They drain and ventilate in any direction and therefore contribute to the logevity of the cladding
- Picture of exposed macrocarpa floor and structure The Macrocarpa was sourced from a local sawmill, is not plantation grown, therefore does not contribute to monocultures, erosion and soil depletion If gives a warm and cosy feeling and smells good. It's naturally resistant to fungal grow and insect attack and does not need any treatment It does not expand and shrink as much as pine.
- Picture of ceiling insulation Polyester insulation was chosen because it is an inert and allergen free material. It is not a composite material unlike glass fibre and wool It does not require treatment unlike cellulose fibre It can be recycled indefenitely No need for protective equipment and no airborne fibres The kids and animals love it, you most probably have it in your pillows and blankets
- The evacuated tube solar panel is delivering 100% of the hot water since August 2008 The 200l hot water cylinder has an insulation of 75mm Wastewater is treated and disposed on site including UV desinfection. Trees and grass love it.
- The lining of the ceilings have been reduced as much as possible, a suspended island in the centre had to be kept for lightfittings and to provide some light reflectance Reduction of material use by means of mutlifunction design: The upstairs custom made T&G macrocarpa floor is acting as a ceiling for the rooms below, saving cost and resources Exterior Macrocarpa weatherboard corner: clear modern lines without box corners, no moisture and insect ingress once again reducing material use and labour
- Picture of macrocarpa decks Custom run griptread decking for the entrance bridge and wider decking boards for the rear decks Reduction of treated timber use, save for children and the environment. Can be composted or burnt at the end of its useful life.
- Many materials on site can be reused or recycled or used for other purposes.
- When Earthworks started, waether turned really wet. We almost lost a 3 tonne digger in the mud and it had to be saved by another 12 tonne digger. The proposed 3m retaining wall posts turned out to be double the diameter and 6m deep as they hit nothing but sand and peat Builders used a new manhole lid as datum, which was put into the wrong place at the wrong height by the drainlayer
- The garage and walkway was entirely built by the owners, the shell-only-contract for the house had labour contributions included from the owners. Any gap in the framing was filled with insulation: Another advantage of polyester insulation: It does not shrink or rot and proved extremely useful for the application.
- Northern facade roof overhang section, the gutters have been included in the solar design - 150mm can make a difference.
- The northern facade with it's double storey voice catching the sun and heating up the concrete floor slab.