Designing a House for the Sun: 4 Strategies · loving creatures: We turn toward the sun, seeking...

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umans are comfort- loving creatures: We turn toward the sun, seeking its light and warmth, needing it to nourish both spirit and body. The intensity of sun- light is so great that no artificial light can approach it, and it of- fers a complete color spectrum not present in most artificial lighting. When we build, homes should be located and organized to allow all important spaces to receive abundant natural light. Light filtered through the vine-covered open framing at the edge of this roof softens the bright summer sun yet creates a protected sunny pocket after the leaves have fall- en in winter. 74 FINE HOMEBUILDING Illustrations: Gary Williamson H Deep eaves provide summer shade and admit winter sun In summer, the sun is higher in the sky than in winter. This fact allows windows to be protected from summer heat gain by deep eaves while still allowing the low winter sun to enter the house. Morning Midday sun South Winter sun Summer sun LOCATE THE HOUSE ON THE SITE SO THAT LIGHT IS MANAGED EASILY 1 Designing a House for the Sun: 4 Strategies Orient the house and windows to ensure that all important spaces receive abundant, balanced light BY MAX JACOBSON, MURRAY SILVERSTEIN AND BARBARA WINSLOW Afternoon The path of the sun Siting the building diagonally to the south takes maximum advantage of available sunlight. Every room gets direct sun at some point during the day, and the rooms on the south corner get sun from morning until evening. Shade the windows during the heat of the day As the sun moves from east to west, the heat of the day increases and with it the need for shad- ing south- and west- facing windows and doors. Afternoon Morning

Transcript of Designing a House for the Sun: 4 Strategies · loving creatures: We turn toward the sun, seeking...

Page 1: Designing a House for the Sun: 4 Strategies · loving creatures: We turn toward the sun, seeking its light and warmth, needing it to nourish both spirit ... ing a special place that

umans are comfort-loving creatures: Weturn toward the sun,

seeking its light and warmth,needing it to nourish both spiritand body. The intensity of sun-light is so great that no artificiallight can approach it, and it of-fers a complete color spectrumnot present in most artificiallighting. When we build, homesshould be located and organizedto allow all important spaces toreceive abundant natural light.

Light filtered through the vine-covered open framing atthe edge of this roof softens the bright summer sun yetcreates a protected sunny pocket after the leaves have fall-en in winter.

74 FINE HOMEBUILDING Illustrations: Gary Williamson

H

Deep eaves providesummer shade andadmit winter sunIn summer, the sun ishigher in the sky thanin winter. This factallows windows to beprotected fromsummer heat gain bydeep eaves while stillallowing the lowwinter sun to enterthe house.

MorningMidday sun

South

Winter sun

Summer sun

LOCATE THE HOUSE ON THE SITE SO THAT LIGHT IS MANAGED EASILY1

Designing a Housefor the Sun: 4 StrategiesOrient the house and windows to ensure that all important spaces receive abundant, balanced light

BY MAX JACOBSON, MURRAY SILVERSTEIN AND BARBARA WINSLOW

Afternoon

The path of the sunSiting the buildingdiagonally to thesouth takes maximumadvantage of availablesunlight. Every roomgets direct sun atsome point during theday, and the rooms onthe south corner getsun from morninguntil evening.

Shade the windowsduring the heat ofthe dayAs the sun movesfrom east to west, the heat of the dayincreases and with itthe need for shad-ing south- and west-facing windows and doors.

Afternoon Morning

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This single step probably hasmore effect on our perception ofcomfort than any other aspect ofhome design.

Consider the sun’s pathThe sun brings light and heat.This heat may be welcome inwinter, but not in summer (pho-to facing page). In planning win-dow and skylight locations,solar-heat gain is as big a consid-eration as admitting daylight.The rising sun is low, and east-facing windows receive directlight (drawing facing page). Ifyou’re an early riser, exposure tothis eastern light enhances morn-ing activities—waking up, eat-ing breakfast, bathing—as thebody responds to daylight by be-coming more alert (photo below).In most climates, mornings arecool, overheating is not a bigconcern, and east-facing win-dows can admit light with min-imum need for solar protection.

The sun is higher in the south-ern sky in summer than in win-ter; deep overhangs or shadingdevices above south-facing win-dows capitalize on this differ-ence to keep out the midday sunduring the hottest months, but toallow heat gain in winter. Oth-er ways to let in winter sun whilepreventing summer overheatinginclude trellises with deciduousvines, sunshades with angledlouvers or tall deciduous treesplanted on the south side; thesestrategies can have a major impacton the building’s thermal comfortand still allow light and view.

Western light needs to bemanaged; as the sun goes low-er in the sky, west-facing win-dows receive horizontal rays oflight that enter below roofeaves or sunshades. On summerafternoons, the sun can be toowarm: Excluding it requires abarrier between the windowand the sun, blocking outviews as well as light. Land-scape elements such as trees tothe west can provide seasonal

Morning sun helps the body to awaken gradually inresponse to the increasing light level; the southeast-facing window and dormer in this master bedroom en-sure that sleepers know when the sun has risen.

Long, thinhouses allowlight to enterfrom two sidesof most rooms.

A house withwings assemblespieces of a long,thin house formto create roomswith thepotential forlight on two orthree sides.

On tight sites,an innovativestrategy is towrap the housearound acourtyard oratrium, or toprovide sky-lights or roofmonitors tolight the centerof the housefrom above.

Located withone cornerfacing south, the simple four-square allowslight into twosides of eachcorner room.

TO BALANCE LIGHT, SHAPE THE HOUSE SO THAT LIGHT CAN ENTER EVERY IMPORTANT ROOM FROM AT LEAST TWO SIDES 2

Windows on two sides fill this stair landing withlight, creating an inviting place to stop and linger.

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76 FINE HOMEBUILDING Photo this page: Elizabeth Glasgow

protection. Or west-facing win-dows may require adjustablewindow coverings: Awnings,shades, adjustable louvers andshutters all control the amount oflight and heat admitted.

In the northern hemisphere,the north side of the building re-ceives almost no sun and thusoffers no opportunity for solar-heat gain. Artists and crafts-makers, however, value northernlight for its even quality and itsconsistent color rendering.North-facing windows tend tobe a major source of heat loss, so

in most climates, it is best to usethem carefully.

Light every room from at least two sidesAs the house takes shape, a pri-mary goal is to bring light intoeach room from two sides. Thisstrategy reduces glare and in-creases the sun exposure eachroom receives (top photo, p. 75).

In a rectangular house, each cor-ner room has the potential forwindows on two sides. A long,thin house or a house shaped withlong wings could have windows

on opposite walls (drawing p. 75).Even the most difficult sites cancapture light effectively from twosides. A house on a tight, urbansite, for example, could have itsrooms organized around an innercourt, with the walls facing thiscourt filled with large windows.Walls facing the property sidelinesmight have windows up high toprovide balancing light whilemaintaining privacy and security.

Light from aboveAlthough windows at eye levelcan provide views as well as

light and offer a wide variety ofshading options, many situa-tions require light brought to aspace from above (photo left).Clerestory windows can balancelight from windows on the op-posite side (top photo, facingpage). For rooms in the centerof the house, skylights may bethe only option (drawing left).

Light from above can takemany forms; in the simplest, it isa glazed skylight. Overhead lighttends to be intense in daytime,so skylight placement has a sig-nificant impact. To create a dra-matic shaft of light, highopenings are ideal. In roomswith vaulted ceilings, though, askylight can be perceived as abright spot against a dark sur-round—a perception that willbe less apparent if light reflectsoff nearby surfaces.

An opening at the edge of aroom washes the wall with light,brightening that side of theroom. A shelf below a skylightbounces light back onto the ceil-ing, and a skylight that sits at thepeak of the ridge in a room withvaulted ceilings allows light fromone side of the ridge to flowdown the opposite ceiling. Allthese strategies result in abrighter space with less glare.

In spaces with attics above, ashaft through the attic is neces-sary to conduct light to the spacebelow. An obscure-glass panel atthe plane of the ceiling below askylight softens light. A moredramatic approach places a sky-light shaft in the attic to shapespace in the room below.

Match windows to the region’s climate Interior light quality is stronglyinfluenced by the size, style andlocation of windows, glazeddoors and skylights. Strategiesfor sizing and placing theseopenings are heavily influencedby climate (drawing facing page).

In cold northern areas, conserv-ing heat is critical. Windows tend

Skylight at the roomedge washes the wallwith light to brightenthat side of the room.

Light from the skylight plays on the tile and reflects through water drops,heightening the bathing experience inthis shower.

A light shelf below askylight bounces lightback onto the ceiling.

A ridge skylight allowslight from one side ofthe ridge to flow downthe opposite ceiling.

An obscure-glassdiffusing panel below askylight softens light.

Splayed shaft shapesspace in the room belowwhile filtering light.

Light monitors, dormersand clerestory windowslight from above, butwith shading potential.

A skylight high in a ceilingadmits a dramatic shaft oflight, though other optionsresult in a brighter space.

WHERE LIGHT FROM A SECOND SIDE ISN’T POSSIBLE, GATHER LIGHT FROM ABOVE 3

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to be smaller and recessed withinthick, heavily insulated walls.Traditional New England homeswith small, deep-set, shutteredwindows epitomize this ap-proach. When cold climates lim-it the area of openings, locatewindows effectively to ensureenough light in every room.Each window has the potential tobe a key feature in a room, creat-

ing a special place that takes ad-vantage of daylight.

Warm climates demand a differ-ent approach; walls dissolve as floor-to-ceiling panes of glass open theinterior to the outside (photo above).Cooling shade and screening ofopenings play a critical role. Crossventilation and a deep overhang toprotect open windows duringrainstorms may be essentials.

The high clerestory windows fill the kitchen with soft light. Protect-ed by overhanging eaves, these south-facing windows don’t admit di-rect summer sun, avoiding hot spots or glare on work surfaces.

In warm climates, think of glazed doors as large windows. Wallsof glass that slide or fold to open to adjacent decks can extendboth the visual and the usable space of the house.

Splayed windowjambs and sillsadmit more lightby not blockinglight rays at theperimeter of thewindow and byusing the windowjamb to bounceentering light.

Windows orskylights with oneedge continuouswith the adjoiningwall allow light toflow along thesurface, creating aglow, not the darkedge betweenlight and shadow.

In hot climates,plan or shadewindows to admitonly indirect lightfrom the north orcool, early-morninglight.

In cool climates,windows high in the wall sothat they “seethe sky” admitindirect brightlight and allowit to penetratedeeply into the room.

SHAPE AND LOCATE EACH OPENING TO SUIT BOTH THE CLIMATE AND THE ROOM4

F O R M O R E O N T H I S T O P I C

This article is adapted from Patterns ofHome by Max Jacobson, Murray Silver-stein and Barbara Winslow (The TauntonPress, 2002; $34.95; 240 pp.;www.taunton.com; 800-888-8286). Photos by David Livingston, exceptwhere noted.