Initial Passive Design Strategies

Along with its function as a classroom and demonstration lab, our client Michael also wants the building to be a learning tool in itself. The building has the potential to showcase passive environmental design strategies on a small scale and make environmental design principles understandable to the children who will be using the building.

Our initial concept for Michael expanded on the idea of using a trombe wall to passively heat the building during the colder months. In between two floor-to-ceiling glazing wall on the southern facade would be concrete panels. In order to still allow for a southern view in and out of the space, the concrete panels are designed to rotate to break the massiveness of the wall. Rotating the concrete panels also allows the sun to heat it from one side during the day and turn them around to radiant inward at night.

To make the monotony of the concrete more appealing, we would also plan on embedding an image into it. Using the cnc router we have here in our wood shop we would route an image into the plywood we plan on  using for the concrete. We would then precast the concrete ourselves to achieve the desired affect.