Taking advantage of the open plain, this house is linear in form to orient the social spaces to take advantage of passive solar heating. The house cups an open courtyard to the south that protects from cold northwesterly winds in the winter and deep eaves protect from extreme sun in the summer. Utilizing computer solar shading studies, we were able to fine tune the courtyard shading and building overhangs to optimize protection and solar heat gain. An important innovative strategy was to create a children’s wing that is zoned separately to be able to turn off heating and cooling in those areas to reduce operating costs when they have grown and eventually leave the nest.

Passive solar design, geothermal ground source heat pump (horizontal system), extensive roof canopies for extended outdoor living seasons

Contractor: The Downey Company
Interior Design: Maggie Javna