[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

GBlist: Natural air flow



At the initial stage of designing our own house, I would be interested in
information or recommendations for someone with whom I could consult about
the following: 

 two years ago we had the pleasure of house sitting the home of an architect
friend who sells the design and the engineered structure of her unusual
house in a kit form.  Built in the shape of a wooden egg, beneath the
clerestory windowed dome is a steel collar holding the rafters together.
The open interior is a two floor plan with the second floor covering two
thirds of the first.  There is a gap around perimeter of the second floor to
allow air to more easily circulate from below.  We were there in early
November when we needed a bit of heat from the single source, a wood stove.
I was interested to experience none of the rising hot air syndrome I am used
to in a 'normal' house; indeed the entire house felt evenly heated and very
comfortable.  I would like to know why.  Is it the dome shape or the
perimeter gap or both?
        
Our friend, educated at McGill University and knowledgeable about energy
efficient building techniques could not offer anything other than a New Age
explanation that had to do with the yin and yang of things that resulted in
a natural balance, that and other spiritual reasons for the extraordinary
comfort of the house.  I am looking for an engineering or a physicist's
reasoning.  Just the facts ma'am.

Resembling two-thirds of an egg with dormers and lovely curved wooden
rafters and huge triple glazed cathedral-like south facing windows that
reached high into the 30 foot dome, the place was gorgeous and being inside
indeed felt very good (I don't entirely discount the "other" explanation for
this phenomenon), but as we would like our house to rest easy on the land,
we would rather it not be egg-shaped.  However, I am wondering if the
principles of the design that allow such a naturally good air flow as to not
feel extra heat or cold anywhere might not be applied to a somewhat more
conventional structure.  Specifically I need to know how it works and does
it need a curved surface to do it.  And, as I said above, I would be most
happy to pay for an answer if that is appropriate.  I've culled such
excellent real-life advice from other colleagues in this forum that I don't
in the slightest mind paying this time.

I am especially appreciative of the current on-going discussion regarding
wall systems.   The question about the best combination of materials for
walls has elicited responses that are highly thoughtful.  The wall that
comes out looking like a Japanese wattle wall hit the jack pot for me.

______________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by CREST <www.crest.org>
Environmental Building News <www.ebuild.com> and Oikos <www.oikos.com>
For  instructions send  e-mail to  greenbuilding-request@crest.org.
______________________________________________________________________


Follow-Ups: