Basics Of Green Housing
Heliodon—or ‘Sun Machine’— In Green House
The Green House includes several interactive features – including its very own heliodon. Heliodons or “sun machines” are devices used to simulate the sun’s movement in relation to a structure. A heliodon can be configured to observe sunlight and shading patterns for clear sky conditions anywhere in the world. It does this by adjusting for season, time of day, and site location. Architects and builders study these patterns to orient a house in a way that optimizes natural heating and cooling.
It highlights solar activity during the solstices and equinoxes. Visitors can explore the ways in which the sun impacts the house at different times of day and year, for better or worse.
What Makes the Glidehouse?â„¢ Green
*The prefabricated nature of the house results in comparatively little construction waste, particularly on the building site.
*The house can be positioned on its site to minimize solar loss in the winter and solar gain in the summer.
*The house’s design layout has a narrow footprint, facilitating cross ventilation in all rooms.
*The roof is sloped to receive solar panels and create a clerestory window that brings in natural light and minimizes the need for artificial lighting.
*Windows are placed to maximize solar benefits and natural ventilation.
*Sliding panels of wood louvers cover the long glass façade and can be adjusted to control the level of sunlight entering the house while maintaining air flow.
*The walls and roof are made of structurally insulated panels, or SIPS, a system that is well-regarded for its resistance to mold and soft foam insulation, which fully fills each panel.
*Wood-to-wood wall joints are precisely caulked to make the house airtight, minimizing the vulnerability to mold and lowering heating and cooling loads.
*Floors are bamboo, a fast-growing, easily renewable material.
Lightweight concrete countertops are made of recycled newspaper and fly ash.
*Kitchen cabinets are free of toxic formaldehyde.
*Kitchen appliances are energy-smart.
*Bathroom fixtures, such as the toilet and Tankless water heater, save water and are energy efficient.
*Walls are finished in non-toxic paints.
*Energy-efficient fluorescent lighting is used throughout the house.
Source:http://www.nbm.org/Exhibits/greenHouse2/greenHouse/glideHouse.html