Presentation for the Albuquerque Chapter of the AIA — January 15, 2009
Steve Baer, Zomeworks Corporation
Image Credits: Images 3–15 were taken from "A Survey of Passive Solar Buildings," AIA Research Corporation, 1976. Other photos and drawings by the Zomeworks Corporation staff.
Thirty years ago there was strong interest in passive solar in Corrales and all of New Mexico. Many houses were built with lots of south facing glass admitting sun directly into the house or onto concrete or adobe "Trombe" walls or drum walls.
There have been many significant changes in tools and materials available to builders inclined to use the sun. There has also been a notable lack of interest in direct gain or Trombe wall buildings. Driving through Corrales today I am struck by how many shades are drawn during cold winter to block the sun that might enter south facing windows.
Oddly, builders have not been cursed by the disappearance of components that would allow them to repeat successful designs of 30 years ago. Just the opposite. Generally, by accident, better tools and components have appeared in the last decades that make building passively heated and cooled structures easier.
Steel drums of 30 years ago developed leaks. Now we have plastic drums that don't leak. Black paint was about the only surface to absorb sun. Now selective surfaces are more easily available. R-2 windows were about the best one could do against heat loss. Today windows that insulate twice as well are available. Shutters to block heat gain and heat loss were hard to find or make. Now they are everywhere. (But, why don't people operate them correctly?) Measuring temperatures required thermocouples or thermometers — now we have infra red scanners.
Interest in passive solar seems to occur in waves. There was one championed by "House Beautiful" in the 1940s (my parents built a passive solar house in California in 1949). Then there was the wave of interest in the 1970s.
Those who sell gas, electricity, propane and oil may regard these periods of self reliance and clever designs as epidemics which weaken the demand for their power and fuels which they must combat to re-establish healthy fossil fuel appetites.
Let us hope we can begin a new epidemic of passive design. Surely the passive solar virus has mutated and the epidemic will reach larger populations, perhaps establishing itself permanently at a higher level.
— Steve Baer
Source: Steve Baer / Zomeworks Corporation. Text extracted from slide presentation PDF.
PDF: 2009-01-15-baer-passive-solar-buildings-aia.pdf