Good house design in Denver, CO takes its form in part from the forces
that act on it. Climate and weather are two of the strongest
form-makers (there are no igloos in the tropics) since houses must be
designed and built to repel the damaging effects of the world we live
in. Mother Nature is always trying to tear our buildings down.
Climate and weather also affect the comfort of our homes, and cause us
to seek out ways to maintain the temperature and humidity of our homes
within tolerable levels. A great deal of design effort is devoted to
keeping the heat in or keeping the heat out, depending on the climate
This Old House
At times throughout American history, the forms of our homes have
reflected - to greater or lesser extents - our ingenuity in making our
homes' internal climates more comfortable.
Settlers in the Deep South built deep porches around their
low-slung homes to shade them from the harsh sun and to create a
reservoir of cooler air that could be drawn into the house.
New Englanders built compact homes with small windows to shield
them from winter winds and to hold in as much heat as possible. And
prairie homes, often built of stacked sod, were half-buried in the
earth to even out the temperature swings and to protect them from the
frequent violent storms that sweep the plains each summer.
Simple and effective strategies like these were necessary because
fuel for heating homes was limited. We created houses that conserved
resources; we didn't know how not to.
That changed with the era of cheap and plentiful electricity and
natural gas for home heating, and with the introduction of the first
air conditioners for private homes in 1928. Suddenly, houses didn't
need to respond to their environment; any home could easily be kept as
warm or as cool as desired using mechanical means regardless of the
weather outside. Little thought was given to energy conservation
strategies until the early 1970s, when the cheap energy we'd taken for
granted became suddenly very expensive, and the climate-ignorant
houses we'd built for decades became expensive to heat and cool.
That 70's Show
But then a very cool thing happened. Architects and builders across
the country began to revive the "lost art" of designing homes that
responded to climate and weather. Ancient ideas like earth-sheltering
and thermal massing were used again. New passive-cooling strategies
and unique ideas like the Trombe wall were invented.
And most interestingly, the houses using low-energy techniques took
on new, exciting forms. Suddenly there was something else out there
beside Old World inspired design. It was a fun time full of invention
But that era was short-lived. By the mid-1980s fuel was cheap again
and energy-efficient unique home design was all but forgotten.
Back To The Future
So it's no surprise that we now find ourselves having come full
circle, with rising energy prices and a revised interest in home
energy efficiency. It's a critical concern in a time when some studies
show residential buildings consuming up to 21% of the nation's energy.
Today's home energy efficient
strategies are different than they were 30 years ago, however.
Today the focus is on technology rather than on design. New materials
are techniques have been developed that make otherwise
climate-insensitive home designs (and there are plenty) better
stewards of the energy they need to maintain human comfort.
Technical solutions can be expensive, however, since they demand
that common building materials perform at a higher level. Windows have
"high-tech" glass with low-emissivity coatings, Argon gas-filled
spaces, and up to three sheets of glazing. Heating systems are running
at higher efficiencies, and may come equipped with programmable
thermostats and insulated ductwork. Solutions like these do conserve
energy and are important components in any home but the technology
crutch shouldn't be leaned on too heavily. We also need better design.
What if, instead of spending hundreds of additional dollars on
high-tech glazing to keep the sun's heat out, we more carefully
located our windows to avoid direct sunlight in the first place? What
if we used elements of the house itself to shade those windows from
heat radiation and UV rays?
Suppose we took better advantage of the ground's relatively stable
temperature to stabilize the temperatures in our houses, rather than
exposing every square foot of a home's exterior surface to the
elements? Instead of constant mechanical air conditioning to remove
heat and humidity, why not try opening windows onto shady porches and
let the breeze cool the house?
And what if we opened our minds a bit - stopped thinking so much
about fashion and resale value - and allowed the forms of our houses
to be shaped more by how they respond to the climate and the
environment we live in?
The surprising result might be interesting and beautiful homes that
cost very little to heat and cool - just like the old days.
Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized
expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor
Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio.
Residential Architect -