Sun Spaces(tm): Applying passive solar design to balconies and patios
| Region(s) | Montreal, Canada |
|---|---|
| In domains | Construction / Engineering / Building Materials, Energy Conservation, Renewable Sourcing |
| Participants | Produktif |
The Produktif SunSpaces ( Implemented at the Montreal Productive House condo project) is a prototype innovation for applying passive solar design to balconies and patios, allowing these spaces to become become 3- to 4- season winter gardens.
To seize the essence of this feature, think of the housing envelope as the skin that reacts to outdoor weather, sun, temperature and humidity, or a house that expands or shrinks according to the seasons and the needs to either conserve heat (shrink) or expel heat (expand). The SunSpaces provide a buffer zone between the exterior and the interior: opening up in summer becoming a shaded balcony space, and closing in winter with the help of transparent panels that open or close and easily stack away.
The SunSpaces are a response to Montreal’s extreme climate oscillating between winter lows of -35° C. and summer peaks of +35° C, which places unique demands on the building envelope and its residents: requiring shade in summer and insulation in winter. The objective is to increase residents’ enjoyment of the outdoors wile minimizing the inputs of mechanical cooling or heating systems. These spaces benefit primarily from sun exposure and the recuperation of heat from the adjacent building.
New Product Development Process:
In order to develop the SunSpaces, a dedicated team was set-up to deal with this challenge as a standalone project. The object was to build a prototype specifically for the Montreal Productive House, with design principles and application methods that can be replicated and scaled for other projects.
The solution was designed to rely on already existing materials. Several precedents exist from the vernacular architecture, ranging from verandas found in hot climates, to external storage areas found in Nordic traditional housing, to greenhouses and winter-gardens applied since the Middle Ages for utilitarian to beautification purposes, from do-it-yourself modest budgets, to pieces of sophisticated creations of art.
The SunSpaces looked at all these precedents to develop a prototype suited for the Montreal climate and local clientele, making use of new plastic technologies and local know-how.
The development of the SunSpaces required two to three weeks of additional work on the condo project. A tentative budget for this approx. 750 square feet, 40’ tall structure was defined as: plus 12 000 $ in Research and Development, and 30 000 $ in material costs, not including labor and prototype development and oversight.
The prototype and development phase is set to last 2-3 months, with installation date targeted for February-March, 2009, depending on weather conditions on the construction site.
In order to test the final product before the Productive House is delivered, all parties are working to insure installation as soon as possible to permit testing and proper functioning onsite.
Installation and Use:
The balcony railing is made of permanent glass window panels while the retractable panels are made of non-permanent polycarbonate plastic sheets that slide into the balcony railing when not in use. The non-permanent nature of the plastic sheets allow us to work with the building and fire code for non-permanent spaces and juxtapose layers of transparent materials letting the sun enter while trapping the sun’s heat, in other words : maximizing the “greenhouse effect.” The heat storage is further maximized through the use of mirrors, masonry and tile-work, that serve to reflect light or store heat, respectively.
Additionally, special provision has been made to facilitate the growing and maintenance of a year-round garden in the SunSpaces. Easy irrigation and hosing down of this area is possible thanks to the tile surface and floor drain. Also, the SunSpaces can be supplemented with cold-frames (planter boxes covered with glass) to create additional insulation for plants during the coldest months. Venetian blinds provide extra shade in summer, and help trap heat lost during cold nights. Heating lamps--while consuming electricity--can help during the coldest month for an outdoor meal even during January Through March.
Post-Occupancy Monitoring:
The performance of the SunSpaces will be monitored by Design 1 Habitat during a two-year post-occupancy study and the results will be published as part of Design 1 Habitat’s philosophy of helping home-builders in an “open source” fashion of sharing best practices data.
The definition of a new kind of buffer space that is neither external nor internal posed challenges to the architects’ conventional notions of space, and created hesitation and doubt with respect to the SunSpaces compliance to current building code requirements. The architects involved in this project took the most conservative stance of : “risky and cannot do”. Opening up the project to other talent who could “rain on the [architects’] parade” may also have been a factor. After several attempts to include the SunSpaces conceptual concept into the architects plans, this was abandoned. As a result, the SunSpaces were developed in parallel and as a standalone add-on to the Productive House architectural plans. A compromise was later achieved when the architects agreed to include the spacial dimensions of the final SunSpaces as conventional balconies in their plans. This to avoid discrepancies in the dimensions between the project on plan and the final product.
Sun Spaces add considerable cachet to these condominium units, offering an attractive leisure space enjoyable in throughout several seasons.
Sun Spaces will also reduce heating and cooling costs for the unit owner because they serve as a buffer between the extremes of outside weather and the interior space. Just how much of a savings remains to be determined during post-occupancy monitoring.
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