April 13, 2010

I have been working on research for my paper. I have finalized my floor plan and will be putting it into revit this week. I have read the US Department of Energy's webpage regarding passive solar design, what it does and how to design a home in the manor. It has helpful tips such as having dark flooring near the south facing windows to trap the heat and allow it to radiate throughout the house. Using conduction, convection and radiation with the sunlight can efficiently and cheaply heat your home. I have also been reading the novel Death in a Prairie House, which has been interesting in the ways that they describe Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. They were unlike anything they had ever seen before, so light and open and they blended with their landscape especially on the hill in his hometown where he built the Talisiesin on a knoll overlooking the town. I am hoping to make my design very open as well.