p e r t h f a v o u r i t e s

Based on author and teacher Anthony Denzer, a solar house — one which deliberately utilizes the energy of sunlight for heating spaces — is often considered as a product of the 1970s: “An eccentrically shaped structure using oversized sloped glass walls and also diagonal bamboo siding … an earth berm … a Volkswagen van neighboring”

He admits that this picture is not completely untrue, since many architects tackled house designs in that period that could minimize the use of fossil fuels, ravaged by the petroleum and financial disasters. But it’s an incomplete image.

Denzer’s The Solar House (Rizzoli, 2013) corrects this oversight by forecasting the growth of solar houses in the 1930s to today. It is a narrow subject, but the book is a fun, accessible read. Denzer has created a story of those architects and architects who devoted much of their lives to searching for houses that could utilize less energy, as social and political currents ebbed and flowed with and contrary to them.

A general story of solar houses could be painted because the contradictory attitudes of two fields: the architects’ aesthetic and fascination with passive heating versus the engineers’ technological and busy (mechanistic) focus. This is a place which Denzer spends some time and it is an especially important one, considering that we have not reached a reconciliation that might enable more widespread appreciation of solar houses. This isn’t to say that the story is about a duel of 2 groups. But it is indicative of broader strands in American society — especially concerns of how things seem and how things perform.

Denzer starts the novel with Fred Keck, called the first solar architect. Keck worked with his brother William at the firm Keck + Keck, designing a number of residences in and around Chicago. Many focused on the development of the solar house as a special type. The characteristics they share are linear east-west plans using big, south-facing windows and roof overhangs to block the high sunlight.

Howard Sloan commissioned Fred to design a prototype solar house from the North Shore Chicago suburb of Glenview in 1940. Sloan opened the house to the public, charging a dime entrance to more than 5,000 visitors in four months. He hoped that the cozy interior on cold winter days would persuade people of the virtues of solar houses.

Keck would keep working for Sloan, integrating new materials and technology (triple-pane glazing to decrease heat loss from inside to outside during the nighttime, radiant heating etc.) at a 24-house subdivision they called Solar Park. Keck had developed operable and insulated louvers which were often beneath the south-facing glass; these assemblies permitted for ventilation throughout the day while helping keep the interior temperature during the nighttime when closed.

Pictured is the Duncan House in another Chicago suburb, Flossmoor. It included the very same components (linear plan, south-facing windows, roof overhangs) but also exterior “wing walls” using adjustable vertical louvers for cutting back on the late-afternoon sun in the months when overheating of the interior occurred.

The Keck brothers were not really known for its solar houses they developed from the 1940s (they had been omitted from Sigfried Giedion’s influential Space, Time and Architecture although he toured their houses). Instead it was a few houses Fred Keck made for the 1933 Century of Progress fair in Chicago, both glass houses rather than solar. The House of Tomorrow (photograph) and Crystal House both featured all-glass outside walls with blinds and drapes, respectively, for shading.

The houses were extremely popular, but their intent and appeal were formal rather than practical; they pointed to an alternative future through the use of glass. However, Keck did recognize the benefits of solar heating, which led him to develop houses within the next decade using much more selective glazing. With so much single-pane glass, the House of Tomorrow would overheat during the day and lose heat during the night, something which didn’t dissuade Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson from producing ineffective glass houses almost 20 years after.

The solar houses that pepper Denzer’s book consequently resemble the 1970s stereotype, rather than glass houses, but they’re the 1970s typology in the making. There is a Frank Lloyd Wright “hemicycle” house, a similar but inverted curved house by the Keck brothers, amid work by less-known architects that created houses inside academic institutions or for companies which would benefit from the implementation of solar houses. In the latter vein, Libby-Owens-Ford commissioned notable architects to design solar houses for each of the 48 states at the time; at the end just a publication of these designs was produced, not the actual houses, but the initial hopes were high.

Architect Henry Wright’s renovation of this Ramirez House at Pennsylvania (photograph) employs the same principles as the Kecks’ pioneering work. However, its wood floor didn’t allow for the sun’s energy to be saved and released later, as happens in concrete flooring. From talks of the house came an emphasis on thermal mass as an significant part solar houses.

Many schools worked on developing solar house designs, especially MIT using its own numbered series of house designs starting in 1939. As can be viewed here, Solar House I, developed by engineer Hoyt Hottel, concentrated on technology over architecture.

The south-facing roof was covered in flat-plate collectors, or heat traps, which Denzer defines as “a shallow vessel, comprising three glass places split by airspace, a black-painted copper plate backed by copper tubes of water, and 51/2 inches of mineral wool insulation” The sun would heat the plates and so the water, knowingly heating the distances through mechanical way.

Maria Telkes an engineer at MIT who developed an alternative scheme to Hottel’s, worked with architect Eleanor Raymond to a house using a similar reliance on technology but one whose kind and aesthetics would likewise benefit the layout. The Dover Sun House positioned Telkes’ collectors (created with phase-change salt containers) above south-facing windows, so the residents could have views and the sun’s heat will be saved to heat the interior via bins above the ceiling.

A testament to the popularity of this Dover Sun House, in addition to the desire for houses that could use less energy at the postwar years, can be seen at a cover story of Popular Science at 1949. Unfortunately the system lasted just two years, because of the sedimentation of the solid and liquid sodium and the corrosive effects of the component on the bins.

The attempts on the part of engineers and architects growing solar houses in the years before and after World War II culminated from the 1955 World Symposium on Applied Solar Energy and the 1957 Solar Energy exhibition at Greece. So many solar houses were built after 1955 that, as Denzer states, “documentation could be impossible,” but it wasn’t enough to stave off the low cost of electricity and the growth of air conditioning in these years.

Nevertheless, Denzer presents some novel projects from such years, such as engineer Masanosuke Yanagimachi’s Solar House II in Tokyo. The interior resembles that of a traditional Japanese house, with tatami mats and translucent panels, but in addition, it has radiant ceiling panels functioned by rooftop heat traps, as in Hottel’s MIT design.

Yanagimachi’s Solar House II is among many projects documented in the publication with architectural drawings. This building section illustrates how the systems are tied together, in the rooftop heat sink and radiant ceiling panels to the innovative heating tank in the cellar.

The latter was used for both heating and cooling; in the case of heating, the heat pump created ice during the night which was used the next day to cool the water pumped through the house. The idea of off-peak ice storage has become increasingly common in green buildings, even in skyscrapers.

Denzer calls for the late 1970s a “Solar Renaissance,” suitable given that Jimmy Carter mounted solar hot-water panels atop the White House in 1979 (to be removed by Ronald Reagan seven years later). Among those jobs from this time period is Saskatchewan Conservation House, that resembles early solar houses in form but departs from them in important ways: It’s smaller and fewer windows, it doesn’t rely on most of the engineered technologies in the prior decades, and it is superinsulated. The latter feature is its most lasting, influencing the current Passivhaus fundamentals and Canada’s R-2000 app.

The basic idea of the superinsulated and supertight house is that the heat inside the interiors (some of it coming from solar gain) is not lost to the exterior. Fresh air is brought in by an air-to-air heat exchanger, as is the case from the Conservation House. The house performed so well — attaining what could be referred to as net-zero status — which the solar collectors mounted above the second-floor windows could have been omitted, as they were not needed for space heating.

Denzer finishes the book with a few snapshots of solar houses today. These fall to the superinsulated camp of houses created to Passivhaus fundamentals, like this 1991 house in Germany by Wolfgang Feist and others; and the biennial Solar Decathlon contests, where student teams design and build houses that vie to be the roughest at a number of measured manners. The latter more closely resemble the pioneering work of this Kecks, however, the work from the competitions also attempts to synthesize architectural and engineering considerations, arising through multidisciplinary teams and incorporated layout.

The Solar House

It is apparent from Denzer’s publication that there is more to solar houses than previously known or imagined. However, it’s also obvious that there is still lots of work that should be performed to synthesize the aesthetic and the technological, and also to persuade the people that solar houses are viable and desirable.

Increasing energy prices may create solar houses more desirable in the last few years and decades to come, so it’s time for architects and engineers to work together on producing solutions that tap into these Denzer so eloquently presents.

More: Back to the Future of the Home

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Years ago my friend Billy called me, distressed. It was summertime, and he had been feeling overwhelmed trying to take care of his lawn and gardens. Billy had been a homeowner for only a year and had been looking forward to planting heirloom tomatoes, herbs and cherry trees in the large plot the prior owner had tucked behind the doorway, but flowers? He didn’t know where to start.

I’m his only friend who gardens, and he wondered if I’d come over and help him out. I was happy to help.

Billy had purchased his house by an older woman called Ronnie, who died a few months after she moved. What amuses the pleading telephone call was a remark from his next-door neighbor, Diane, who said, “Ronnie will be rolling in her grave if she could see what you’ve done for her garden, Billy.” This has been spoken in the robust baritone most women can attain only after at least 50 decades of smoking. Believe Patty or Selma from The Simpsons.

Amy Renea

Billy and I laughed about that later, however, he’s a good guy and wanted to become a great neighbor. The yard didn’t look terrible, however Ronnie, with the help of her daughter at the next decades, had kept up everything so meticulously, anything less than ideal was a mess by comparison. I gave the gardens a good weeding and redug the borders so everything was neat and clean. Billy stayed on top of mulching and mowing the yards, and kept everything in fairly good shape for many seasons.

He gave gardening a shot, planting some shrubs and trees, and also for a couple summers he put in enormous vegetable gardens with over 30 varieties of berries. But he found it hard to maintain. He travels a lot, sometimes for weeks on end. The flower gardens he dismissed entirely. We talked about my coming again to form through the plants he wanted to eliminate and those that he wanted to maintain. I was prepared, but he had been gone so much, and I had been busy with three kids, not to mention preserving my own yards and gardens. A few summers passed my coming over to help him out.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

The gardens were already looking scruffy when one of those two towering pines at the back of Billy’s house was hit by lightning. The best 20 feet fell over but not entirely off. Billy owns a portable sawmill and believed milling the boards but not got around to it, so almost half of the shrub dangled there with a mess of branches beneath it for a couple years.

In the meantime Diane, his neighbor, had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Billy took over meals and often checked in. Even though Diane kept up her spirits up, the prognosis was grim. One afternoon, when she and Billy were outdoors, she pointed into the pines and said, “I am afraid I’m going to expire and that tree will still be there.”

Billy was preparing for the weeks-long excursion he takes every summer for work. It had been the worst time for him to take care of a large project, but he called a tree support to decrease the top of the tree along with a friend to help him haul away the brush. He then begged me to come over straight away to handle the gardens again.

It was a steaming-hot moment. I knew he had been about to leave on his big trip. Additionally, I knew the beds had been failed all summertime, at least, and it was already August. I thought that he may as well wait a couple more weeks before the weather cooled and do a large drop cleanup. I was happy to lend a hand, but what was the rush?

He clarified about Diane. He didn’t know if she would continue to be alive in a different month, and he wanted to do anything he could to help her. As ridiculous as it seemed, getting his lawn cleaned up was likely her dying wish.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

The following morning my daughter Eden and I must do the job. I introduced a tarp and weeded ruthlessly, pulling many of those plants I knew Billy didn’t like. It was a hot afternoon and the dirt was hard, so it was lots of work. Eden was only 5 years old, but she worked like a champ, hauling debris away and laying mulch. Billy mowed and trimmed some of the shrubs that were overgrown. It was not long until what was shaping up and looking great.

Diane detected and came out to observe, dragging her oxygen tank and smoking a cigarette. Billy tried to introduce us, but she cut him off — she recalled me from the last time. She came over to where I had been in my knees weeding and shook her head.

“Alison, don’t bother,” she said. “You’re going to do all this work, make it looking so great, and Billy’s only going to destroy everything.” She took a long haul and shot him a look of disdain.

I smiled. “I know what it’s like to make a mess of things, also Billy’s been there for me many times over time. I am happy to help.”

“You’re a great friend.” The clear implication: better than Billy deserved.

She stuck around to watch while we ended up, and it was apparent she had been delighted with the outcome.

Diane expired a few weeks later. In the funeral her husband advised Billy how much she loved hanging out in the yard while she was able to leave her bed. She commented several times how glad she had been Billy had gotten everything cleaned up.

You may be asking yourself, did he keep up the garden? No, he didn’t. Diane was right; he ruined everything. A case could be made which Billy is a terrible neighbor, however I believe there’s an equally convincing argument to be made that he’s one of the very best.

Next: Billy’s strategy to housekeeping

More: The Unsung Power of a Good Neighbor

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The neighborhood has a wide selection of services and service suppliers, many united in the demand for quality photography showcasing their constructed projects. There are many ways to photograph many photographers and a home to work with. In commissioning a photographer and many factors come into play. Being aware of what type of photographer you might hire or can afford will help you as you look at the pricing and the fees photographers charge.

Here is a discussion of a few of the types of photographers an architect, designer or homeowner might employ and what to expect from their background and experience.

Butler Armsden Architects

1. Architectural or Interior Builders

What they do: An expert architectural or interior photographer often includes years of specialized experience photographing architectural interiors and exteriors. He or she knows how to show the circulation and a space . Architects like the photographer to show the relationship of inside to outside.

These photographers possess a vast range of equipment that they can deploy depending on the mission and shooting requirements. Commonly they do extensive postproduction work, just like with Photoshop, to provide very high profile photos that are often intended for publication.

David Duncan Livingston

What they don’t usually do: Architectural or interior photographers aren’t necessarily ready for casual or portraits shots. The equipment they use is often large and on a tripod — shooting people or loose compositions isn’t what they most often do. The process is much more exacting, not spontaneous.

JONATHAN CALVERT | Interiors Photographer

2. Real Estate Photographers

What they do:A subset of this architectural and interior photography field, property photography is often characterized by a photographer working fast, making few adjustments to the makeup or to the arrangement together with the space. Real estate photographers may bring a stylized look to the photos with photo editing software like Photoshop.

Tahoe Real Estate Photography

What they don’t usually do: Typically a property photographer and the commissioning party don’t expect to use the photos for long. Even the photographer’s fee could be considered a sunk cost. As a result, style and the design story are the focus in these photos.

Kristen Marie

3. Portrait or Wedding Photographers

What they do:Capturing the minute, telling a story and knowing the light are a few of the greatest skills a wedding or portrait photographer can bring to their own subjects. These are working professionals that also offer improving Photoshop services to produce the final photo better.

That which they don’t usually do: These photos tend to be less regulated than standard home photos. They’re less about makeup than about capturing the perfect moment. This is rather different from architectural photographers, that often composite a number of photos in Photoshop to create one, perfect shooter.

Hawaii Commercial Photography

4. Commercial Photographers

What they do: A proficient commercial photographer takes photos for use in advertising, merchandising or other types of advertising material. These photographers are very well versed in the mechanics of photography; writing, exposing and delivering high-resolution documents for commercial use is standard practice.

Connie Anderson Photography

What they don’t usually do: Because they have a particular customer and audience in mind, many industrial photographers won’t concentrate on trends in styling or art directing for portfolio and magazine shots.

Sarah Greenman

If You Want to Do It Yourself

Of course, in case you’ve got an interest in photography, then you might want to go the DIY route. Nowadays the camera and equipment needed to make high-resolution photos is in a price range accessible by many serious amateurs and the designers themselves. A keen eye and patience can go a very long way to find some good photos.

Practice makes perfect, however! Do your own research. Have a look at examples that are motivational and try to implement their style. Talk about your photos with peers, have a class and then practice some more.

More:
Locate a professional photographer in your area
How to Photograph Your Residence

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Now that it’s several weeks to the new year, it is time to reevaluate that get-healthy New Year’s resolution. How’s it really? If you are like the rest of us, it may already be a forgotten promise, but that’s OK. You still have loads of time to jump back on that bandwagon.

If you are lacking inspiration (and many of us are), make exercising fun and convenient by dividing out a gym space at home. Although full-blown home gyms often mean dramatic mirrored walls, big-screen TVs, a vast array of equipment and weights, along with a hefty price tag, they aren’t the only alternative. Double-duty gyms are a sensible alternative; they offer the ease of exercising at home without requiring a ton of space or an extravagant budget. In fact, all you want to work out is an office, a playroom or a living room corner plus a few carefully chosen exercise equipment. With a little space and some organization, it is possible to turn any space — even a toilet — into your workout haven.

Check out some of these dual-purpose gyms for proof, and get going — no more explanations.

Martha Angus Inc..

If you are a busy parent, then make exercising more convenient by combining a playroom and home gym. You are able to exercise here if the children are at school, or you can all work together — you in your own machine and the small ones at their built-in children’ station.

Susan Diana Harris Interior Design

A home office makes for the great double-duty gym since it generally isn’t in use 24 hours a day. Just add one piece of equipment, one you know you like, and voilà — you have a quiet and practical workout space.

With its typically big, open floor plan, a cellar is a wonderful spot to set up store. Positioned next to the staircase, this space-efficient gym employs an elevated platform to help split the massive room without any constricting walls.

Elements by Durcon

This residence office and gym combo is organization at its best. Packed to the brim with built-ins, it has lots of space for desk equipment, workout equipment and even a mini fridge to home water bottles and sports beverages. With this kind of room, lack of motivation won’t be a issue.

Peregrine Design Build

Inside this playroom–home gym, built in toy storage and workout equipment are stacked against the walls, which leaves lots of room in the center for children to play for anybody to exercise. The built-in bookcase helps separate one side from the other.

Your Favorite Room From Cathy Zaeske

Sometimes you simply need a well-placed piece of equipment. Positioned behind the couch, this treadmill stays out of the activity but still allows for some TV watching to help pass the time.

Pamela J. Jenkins Architect P.C.

This attic-style game room is the perfect place to get a good, hard work. To make sure there is lots of room for that intense ping-pong match in a setup like this, fold the treadmill up after each use.

Mary Prince Photography

If space is an issue, opt for a tiny stationary bike rather than a treadmill. This bulky item of equipment will fit into a corner and isn’t an eyesore in this traditional office.

Yes, toilet–home gym combos are admittedly not that ordinary. When you think about it, however, it makes great sense: After a tough work, you can jump directly to a warm, relaxing bath.

RD Architecture, LLC

Create an all-about-me space by combining your crafts space and home gym. Although this room isn’t huge, the built in desk and sparse furniture leave lots of space to get a treadmill and yoga mat.

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