Skin
Fundamental to the flux of the water cycle is solar radiation, which also drives heating and ventilation. In the winter, sunlight shines through the large south-facing windows, heating the open floor-space and thermal mass. The reverse is true in the summer, as the crown of the structure shades itself from extreme temperatures, instead using the sun’s energy for photosynthesis. Two levels of operable windows set up a buoyancy-driven ventilative flow, drawing in cool air at floor level. An active solar hot water system heats the home through an array of radiant floor pipes. Technology inspired by nature also explicitly engages it to provide water and warmth to the habitat. The Hull section illustrates design for water flows: a roof-top trough harvests water for human use; the plumbing system is positioned to provide for gravity-induced flow and gray-water reuse; a composting system treats human waste and will later return nutrients to the eco-system.
image on right by Richard Reames.
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