Passive solarThe concept of passive solar is central to sustainable housing design, it is an effective technique that can be used in all climates. Every aspect of a passive building is designed to collect, store and distribute solar energy, during cold months it maximized solar heat gain and in hot months it minimizes how that heat gain in the house. The house is usually south facing, or has all the windows facing south as this is where the sun comes from and will have the most exposure during winter, the windows are typically sheltered under overhangs to block high summer sun but let low winter sun in. This is the main design feature of passive solar building, and existing buildings can usually be retrofitted with passive solar features.
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Green roofThe technique of green roofs or 'living roofs' has been around for centuries in northern Scandinavia, and has many benefits, both environmental and cost wise. The thermal mass reduces heating and cooling, they filter CO2 out of the local air, filter pollutants out of rain water, soundproofing. They can be incorporated into pretty much any building to some degree, and many different plant matter can be used. These are all just practical reasons for choosing to include a green roof in your home, but they also bring vibrant colour and life to housing.
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passive cooling ventilationThe use of passive cooling ventilation in a home uses the natural properties of hot air to help keep the house naturally cooled, rather than artificially as many are today. It is a simple concept and not hard to implement, windows and vents are positioned in such a way as to make a path for air to travel for the house and be eventually expelled near the top, as hot air rises. So it is brought in and as it warms up before it can be trapped in the house and heat it up, vents are open either manually or can be controlled through temperature gauges or other remote controls, and the hot air is let out. This form of passive cooling was implemented in ancient architecture of hot climates to try to combat the heat.
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Water harvesting and recyclingThese systems are quite simple and should be incorporated into homes in all climates. They begin with the harvesting of rainwater which drains off the roof and goes through a filter and into a cistern for water storage. This water is then used for hand washing, bathing, laundry, irrigation of any in home gardens or vegetables, after that it is considered "greywater" and can be used for filling toilets, after which it is "blackwater" and is flushed to the septic tank. In the most radically sustainable designs the blackwater goes into a septic where solids float to the bottom and the remaining water filters out into a botanical cell, effectively irrigating landscape plants and these plants treat the sewage on site.
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Stepwell buildingsThis is an ancient building technique used in hot climates, and would not be as useful in colder north american climates. The stepwell is a pool of water in the centre of a structure that is below ground level and functions as a cooling system, this is because when water condensates it cools the air around it, so by using them indoors a building can be naturally cooled.
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