The moonlike landscape and the heat of the site suggested us the creation of an oasis open to the northern cool breaths from the Northeast and to close our house toward the sun and torrid winds from the South. That's how the idea of a curved wall embracing the house and a patio was born, recalling ancient stone protections for vineyards. · We transformed the stone wall into a complex element, forming a natural air-conditioning chamber which works as a breeze catcher and due to the design of it's different elements, regulates the interior climate of the house.
A detailed evaluation methodology, originally developed for PG&E's Act2 Project, was used to design cost-effective packages of energy efficiency measures (EEM's) for two residential sites in the Coachella Valley desert region of Southern California Design of the packages was based on "mature market" cost assumptions, which assume that the EEM has achieved volume production and widespread application in the marketplace. EEM packages were installed at the two sites (one new construction and one retrofit) and monitored for nine months during 1995.
Login