Kinark Sustainable Living Centre

Site Selection

Before any building project can begin, key decisions about siting the building must be made. Where and how a building occupies its site will have major long-term implications for the success of the building and the environment of which it becomes a part. The building's relationship to the sun, the soil, water, trees and other existing habitats and to other built elements like roads are all important considerations. Where should we put the building?

Design Intent

1. Passive solar design was a key element in creating this building. Passive solar design reminds us that all the earth's energy comes from the sun, and to ignore this fact in building design is a major oversight. By “facing” the building toward the south, we will capture the most available light and heat from the sun, reducing our dependency on artificial light and heat.
2. Minimizing impact on existing vegetation and habitat means using areas that are already cleared whenever possible, and that have acceptable soil conditions.

Photo of the building at noon on a winter day showing solar angle

Materials and Methods

We used a former parking area and garbage collection point to eliminate the need to disturb any trees or vegetation. We aligned the building to face within 10 degrees of true solar south, and put the majority of our windows on this side of the building. The high clerestory windows and the solar light tubes allow us to bring sunlight to the north side of the building. The 60cm (2 foot) roof overhangs on the south allow sunlight full access to the interior during the winter months, but exclude direct sunlight in the summer, when it could overheat the building. The building was set back far enough from the trees to ensure that the sun will continue to reach the building after the trees reach mature heights. The compact, sandy soil ensured that we did not have to excavate or import large amounts of fill.

The building site was a former parking lot

Questions

Why doesn't every building use passive solar?

Passive solar heating and cooling are so simple to achieve that there should be no question about using this strategy for all buildings. Even conventional buildings could see their energy use decrease by 20-30% if simple passive solar was part of the planning.

Does the building need to be long and skinny for passive solar?

Any building shape can be adapted to perform better in its relationship to the sun. Passive solar designers can improve performance in any building shape and location.

Does it cost more to use passive solar design?

No. There are no inherent costs to using passive solar, and by designing the building to take advantage of the sun, operating costs decrease and occupant comfort is increased.