A CANADIAN SUNSHINE SHOWCASE
Orillia, Ontario design architect Peter Fluker used the sun in style when he developed this solar-powered and -heated home, including photographs, cross sections.
Orillia, Ontario design architect Peter Fluker used ol' Sol
in style when he constructed . . .
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As "alternative" sources of energy have become more widely
accepted, passively heated and cooled houses have received
plenty of attention, and for several good reasons: They're
often elementary in design and function, generally require
a minimum of maintenance, and depend very little (if at
all!) on the more conventional energy sources.
And, partly as a result of the fact that a "sun powered"
structure is its own heating and cooling "system", most
passive dwellings represent a fine balance between cost
effectiveness and the aesthetic appeal of building a home
that complements its natural surroundings.
STRIVING FOR BALANCE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
The Peter Fluker residence, located 90 miles north of
Toronto in Canada's Ontario province, provides a fine
example of the favorable blend of comfortable, attractive
living space with energy efficiency. Because "only"
two-thirds of the building's heating requirements are taken
care of by the sun (in a climate that experiences 8,500
heating degree-days annually), it can't be considered
completely solar self-sufficient, but then few naturally
tempered homes are as yet . . . and this "shortcoming" is
certainly compensated for by the outdoor-like atmosphere of
the structure.
In planning his family home, you see, Fluker—a design
architect by profession—strongly felt that the
dwelling should embody the concept that people and their
residences ought to be integral parts of, rather than
intrusions into, the surrounding environment.
To accomplish this, Peter spent a good deal of time
studying the local terrain and designing the building so
that each feature represents a response to its
surroundings. By taking advantage of the site's physical
char acteristics, then, he was able to let the land do its
share in making his home a functional success.
The house's several-acre lot is well isolated from the road
by a generous stand of deciduous trees growing on a gentle
southfacing slope. This foliage provides shading in the
summer season, yet is developed enough to allow any breeze
to reach the structure by passing beneath its umbrella of
leaves.
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