A CANADIAN SUNSHINE SHOWCASE

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The pillar's function isn't simply to absorb heat. It also serves as a chimney for a Fisher woodstove, and houses a central duct that's connected to the air-handling network encased in the slab. By constantly using the low-speed fan in the backup electric furnace duct for cold-season circulation, Fluker was able to create a flow loop that pulls stagnant air from the peak of the building (where it gathers naturally) . . . into a vent at the top of the central column . . . and on through the concealed duct and into those in the system beneath the floor.

In this fashion, both the "conventional" backup and the solar heating systems are integrated, since any convective warmth from either the woodstove or the furnace must travel through the storage mass . . . and the Fisher's radiant heat is also absorbed directly by the masonry from the outside. Moreover, the warm-air distribution system reduces temperature differences between the high and low levels of the house, and—since the floor is constantly heated from beneath—the effects of any loss of direct solar gain that result from the use of carpeting are diminished to a significant degree. Finally, to insulate the structural package, Peter protected the walls and roof to a factor of R32.

Of course, the Canadian residence was also designed to passively fend off the effects of summer's higher temperatures . . . and this was done, for the most part, as naturally as possible. The greenhouse floor is vented to the exterior at ground level, and—because a lowpressure cell is created within the structure by prevailing wind flow over it—cool air from the forest bed is drawn into the house at that point and pulled upward . . . to eventually pass out of the structure through a row of clerestory windows high in the master bedroom's north wall.

Furthermore, although the huge skylight is somewhat protected from insolation by the surrounding summer foliage, this shading is not so pronounced during warm periods immediately before and after that sea son. So, to subdue the sun's rays through the spring and fall months, the designer may install a motorized shutter system on the ceiling beams. This should not only prevent unwanted sunlight from entering the house, but also greatly improve the structure's ability to retain warmth when the skylight is "closed off" at night.

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