Design For Limited Planet Living With Natural Energy

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"We had to design the pillows and install them so that in erection or inflation, they would never be taxed," says Hildebrand. When inflated, the skin stiffens and the plastic forms both the interior and exterior surfaces. The pillows are clamped in place with extruded aluminum frames, similar to the ones that hold storefront windows.

The advantage of the plastic pillows, according to Hildebrand, is that they insulate as well as Thermopane glass—at about one-tenth the cost. However, because of the impermanence of plastic, the pillows will probably have to be replaced every three to five years, adding to maintenance costs.

Since so much of the house is transparent, its siting and profile had to be carefully planned. The roof is angled upward toward the south, creating a two-story living room with maximum exposure to the sun, while the north profile is low, heavily insulated, and windowless except for a back door. A roof overhang juts out enough to shield the pillow walls in summer but allows the sun to penetrate all the way to the north wall in winter. The living area is essentially one space for living and dining with a separate sleeping loft. The kitchen and bath are tucked under the low north side.

Rather than clear the site, the Lipsons kept as many trees as possible for natural climate control. In summer, the leafy trees shade the house, while in winter their bare limbs let the sun through. "Without ventilation," says Sydell Lipson, "the interiors can get up to 120 degrees." The house is designed for natural gravitation of air through vents—placed low on the north side and high on the south—that set up a strong air current through the interiors. "In the winter, we open the vents for two or three hours during the day and close them around the middle of the afternoon, when it's about 85 degrees, to conserve heat for the evening," she explains. On cold nights they start a fire in their Franklin stove, consuming about 3 cords of wood for the heating season.

Connecticut building codes stipulate that all four walls of a dwelling must be able to be heated to an average 68 degrees, which necessitated an auxiliary heat source. The Lipsons chose a type of electric heater commonly used in theater lobbies. It is relatively inexpensive but eats up a lot of electricity. The Lipsons rely on their electric heaters only in the dead of winter. And yet the electricity bills are low, running an average of about $35 per month in winter and $40 for the coldest month, January.

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