Backyard Permaculture
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SHELTER

A shelter of some sort or another is one of the 5 basic human needs. 
From earliest times man has had some sort of a shelter and man has discovered the appropriate shelter for the climate he is living in. Today our shelter is more driven by fashion but for those who wish to have comfort and a reasonable cost fashion does not have to be sacrificed. 

​Like all things in Permaculture each section has a specific set of considerations for its design. This is true to when and how we construct our shelters also. With building a shelter climate available material and the skills of the builders are all considered. The major theme when designing is passive solar meaning that the building will be a comfortable environment in which to live while not requiring excessive amounts of energy for heating, cooling and lighting. This aim is achieved by placement, layout and materials from which the building is constructed. Placement and layout centre around maximizing the natural light available. 
The Passive House: has evolved over the years and now we see different designs being established for different climatic regions. Passive House building techniques to suit the Central European climate would be folly to directly copy details, especially those for insulation, windows and ventilation from the Central European example to other parts of the world. Instead, the details should be found to suit the climate and geographic conditions to develop a Passive House solution of each location.
Passive Design is Designing a Building to Work with the SUN .
​​Tropics and Sub Tropics
• Orient to prevailing winds, not the sun
• Shaded valleys optimal
• Materials – light, even permeable to wind
• Mind flooding and plan for hurricane areas
• Mind insects
           o Screens, Stilts allow ground birds access to termites
• Temperature control
           o Humidity control
           o Shade
           o Cool air currents
                          - Attached shade house
• White surfaces in and out
• Remove heat sources
          o Semi-detached kitchen?

Know the Site

 ​Temperate
• Space and Water Heating
• Passive solar design
• Settlement on thermal belt
• Close housing 2-4 floors
• Dense windbreaks poleward
• Materials, dense earth or wood
          o Vegetation (attached to masonry, out from wood) for                  insulation
• Stepped housing
• Insulated ceiling
​Drylands
• Passive solar, summer cooling, winter (night) warming
• Cool interior courtyards narrow and tall for shade
• White surfaces, small windows
• Towers for ventilation
• Cooking outdoors under trellis
• Underground
• Vines on walls if possible
• Homes as shade for gardens
After investigating which climatic zone your in then you need to be aware of a few other things for this to work. In the southern Hemisphere:-
  • Northern Exposure
  • Vegetation
  • Local Climate
  • Prevailing Winds
  • View/Privacy
  • Adjacent Properties/ Future Developments. 
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Know the Sun 

This is where you will need your data on the sun you collected before. You will need to know:- 
  • Sunrise & Sunset
  • Altitude angles
  • Solstices & Equinoxes
  • All Seasons
  • Your Own Observations. 

DESIGNING the SYSTEM 

​• Collection of all your data
• Absorption/ Storage
• Distribution
• Controls

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Collectors i.e Windows 

• Optimal Sizing
• North v’s east & west
• Types
• Frame
• Sealing
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Glazing
      o Single, double or triple
      o Inert gasses
      o Low-E
      o Hard coat v’s Soft coat
      o Polyester Films
      o Spaces

​Absorbtion/Storage

• Surfaces
      o Colour
      o Placement
• Thermal Mass
• Materials
• Placement
• Distribution
• Mass to glass
• Coverings

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Distribution

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Controls

  • Natural
    • Radiation
    • Convection
    • Conduction
  • Mechanical
    • Vents
    • Fans
    • Blowers
Shading
  •       Overhangs
  •       Exterior
  •       Interior
  •       Landscaping
  •               Grapes
  •                Kiwis
  • Reflecting
  • Insulating

Passive Solar Heating Systems

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Passive Solar Cooling

Natural Venting 
  • Wing Walls
  • Landscaping
Shading
  • Awnings, Trellises
  • Vegetation
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Thermal Chimney
Fans
  • Ceiling 
  • Whole House

DESIGNER'S CHECKLIST

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References:- 
http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design
Kevin Bayuk Designer of Business Ecologies https://www.slideshare.net/kevinbayuk/permaculture-passive-solar-design
http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/homes/

About Us

Susan and her husband live in
​Beechworth Victoria, Australia.

Email

bypermaculture@gmail.com

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We would love to have you visit.......... again soon!

© Susan Hutson 2018
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Permaculture
    • Ethics & Principles
    • Design >
      • Base Map
      • Zones
      • Sectors
      • Water
      • Property Plan
    • Water
    • Soil >
      • Re-Mineralisation
    • Climate
    • Food
    • Shelter
    • Energy
  • About
  • Grow It
    • Season by Season >
      • Autumn
      • Winter
      • Spring >
        • Late Spring
      • Month X Month Growing Guides
    • Vegetables
    • Seedlings >
      • How to Start Seeds
    • Edible Weeds
    • Small Space Growing
    • Crop Rotation
  • Courses
  • Store