Sophia Masciarelli

Windows and Overhangs - Passive Solar Design Project

Energy and Sustainability
Due 03.28.17
 Sophia Masciarelli
Windows and Overhangs - Passive Solar Design Project
Energy and Sustainability
Due 03.28.17

Analysis Questions
How might the sizing of the new window change if you could also change the roof
overhang or add a second awning?
The sizing of a window might become larger or smaller depending on how much light energy is
desired to be let into the building. Additionally, the window could simply shift upwards or
downwards depending on the new angle of light that enters in order to optimize energy levels
(by minimizing sun that enters in the summer and maximizing it in the winter)

In the space below, sketch the roof of a house with a skylight (essentially a window in the
roof). Sketch the summer sun and the winter sun along with the direction of their rays.

Describe how the passive solar gain for a skylight compares to that of a window. Does it
work the same way? Compared to a well designed window through a wall, will a skylight
make the house warmer or less warm in the winter? In the summer?
The passive solar gain for a skylight is somewhat similar to that of a window. In the
summertime, though, it is going to receive more direct sunlight, thus making the house warmer,
and there is no awning to block some of those rays. In the wintertime the house will be warmer
as a result of those more direct rays.
 Sophia Masciarelli
Windows and Overhangs - Passive Solar Design Project
Energy and Sustainability
Due 03.28.17

Imagine this same house at a lower latitude (closer to the equator). What happens to the
elevation angles in the summer and the winter?
There is less variability between seasons, stays higher in the sky throughout more of the year.

How might this affect the size of an awning used to block the summer sun?
You would not need as long of an awning to account for the wide variance, the awning would
only need to account for a small change throughout the year.