Speaker: Norbert Lechner, Architect and Professor Emeritus, Auburn University, Alabama. Abstract: Global warming is the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced in recorded history. Fossil energy must be replaced as quickly as possible by both clean renewable energy and energy efficiency. Since buildings are the main users of energy (about 48%), they must become much more efficient. Most of the energy used by buildings is for heating, cooling, and lighting all of which are very much impacted by the sun. Thus, a sustainable building must be a solar responsive building.

Buildings will not be sustainable just by being covered by solar collectors. The buildings itself must do most of the work in heating, cooling, and lighting itself. The "Three Tier Approach" explains how this is accomplished, and solar responsive design is a major component of this approach.

However, a major obstacle to solar responsive design is the complexity of solar geometry. Furthermore, many accepted solar design principles are incorrect. For example, contrary to widespread belief, a fixed south overhang cannot fully shade the summer sun and fully harvest the winter sun, fins are not good shading devices on the east and west, and shading for north windows is not restricted to southern latitudes. Fortunately, powerful teaching and design tools called heliodons are available to bust these and other myths and make solar responsive design both easy and accurate.

Sponsored by the Department of Architecture