Real Goods Trading Corporation, a distributor of energy conservation and self-sufficiency products, wanted a showroom to mirror its retailing ethic. The resulting building resembles a curved bird wing with stepping roofs where clerestory windows capture the varying hourly and seasonal angles of the sun. The entire facility is set up in a curved plan that looks like a sundial with a curved courtyard evoking the closed loops of a sustainable system.
Environmental Aspects
The Solar Living Center is located in a climate zone with extreme summer and winter temperatures. Even though the building has no mechanical heating or cooling system, the interior temperature stays in the 70s F year-round. In the winter months, the low sun penetrates deep into the building to provide warmth and light. In the summer, overhangs and awnings control solar gain. Operable windows with low-e glazing allow natural ventilation and help to reduce heat gain.
The building's curved back wall is constructed of rice-straw bales covered with "gunearth." The locally produced, glue-lam roof structure is made from salvaged fir and the roofing membrane is made from recycled car tires. The floor slab and columns contain fly-ash in place of some energy-intensive Portland cement. A solar-powered pump moves water through the site for irrigation and summer cooling. Constructed wetlands capture rainwater. Native and drought-tolerant plantings attract pollinating insects, birds, and animals, and provide a beautiful and educational environment for human visitors.
The center's energy-production system, connected to the electric grid, generates ten kilowatts of photovoltaic power and three kilowatts of wind power a day, more than enough to power the site. Extra energy is sold to the local energy company.
Owner & Occupancy
Owned and occupied by Real Goods Trading Corporation, Corporation, for-profit
Weekend afternoons tend to be the busiest times for Real Goods, with 30-40 customers in the store at one time.
