Casa del Sol
Casa del Sol, aka Little House, was built by Southwest Sustainable Builders as an affordable option for off-grid living. This building utilizes seven concepts of sustainable building.
1. Passive solar heating and cooling
2. Photovoltaic Power
3. Water Harvesting
4. Grey Water bio-cell inside.
5. Adaptive re-use of waste. Tires, cans, bottles
6. Natural, site based materials
7. Community involvement during construction
Casa del Sol was built over the course of three years during evenings, weekends and weekdays to fill in the work schedule gaps. The building is heated by the sun by the concept of thermal mass and south facing glazing. The interior stays cool with passive ventilation which also helps support healthy indoor air quality. The architecture of the roof not only aids in solar gain but is also designed to collect rain and snow melt into two 1500 gallon cisterns. Solar panels are mounted on a rack just outside the south door for ease of maintenance and expandability. The structural walls are rammed earth tires and the interior walls are bottles and cans set into mortar. Clay and gypsum plasters are used throughout the home. Many great people came to help out with this project at different times and everyone had something valuable to contribute.
1. Passive solar heating and cooling
2. Photovoltaic Power
3. Water Harvesting
4. Grey Water bio-cell inside.
5. Adaptive re-use of waste. Tires, cans, bottles
6. Natural, site based materials
7. Community involvement during construction
Casa del Sol was built over the course of three years during evenings, weekends and weekdays to fill in the work schedule gaps. The building is heated by the sun by the concept of thermal mass and south facing glazing. The interior stays cool with passive ventilation which also helps support healthy indoor air quality. The architecture of the roof not only aids in solar gain but is also designed to collect rain and snow melt into two 1500 gallon cisterns. Solar panels are mounted on a rack just outside the south door for ease of maintenance and expandability. The structural walls are rammed earth tires and the interior walls are bottles and cans set into mortar. Clay and gypsum plasters are used throughout the home. Many great people came to help out with this project at different times and everyone had something valuable to contribute.
Grey Water Bio-Cell under construction
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Tire Walls and roof framing
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A beautifully plastered rammed earth tire wall
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