2003 Solar Style House in Chatham
The Sterling Solar Model B
Bill Sterling designed the Model B Solar Style House for a typical family-oriented
three-bedroom house plus a main floor study/guest bedroom & bath suite. It can
have a walk-out basement option if the site slope allows for upper and lower entry
levels. The Model B solar style design is a
shift from the craftsman
style look of Model
A to a Cape Cod
country farm
character,
1978
derivative of the Nickerson farm house
of Chatham, MA. Instead of sun shading
expressed into the roof and deck structure, this
design starts with a stretched skin look on all four
sides with sun shading elements added on.
This ”machine for collecting solar energy” faces
the main glass wall directly south, faces moderate amounts of glass east and west (7%)
with solar screening by means of louvered wooden shades reminiscent of early New
England window shutters. There is minimal glass facing north (under 5%).
Sustainable specifications include the latest
details of super-insulated walls, thermal
breaks, air tight construction and potential
for high efficiency mechanical systems,
approaching net zero energy design if
desired.
Sterling concludes about the Model B Solar
House, “This style maintains the character of a New England neighborhood houses while
embracing the principles of 21st century sustainable design. This is done by careful
placement of windows for solar orientation and addition of wooden slat shading devices
that are consistent with late 19th-century shingle style ornamentation.”
