b'alternative ideas for this interior on pages 44-47The Raes were always keen to incorporate elements ofwhich has the same thermal value as rammed earth.Reduce heat buildup passive solar heating and cooling into their home, whichon exterior surfaces Rammed earth is a very technical way to build a house.with Resene Cool worked well with the earth construction. A key designWhile the materials are relatively inexpensive, theres a lotColour technology;feature is the large window in the living area, which facesideal for anything of labour involved, and the detailing and xing is veryfrom roofs to walls. directlynorthandcapturesall-daysun.Inside,large- complicated. We got a contractor from Hawea Flat whoResene Cool Colours format, ceramic oor tiles absorb the heat, releasing itare designed to was experienced in this type of construction and did thereect the suns through the house as the temperature outside drops. great job. energy, keeping the substrate, paint andHowever, sun models showed that the intense summer sunWhile the site and context were big inuencing factorsinterior cooler.would heat the room to extremes. Therefore, an additionalin the design of the Raes house, there was another vital overhang above the window and a series of louvres halfwayconsideration. Early on in the planning process, it became down help shade the interior of the house. clear that their wonderful location would pose a major Basedonheat-losscalculations,Richardincorporatedpractical challenge. anumberofinsulatingfeaturesintothedesignand construction. For example, the amount of insulation inMany of the interior walls are made from the home is well above Building Code requirements and,concrete block, which has the same thermal as youd expect in Central Otago, the windows are allvalue as rammed earth.double-glazed. Earth isnt a great insulator, but with the external wallsIts a rural subdivision and the local power authority was being 450mm thick, it performs reasonably well, he says.going to charge us a fortunearound $30,000to get Many of the interior walls are made from concrete block,connected to the power supply, says Shona. 40 |'