A sample so you can see the process for establishing site design criteria, based on an ecological settlement in Taos, New Mexico. This works anywhere in the northern hemisphere. For SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE guidelines, flip the chart horizontally so north and south are reversed, but leave east and west the same.
First, draw 2 lines perpendicular to each other so you have a compass.
Then show the direction of the cold winter wind and the hot summer wind.
In Taos, the winter winds come from the NORTH, and the summer winds from the WEST across the vast hot desert. That makes the winds VERY hot and dry. This means that we don't want to open that side up any more than possible, should minimize openings there (to reduce both wind and solar concerns), and we should always open the EAST and NORTH windows so the natural wind pressure and direction will pull hot air out of our house naturally.
Then, we add the details... In the US, rain almost always comes from the EAST. We know that the sun is always in the SOUTH, so that's where was want to put deciduous trees and shading devices to help cool the house in summer. If we use deciduous trees or even flowering and fruiting trees like an orchard, we know that the shade will work only in the summer when it is needed. During the winter though, birds and animals can play in the naked tree branches and the sun can penetrate all the way to the house and allow for passive solar heating.
We know that the snow comes from the NORTH and EAST and that the NORTH side of the house is always shaded. So we want to drain our roofs to that northeast corner, and plant a nice grove of trees - and here we can use a bit more water loving trees since we have a natural advantage here. We can also put plants that need a bit more water here.
If we feel really ambitious, we can collect the water in the NORTHEAST corner, and a NORTH berm would also be an awesome addition, so we could keep the cold north winds off our walls, bury the catchment tanks, and keep the interior of those north walls closer to the natural earth temperature of 56 degrees. That will help keep the house cool in summer and not require so much heating in winter.
We can plant tender plants - ones that may need a bit of shade and some protection from the wind - on the EAST.
That leaves the SOUTH and WEST for zeriscape drought, wind and heat-tolerant species.
Because our prettiest flowers and the coolest winds will be on the EAST, that's where we'll put the front door. Or... our master bedroom patio. We might put the front door on the southeast somehow then. That'll let us use the sun to our advantage when it snows too - this place will be the first warmed by the sun. if we use a dark-colored mass like stained concrete, we can encourage the sun to clear away the snow from the walk naturally.
We also know that we'd love to put the garage on the WEST and put small windows on its NORTH wall, and as low as possible. In a perfect world, we'll have small windows in the EAST wall too. Using any of these techniques on the garage will bring some decent natural ventilation which will keep the house cooler.
OK, so that's where we start with site design. There are totally different considerations once you add in hills, waterways, and the like... but this will give you a place to start with your own design, I hope!
Next post: Designing the house
