Passive solar requires sufficient access to sunlight in winter coupled with effective overhangs in summer. To ensure this in my designs, I create animated 3D sun studies like this one, which draw upon actual sun position data for our latitude, for any given date and time throughout the year. Typically I will look at winter solstice, summer solstice, and the equinox, from sunrise to sunset. As I analyze the changing play of light and shadow across the building throughout the day and year, I can then make adjustments to the design if necessary for optimal passive solar results.
Sustainable design for the Central Coast