A hydronic radiant floor heating system in concrete slab

There are numerous ways to heat living space. Some more desirable than others. Among them are forced-air heating, baseboard heating, gas burners, electric heating elements, space heaters, passive solar design, and radiant heating. Although each heating method has its pros and cons along with its own unique characteristics, radiant heating stands out for numerous reasons.

Radiant floor heating, also commonly referred to as underfloor heating, is a popular central heating system that supplies heat directly to the floors surface keeping it warm to the touch while radiating up into the living space above. 

Five Elements of Passive Solar Design – From WBDG

Last week as I was helping a friend around his property, I noticed a nearby home with a roof that was covered with solar panels. Chances are you probably have a neighbor or know of someone with a similar system mounted on their rooftop. What if there was an alternative to this somewhat unappealing and expensive addition to an already existing structure? If you were to research the topic you might come across a different form of energy used in home construction called “passive solar design.”

 
Here at gfh Architecture planning & Graphics, we endeavor to create intelligent building designs that use conventional forms of passive environmental design such as natural control of heat gain and loss through proper site situating, building form, and thermal massing, as well as the incorporation of new materials and systems including photovoltaic cells and cladding.

Several of our projects are in drought-sensitive areas; we have successfully addressed the challenges of these contexts through water-efficient landscaping and the use of “gray-water” technologies.