‘This is a wonderful book that should be on the desk of every architect and planner. It shows how

Aesthetic 
qualities 
Exciting spaces and 
visual art to enhance 
the interior experience
Building form itself as 
art, reflecting the estab
-
lished style of the day
Diversity of green ex-
terior façades, interior 
walls and atrium spaces

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310
Positive Development
Box 25 Solar Design Myth-Conceptions 
Even when applied, passive solar design principles have been greatly underutilized. This is 
partly due to myths that catch hold as a result of trying to replace site-specific design with 
generalized templates and rules of thumb:
•
‘Passive solar design all looks the same’
. The same range of design styles and 
images are possible with passive solar design as with standard construction. Examples 
exist that range across the full spectrum from ‘nuts and bolts’ to ‘nuts and berries’. Any 
construction can be enhanced by passive solar principles, so there is no reason why 
passive solar design should not accommodate varied aesthetic preferences.
•
‘Passive solar means orienting towards the sun (only)’
. Heat gain and glare 
through windows can make rooms uncomfortable, and curtains need to be closed at 
night and open during the day. Conservatories, by contrast, allow heat to be collected 
when it is hot, and emitted into the room when it is cool and the reverse. Heat can be 
vented into the home directly or delivered to a storage area with high thermal mass 
inside the home.
•
‘Passive solar is more expensive’
. The construction costs, embodied and 
operating energy, and overall life-cycle costs of passive solar design should be less than 
that of conventional construction – depending upon the experience of the designers 
and builders. When they do cost more, it is often because of ‘experimental’ features 
and the inertia of conventional practices.
•