A young couple seek a retreat on acreage.  The need was for a small home where a young married couple could enjoy a quiet, country lifestyle north of Kansas City.  The home owner was interested in passive energy design.  How can we take advantage of natural wind currents, sun energy, daylight to create a home that requires very little man-made energy?  

We analyzed the site, it’s micro-climate to see where the prevailing winds come from- the winter winds, the summer winds; we looked at the low-winter sun altitude and the hot summer sun; we observed the flow of water run-off.  We then created a home that had a tight, energy-efficient envelope with windows, doors, and access to nature that took advantage of all that analysis.