SunHawk is one of several house designs we have done based loosely on the California Roundhouse

Craig Henritzy, Architect

Rastra, a cement type block infused with polystyrene beads, makes this geometry possible and practical.
An important feature of Rastra is that it can be put up
in almost any shape, cut to any shape, and sculpted in any shape. The polystyrene
beads make this possible. With any other cement block,
masonry type, rammed-earth and straw bale it is almost impossible.

With SunHawk we are designing and building a home that is energy efficient with the capability of being energy independent. (off the grid)
...solutions

The recycled styrofoam adds extra insulation to the Rastra block, which filled with grout and covered with plaster supports latent heat storage not possible with wood framing. Primarily the house will be heated by the sun, passive solar. Our back-up heating is radient tubes in the floor which will also be assisted by the sun heating up the floor and a water loop through several hydronic solar(batch) collectors on the roof. All the electricity will be produced by photovoltaics in the summer months, and a mini hydro-electric generator run by a stream on John's property for the winter months when the water is flowing.

One of the more exciting ideas employed in this house is passive cooling.

Last week the temperature reached 112 degrees at the building site, hot enough to burn out 4 of our power tools. Cooling will be facilitated by tubes under the house which will feed cool air through a rock storage and then into our central "fountain room" which will have a decorative water sculpture which will then chill that air even more through an evaporative cooling process. When John and Nancy open the door to the fountain room, the cool air will be pulled naturally through the house to the degree and location they desire. The observation tower (head of the hawk) will also function as a cooling tower where misters will chill air flowing down into the second level.

Roundhouse: We often use indigenous architecture for inspiration and guidance in these designs, and since our work is primarily in North America, that means Native American archetypes. We have also suggested the "house totem" with John and Nancy's home to be the Hawk for several reasons. Both John and Nancy have had personal experiences or interactions with hawks in the past. The Hawk in Native American lore is symbolic of "Vision" which has been an important part of both John and Nancy's work. ...Why not build a house shaped like a Hawk.

Residential design often limits itself to the "box" without investigating other geometries that can instill playfullness, meaning, and bring a unique beauty to the site. With "green" architecture we most often see shed type designs. This lack of range in style I feel has limited the progress of alternative designs being accepted in the housing market.

Using the sun We have also employed a sun dial which will demonstrate the seasonal change of the sun's cycles. Each day at noon the shadow of a Hawk will continually appear and reappear in the livingroom aligning with a slate pattern down the middle of the room... and based on it's location, describing the time of year. At the winter solstice, the SunHawk will fly through the room until reaching the fireplace, symbolically transferring the sun's energy to the place of fire.