ABSTRACT
North House was the product of an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional design research project to develop a full-scale prototype of a net-positive-energy solar-powered residence optimized for cold climate applications. 1 The following case study describes the project's high-performance objectives that privileged environmentally responsive envelope design, the use of hybrid passive and active energy systems and inhabitant participation in managing the home's energy profile. These design objectives, and their respective performance measures, were developed and evaluated using a suite of interdependent systems and technologies including the Distributed Responsive System of Skins (DReSS), the Central Home Automation Server (CHAS) and an Adaptive Living Interface System (ALIS).
