• Most of the system-to-system interfaces in this project are put together to achieve performance levels of integration, but it seems that the structure is physically meshed with other systems as a consequence. Daylight and air flow to the basement between beams; the interior planning module is based on the structural bay; solar heating and shade elements wrap into the structural frame; and even the basic circulation paths follow along the structural cantilevers.
• Structural framing is exposed throughout the house with good effect. Reducing the envelope to skeleton and infill emphasizes the timber qualities of the laminated wood frame. The prevalence of glass also accentuates the wood. It is a plus that all the timber is engineered from plentiful small-dimension lumber.
• The pavilion plan opens communication from interior rooms to the open site, and the shading strategies manage to protect against glare and overheating.
• Trombe wall indirect-gain solar collectors with their integral concrete thermal mass make up the opaque wall elements of the south facade.
• Solid north-to-south interior walls give the structure diaphragm strength and partition the separate occupancies.
• Overhanging glass eaves keep the wood structure protected while allowing solar penetration to the interior. The glass canopy can eventually be replaced with photovoltaic panels.
• The cantilevered structure provides overhanging shelter while minimizing loads and member sizes.
• The exterior storage building promotes openness of the house by removing potentially interrupting interior storage closets and other elements. It also acts as a freestanding buffer against winter winds.
• The one-room depth of the pavilion plan allows shorter spans and facilitates natural cross ventilation.
• The interior storage provides extra thermal insulation to the opaque areas of the envelope.
• The interior planning strategy allows for flexible use of floor space, especially the shared middle bays that seem to belong to either of the two dwellings.
Other than the 10 percent solar contribution of annual heating requirements by the solar collectors integrated into the south wall, no performance figures are given for this project. It is safe to assume, however, that the additional glazing area provides a much larger portion of the heating by direct gain. Even on a completely overcast winter day, some 40 percent of the solar energy available on a clear day can still be usefully collected. Guidelines for passive heating in Chicago, Illinois, for example, suggest that a 35 percent south glass-to-floor-area ratio would provide 23 percent of the annual heating requirement. The long pavilion plan of the Pullach House has more like 0.5 ft2 of glass for each square foot of floor, a 50 percent ratio.
The solar inventiveness of this house is a major physical feature, but success in integration is largely strategic rather than physical. Most of the performance benefits are attained more by design logic than by system-to-system interfaces. Consequently, a rather simple plan reveals a very sophisticated combination of thoughts about interior planning, structural spans, solar penetration, summer shading, circulation, privacy, and view, as well as the aesthetics of timber framing with the transparency of glass infill.