1891 ADOBE HOUSE: HILLSBORO, NEW MEXICO MURPHY HOUSE PRESENTED BY: DUSTIN BELLOWS Passive Cooling Design Strategies.

1 8 9 1 A D O B E H O U S E : H I L L S B O R O , N E W M E X I C O

MURPHY HOUSE

PRESENTED BY:DUSTIN BELLOWS

Passive Cooling Design Strategies

BACKGROUNDJune 2013

June 9th: The Silver Fire erupted in the Black Range of the Gila Mountains of New Mexico. The town of Kingston located in the Black Range was evacuated at 2am on June 9th. The owners and staff of the Black Range Lodge in Kingston hastily relocated to Hillsboro located 9 miles east of the fire.

Temporary residence was taken up in Hillsboro at a historic 1891 adobe house.

HILLSBORO, NEW MEXICOESTABLISHED 1877

Hillsboro is located on the southeastern foothills of the Gila National Forest. Aldo Leopold Wilderness lies 15 miles to the west of Hillsboro.

Hillsboro is a small unincorporated community in Sierra County, New Mexico, United States, located in the southwestern part of the state. It was founded in 1877, following the discovery of gold. The community was the county seat of Sierra County from 1884 until 1936 when Hot Springs (now called Truth or Consequences) became the county seat. Between 1893 and 1898, 100,000 troy ounces (3,000 kg) of gold were produced there.

POPULATION of Hillsboro: 200

MURPHY HOUSEBUILT (1891)

The Murphy House is located in middle of town and was build for Sheriff Tom Murphy.

SIZE: Square Feet (Total: 2668)(Interior:1344 )(Covered Porch:1324 )

Currently used as a vacation rental home

Main construction materials: (Walls: adobe) (Roof: wood & corrugated metal) (Foundation: concrete on rubble trench, wood sill plates)

FIRST DAY AT THE MURPHY HOUSE

I arrived June 9th at the Hillsboro house around 3pm. The exterior temperature exceeded 102º F. When I walked into the house, all the windows and doors were shut. The interior temperature of the house was very comfortable (81º F) although NO air conditioner or evaporative cooler was in operation.

I took a nap around 4 pm in the front bedroom on the northwest corner of the house. A ceiling fan in the bedroom was turned on and kept the bedroom at a very comfortable temperature. When I woke up from my nap at 5pm, I went outside where the temperatures hovered around 95 º F.

At 9:30 pm that evening, all the windows and doors were manually opened and the fans were turned on inside the house. The exterior temperature at that time was around 81º F-the same as the house’s interior temperature.

SECOND DAY AT THE MURPHY HOUSE

When I woke up at 6am on the 10th of June, the exterior temperature was 71º F. The house’s interior temperature closely matched that temperature.

At 08:00 am that morning we shut all the doors and windows to the house.

At 10 am that morning, I finished my outdoor yard work around the house. The sun’s heat forced me to retreat indoors. Exterior temperature at that time was around 90º F. Again, the interior temperature of the house remained very comfortable (around 79º F) for the remainder of the day.

TEMPERATURE DETAILS

3:00 PM 9:30 PM Action Taken at 9:30 PM

6:00 AM 08:00 AM Action Taken at 08:00 AM

Internal Temperature

81º F 81 º F Opened all windows and doors

71º F 79 º F Closed all windows and doors

External Temperature

102 º F 81º F Allows cool external air to penetrate interior space

71 º F 79 º F Kept external heat from penetrating internal space

HILLSBORO’S BIO-CLIMATE

Bio-Climate Design: Building houses with climatic considerations in mind

Temperature ranges: summer high (100º F) & winter low (20º F)

Elevation (5180 feet elevation / high desert)

Precipitation (arid / 4 inches of rain per year) Low humidity (7º)

Prevailing sun (latitude: 32.9208° North)

Wind direction (summer – SW) (winter-NW)

Vegetation cover (native vegetation sparse)

Shade (abundance of irrigated cottonwood trees in town)

Water Table (well depth less than 100 feet

Arid and semi arid climate zone: major differences in night and day time temperatures and a low precipitation level

HOW DOES THE MURPHY HOUSE STAY COOL IN SUMMER?

The Murphy House was built prior to air conditioners and evaporative coolers.

Four passive cooling design strategies were involved in the house’s construction: thermal mass, covered/shaded porches (portals), natural ventilation, and a vaulted / vented attic.

In order for passive cooling design strategies to work, active participation is required!Open windows and doors during the coolest times of the day;

Enhance air exchange with fans. .Close windows and doors when exterior temperature exceeds

interior temperature.

Passive Cooling Design

Strategies

Vaulted & Vented

Attic

Natural Ventilation

Eaves & Covered/S

haded Porches

Thermal Mass

PASSIVE COOLING DESIGN STRATEGIES SPECIFIC FOR ARID SUMMER HEAT

Passive Cooling Design Strategies

House is designed to maximize the ability to cool interior without the use of mechanical units (no air conditioner or evaporative cooler)

Summer Heat: exceeds 100º F

Optimal design: thermal mass, eaves & covered/shaded porches , natural ventilation, vaulted & vented attic

Materials: Earthen adobe

Temperature specifics (exterior: 102ºF / interior: 80ºF)

THERMAL MASS

Definition: The ability of a material or assembly to “soak up” heat or cool and slowly release it is known as thermal mass

Also known as the ‘Specific Heat Capacity’

Natural Materials with high thermal mass: Stone and Earth; ie: adobe, cob, rammed earth, earthen plasters

A well designed thermal mass in a building, if insulated from the exterior, will moderate temperature swings through the diurnal cycle by storing and releasing heat or cool to the interior

Thermal Mass can become stubbornly cold in the winter. In summer the reverse is true; mass materials can soak up too much heat, causing discomfort to occupants

THERMAL MASS

Adobe Brick

Made from site available soils and clay

Size in inches: 4x10x14

Used both on exterior and interior walls

PlasterOriginally earthen plaster

Resurfaced with cement plaster

Interior walls still have original plaster

One inch thick

Murphy House

THERMAL MASSFLOOR PLAN OVERVIEW

ADOBE WALLSMurphy House

Exterior Adobe Block Walls (green)

Interior Adobe Block Walls (gold)

THERMAL MASSINTERIOR ADOBE WALLS –ENTRY HALL

Murphy House

HOW THERMAL MASS KEEPS A HOUSE COOL IN HIGH TEMPERATURES

Need to cool interior thermal mass wall with low exterior temperature

Open windows and doors to allow the cool exterior air to infiltrate the house’s interior. Exterior and interior temperature SAME

As exterior temperatures increase, close doors and window. This traps the cooler air inside the house.

Exterior adobe walls keep exterior rising temperatures from penetrating inside of house

Temperature of interior adobe walls remain cool and act like a block of ice in a refrigerator. Fans aid the process by moving aid across the cool interior adobe walls.

Murphy House

Coolest time of

day

Hottest time of day

EAVES & COVERED/SHADED PORCHES

Full wrap around porch

Patio extends around entire house

Square feet of patio is nearly the same as interior space

Keeps sun off of walls and windows

Microclimate

Plants around patio post help maintain cool temperatures by

adding shade

Extends living area to outdoor setting

Reduce heat gain with shading

Murphy House

EAVES & COVERED/SHADED PORCHES Murphy House

Advantage

Disadvantage

Cooler interior Sheds snow

NONE No solar gain-windows

Winter cold

Sum

mer

hea

t

EAVES & COVERED/SHADED PORCHES Murphy House

NATURAL VENTILATION

Operable Windows

Open when exterior temperature is coolest

Close when exterior temperature exceeds interior temperature

Single pane windows sufficient if overhangs or exterior shades cover

window from direct sun

Fans

Ceiling fans circulate air across cool interior thermal mass wall

Fans aid the natural breezes for air exchange between exterior & interior

Fans work best with tall interior ceilings

Two directional fans work best in winter/summer settings

Murphy House

NATURAL VENTILATION

Transom Windows

Additional interior screened window that opens

Located over master bedroom door, front door & kitchen door

Allows for security, privacy, and air flow

Disadvantage: Noise travels easily through open windows

Murphy House

NATURAL VENTILATION

Operable Windows Fans

Murphy House

VAULTED AND VENTED ATTICMurphy House

During the summer heat, hot air rises within the enclosed attic space of a house

Natural convection will vent hot air through attic vents

This hot air must be actively vented out of the attic space at the highest point in the attic

A vaulted attic space helps direct the air to the highest point in the attic

The taller the attic space, the more volume of hot air can be vented out

The Hillsboro House has a vented attic at the peak of the roof’s crest. This combined with a tall attic space of 15 feet helps direct hot air within the attic space to outside the enclosed area.

VAULTED AND VENTED ATTIC

Peak

Hot Air Vents Out

Height of Attic: 15 Feet

Hot Air Rises

Insulated Ceiling

Murphy House

Air Flow

VAULTED AND VENTED ATTICMurphy House

MURPHY HOUSECONCLUSION

In order for passive cooling design strategies to work,

Active participation is required!

-Open windows and doors during the coolest times of the day.

-Close windows and doors when exterior temperature exceeds interior temperature.

-Turn on fans to circulate interior air

Passive Solar

Design

Vaulted & Vented

Attic

Natural Ventilation

Eaves & covered/sh

aded porches

Thermal Mass