In order to control solar access to the south side of the house, we're fabricating fixed horizontal louvers from marine grade plywood. The intent is to space them such that summer sun is blocked while winter sun is allowed to hit the polycarbonate which will in turn heat the water contained in a series of tubes between the layers of polycarbonate panels. It is basically a trombe wall that relies on the thermal storage capacity of water rather than a solid mass so that light is still permitted in the space.

And now for a Solar Decathlon fabrication discovery. What is the best surface for laminating layers of plywood? 10' sawhorses or course! These super-sized sawhorses were left over from finishing the ceiling panels where we used them as a large spraying/drying rack. Turns out they make a great surface for clamping long boards while keeping them straight. We plan to leave them on the large work porch outside the Knowlton Hall woodshop where we're pretty confident that architecture students will find countless other uses for them in the coming years.