PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING AND COOLING

Typically adapted with masonry walls (concrete, brick, adobe...), it's a system of building that takes into account the natural solar cycle and uses it to regulate temperature. A main theme is summed up best I think by OurCoolHouse.com:

'Since the Earth's axis is tilted, the Sun rises higher in the sky in summer than in the winter. In a northern hemisphere winter, the sun rises in the south east, stays low in the south sky and then sets in the south west. In summer, the Sun rises more in the north east, quickly gains height to a higher elevation than in winter, and then sets back in the north west. So the best things to do in the northern hemisphere are:

* Orient the house such that the major axis runs east - west.
* Limit the number and size of windows on the northern side of the house, to reduce summer
heating of the interior.
* Place more windows on the southern side of the house. Use wide eaves and tall shade trees
to limit solar radiation in the summer, yet provide plenty of solar heating in the winter.

In colder climates, it's important to store as much of the incoming solar energy during the day as possible and then allow it to continue heating the house during the night. The best way to store this heat is in a large thermal mass. One popular (and patented) way to do this is with a thick slab floor. This floor could be solid concrete or a layer of rock. Since the incoming sunlight will only heat the south side of the slab (via the windows) several ingenious methods have been devised to circulate air through the slab. This air serves to moderate the temperature of the slave during the day and help heat the air within the house during the night.'