Pet House Project -
Energy-Efficient
Design Principles Demonstrated
in Pet House Competition Entry
The K-9 Comfort Cottage highlights a “whole building approach” that integrates multiple strategies to optimize K-9 comfort, sustainability and ergonomics. Details of the performance of daytime and nighttime strategies as well as ergonomic and dog-friendly strategies that were applied in the creation of this pet house can be found here.
K-9 comfort is maximized with climate specific building science and renewable energy:
- FSEC's sustainable, rot and rust proof PVCiPs envelope (polyvinyl carbonate insulated panel system) lowers summertime temperatures inside the cottage.
- White metal roof reflects solar radiation and optimized overhangs provide summer time shade and passive solar heating in the winter.
- Three solar electric (photovoltaic) panels power a “tail-safe” ceiling fan, charge a battery for a porch light and charge another battery for a nighttime ventilator fan which cools the cottage by night sky radiation cooling of the roof.
Sustainability is achieved through several means:
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Sloped porch floor so “rain supplied water bowl” overflows away from the cottage.
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Grout and mortar with latex allows tile floor assembly to expand and contract without harming the structural or aesthetic integrity of the cottage.
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PVC cement bonded connections and stainless steel hardware.
K-9 Ergonomics in this case means the cottage was designed with a dog’s life in mind.
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Entry on longitudinal facade encourages the K-9’s instinctive “circling” behavior prior to lying down.
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K-9 profiled window, door and storm shutters.