{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32146"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32146","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Passive Solar Landscape Design: Its Impact on Fossil Fuel Consumption Through Landscape Design","abstract":"Gas, electricity, heating and cooling buildings - comfort — our lives revolve around fossil fuels. Technology and the demands of living in today's society add to our gigantic fossil fuel appetite. With gas prices topping three dollars per gallon, changes must be made. This thesis project presents an analysis of passive solar landscape design (PSLD) principles used to create microclimates within the landscape, and thereby increasing human comfort both indoors and outdoors. The analysis includes case study results of fossil fuel consumption and PSLD implementation. Microclimatic comfort is revealed in the design of a solar park in historic Smithfield, Virginia. Smithfield Solar Park is designed with PSLD principles to be self-sustaining - the Farmer's Market pavilions and educational center generating their own electricity through a solar voltaic system. This system is enhanced by careful siting and selection of trees, shrubs and built structures and use of local materials to reduce transportation distances. Smithfield Solar Park features a Farmer's Market, outdoor movies and Friday Cheers, and will host regional and local festivals and events, enhancing tourism and the economy of Smithfield's Historic District. Landscape architecture stands in prime position to improve landscapes and lessen both our dependency on and consumption of fossil fuels through implementation of PSLD principles. Public education about the benefits of implementing PSLD principles can have local, regional, national and global effects on our fuel consumption.","abstract_html":"Gas, electricity, heating and cooling buildings - comfort — our lives revolve around fossil fuels. Technology and the demands of living in today's society add to our gigantic fossil fuel appetite. With gas prices topping three dollars per gallon, changes must be made. This thesis project presents an analysis of passive solar landscape design (PSLD) principles used to create microclimates within the landscape, and thereby increasing human comfort both indoors and outdoors. The analysis includes case study results of fossil fuel consumption and PSLD implementation. Microclimatic comfort is revealed in the design of a solar park in historic Smithfield, Virginia. Smithfield Solar Park is designed with PSLD principles to be self-sustaining - the Farmer's Market pavilions and educational center generating their own electricity through a solar voltaic system. This system is enhanced by careful siting and selection of trees, shrubs and built structures and use of local materials to reduce transportation distances. Smithfield Solar Park features a Farmer's Market, outdoor movies and Friday Cheers, and will host regional and local festivals and events, enhancing tourism and the economy of Smithfield's Historic District. Landscape architecture stands in prime position to improve landscapes and lessen both our dependency on and consumption of fossil fuels through implementation of PSLD principles. Public education about the benefits of implementing PSLD principles can have local, regional, national and global effects on our fuel consumption.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Boelt, Robin Wiatt"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Landscape Architecture","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Landscape Architecture","degree_department":"Landscape Architecture","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Clements, Terry L."],"committee_members":["Bork, Dean R.","Yglesias, Caren L."],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-03-22","date_published":"2006-03-22","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:23Z","subjects":["microclimate","solar","Passive Solar Landscape Design"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-05032006-140520"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-05032006-140520","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32146","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Clements, Terry L."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Bork, Dean R.","Yglesias, Caren L."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Landscape Architecture"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Boelt, Robin Wiatt"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:34:54Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:34:54Z","2006-06-09"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2006-03-22"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Landscape Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Landscape Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["microclimate","solar","Passive Solar Landscape Design"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-05032006-140520"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32146"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Gas, electricity, heating and cooling buildings - comfort — our lives revolve around fossil fuels. Technology and the demands of living in today's society add to our gigantic fossil fuel appetite. With gas prices topping three dollars per gallon, changes must be made. This thesis project presents an analysis of passive solar landscape design (PSLD) principles used to create microclimates within the landscape, and thereby increasing human comfort both indoors and outdoors. The analysis includes case study results of fossil fuel consumption and PSLD implementation. Microclimatic comfort is revealed in the design of a solar park in historic Smithfield, Virginia. Smithfield Solar Park is designed with PSLD principles to be self-sustaining - the Farmer's Market pavilions and educational center generating their own electricity through a solar voltaic system. This system is enhanced by careful siting and selection of trees, shrubs and built structures and use of local materials to reduce transportation distances. Smithfield Solar Park features a Farmer's Market, outdoor movies and Friday Cheers, and will host regional and local festivals and events, enhancing tourism and the economy of Smithfield's Historic District. Landscape architecture stands in prime position to improve landscapes and lessen both our dependency on and consumption of fossil fuels through implementation of PSLD principles. Public education about the benefits of implementing PSLD principles can have local, regional, national and global effects on our fuel consumption."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Landscape Architecture"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Passive Solar Landscape Design: Its Impact on Fossil Fuel Consumption Through Landscape Design"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Clements, Terry L."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Bork, Dean R.","Yglesias, Caren L."],"dc:contributor.department":["Landscape Architecture"],"dc:creator":["Boelt, Robin Wiatt"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:34:54Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:34:54Z","2006-06-09"],"dc:date.issued":["2006-03-22"],"dc:description.abstract":["Gas, electricity, heating and cooling buildings - comfort — our lives revolve around fossil fuels. 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