Building designs and heating and cooling systems
Building constructions, building heating and/or cooling methods, and/or heating and/or cooling systems are provided that can include interior conduits configured to convey a fluid coupled with exterior conduits extending through the grounds surrounding the building.
1. A building heating and/or cooling method comprising continuously distributing fluid at a constant flow rate from within conduits within a concrete floor having a minimum thickness of 4 inches within a building to conduits within grounds surrounding and/or supporting the building and returning the fluid through a buffer tank to the conduits within the concrete floors of the building to regulate a temperature of the concrete floor.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the building is a commercial building and the grounds are a parking lot proximate the commercial building.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is water.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the method further comprises periodically distributing the water via a sprinkler system.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the building is a multi-family housing unit.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the fluid is distributed to grounds surrounding the unit and exposed to the concrete floors of individual units within the housing unit.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein at least some of the units have associated grounds and share a common wall.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the building is a commercial building and the grounds are a parking lot proximate the commercial building and covered by asphalt and/or concrete.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the conduits are 1″ in diameter.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the conduit is tubing constructed of copper, steel, Rehau, and/or other cross-linked construction.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising utilizing a plurality of directional and/or check valves to control the direction of flow of the fluid within the conduits.