Building designs and heating and cooling systems
Building heating and/or cooling methods are provided that can include continuously distributing fluid from within conduits within a concrete floor of a building to conduits within grounds surrounding and/or supporting the building while transferring air to/from the interior of the building via a heat exchanger. Building heating/cooling systems are provided that can include: a building comprising walls and concrete floors; fluid containing conduit within the concrete floors; circulating fluid within the conduit; a least one heat exchanger operatively associated within the building and configured to transfer air to/from the building; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to fluid circulation controls and heat exchanger controls.
1. A building heating and/or cooling method comprising:
providing a building having at least one concrete floor in the building, the concrete floor having conduits extending through the floor and water within the conduits, the conduits having a continuous diameter in one cross section;
continuously distributing the water from within conduits within a concrete floor of a building directly to a pump and then directly to the grounds surrounding and/or supporting the building at a constant flow rate, the grounds having conduits extending through the grounds;
continuously and without reduction at said constant flow rate, returning the water directly to the conduits of the floor, the returning the water cooling the concrete floor and the building; and
exchanging air between the interior and exterior of the building via a heat exchanger.
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 method further comprises periodically distributing the water via a sprinkler system.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the building is a multifamily housing unit.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the water is distributed to grounds surrounding the unit and exposed to the concrete floors of individual units within the housing unit.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein at least some of the units have associated grounds and share a common wall.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the conduits are 1″ in diameter.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the conduit is tubing constructed of copper, steel, Rehau, and/or other cross-linked construction.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the concrete floor is a minimum of 2″ thickness.
10. 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.