This is my first instructable, with hopefully many more to come. I am a student at Ohio State Univ. studying architecture, and in the past month, decided to design a sustainable house to enter into the design competition. The first 4 images are renderings icreated using 3ds max (vray), Sketchup, Autocad, and Photoshop. The subsequent pdfs are snapshots of the 3d model that i took to illustrate the different sustainable design sensibilities.
enjoy.

Step 1: First Rendering

This Rendering shows the north east face of the building. On the left you can see the main entrance into the house, which opens up into an open concept floor plan with the kitchen on the left, Living room & office to the right and a stair case to the bedroom suite in the middle. on the right one can see the north facade of the living room and 2nd floor bedroom which is fitted with floor to ceiling window views, as well as a bedroom balcony. In the front of the building, one can see the garden and compost space, which is separated from the house.

Step 2: Second Rendering

This rendering showcases what would conventionally be the backyard. On the right is the kitchen with a vaulted ceiling. The kitchen, and all of the south facade are fitted with floor to ceiling windows with the opportunity to open certain. Being able to open the window is important because since the prevailing winds come from the south In Columbus, OH (where I've located the project), the house can take advantage of the winds as a passive cooling strategy. The sun screens can also be seen on the Kitchen facade; this system blocks out solar gain from the summer sun. On the left one can see the added car port which follows the aesthetic of the rest of the building, and on the right, one can see the Wind turbine which doubles as a hangout loft (in the middle), and a shed (bottom).

Step 3: Third Rendering

This rendering showcases some of the details of the house. It is taken from the view of the wind turbine loft, and looks down into the house. One has a closer look at the kitchen with the double height ceilings. The kitchen also takes advantage of fold out doors that open the kitchen to the outdoors. On the left one has a view of the bedroom, and the office / living room. The bedroom takes advantage of the sloped roof, by having double height ceilings and skylights. The skylights offer a unique component of a solar panel; The skylight is filled with lenses that focus light on to PV cells located on each lens. From this view one can also get a feel of the interior, from its punch-out windows to the modern mullions.

Step 4: Fourth Rendering

The final rendering, is meant to put the viewer in the house. It does not include much more information than that of the previous renderings, but rather offers a interior feel, which can't be felt from the outside. The rendering shows lighting effects that penetrate through different windows and rooms, and illustrates the openness of the house.