Preparing for the Elements
A traditional barn cupola sits proudly atop 60 Bragg Hill. From a visual standpoint, it is one of the strongest architectural elements of the home. This week, in preparation of the metal standing seam roof installation the Marvin windows were installed and the lightening arresters were affixed to its apex. The cupola’s peak is 48 feet above grade. Add that to Bragg Hill’s already 331 foot MSL (Mean Sea Level) elevation and you have a likely candidate for frequent lightening strikes. 60 Bragg Hill will have twelve lightening arresters installed in strategic locations on the roof superstructure. Each of the lightening arresters are physically grounded deep into the earth and will create a protective field around the home’s perimeter preventing untoward lighting strikes.
The 6 windows installed in the cupola are an integral part of the home’s natural heating and cooling system. Designed as the peak of the internal solar chimney, the remote controlled windows will open to vent out the natural convective heat of summer. During this venting, cooler fresh air enters the home from the lower level and is naturally drawn through the open central stairway chamber and ultimately to the cupola where the warmer air exits through the windows. This design will create a natural flow of cool air through the home and hopefully eliminate the need for energy intensive air conditioning during the summer months.