Renewable Energy Institute

College of
Architecture and
Environmental Design

Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo
California

The Evelyn and Harold Hay Fund was established at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the early 1990s to support research and teaching related activities of students and faculty in the areas of passive solar building design and water in architecture. Mr. Harold Hay, a chemist and inventor, began his work with Cal Poly architecture and engineering faculty in the mid-1970s when his innovative Skytherm House was built in Atascadero, CA. This house was recognized in the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial and has yet to be surpassed for its outstanding performance in passive solar heating and cooling through the use of movable insulation and water bags on the roof, appropriately named a "roof pond" system. Through the generous gift of Mr. Hay and his late wife, Evelyn, Cal Poly has revitalized research and teaching interests to promote the scientific and design-oriented study of passive solar architecture including water as a building material to modulate interior temperatures.