Our lot I think we have selected is nearly perfect for us.  About 1 acre with the main drive/road on the south and a sloping site to the north with a thick and dense timber to the north. We have about a  half acre of grass backyard before the woods.

So here is my dilemma.  I am obviously designing efficient, plan on using geo and all of that jazz.  However I am struggling with my windows and how we want to handle that.  I have reworked my plans to try and capture the best of both.  I have elongated the house along the east and west axis, so most main spaces have both south and north (for views) elevations.  The problem is I want my good views to be of the beautiful natural scenery and trees to the north.  However obviously that works against me in the Iowa winters.  I have also set it up along with my overhangs to maximize solar gains in the same rooms to the south.

So the question is, do you think I am over concerned about this?  Something I am considering is putting triple glazing to the north to help increase the comfort as much as possible.  However with big views, that obviously gets expensive with glass.  Another thought I have is, and am hoping, that my southern glass helps offset my northern gains. 

My last question is wall construction.  We are always debating the wall types and insulation, however if you have a house loaded with windows, at what point does the walls really have much impact in r range (vs good sealing of course)?  Meaning, its not really worth to go r30+ for a 4' section of wall with 10' of glass around it.....?
Same with ICF.  I was considering it, but for strength and tornadoes here...same concept.  Not really that safe of a house with a lot of glass....basement would still be ICF however.

thoughts?

Perhaps some type of insulating shutters?

Tight-fitting insulating shutters will work well if they are located outside of the glass.  Shutters inside might allow frost to form on the windows in your winter climate.  Maybe Dana1 will voice an opinion.

We are fortunate to have decent views out of all our windows of our farm and woods, with our best views down to the lake valley on the east. The north view is over our landscaped gardens and pond, but I did not want windows on the north side. (We had to have 2 - one up one down, for code) So what we are doing is building a deck on the east, where we have the glass doors, and also a deck half way down the north side, so during the summer we can enjoy the view over the gardens and pond, when they are at their best, but not have the bitter north wind to chill the house during the winter. So maybe a single high tech picture window (someone mentioned gel filled?) on the north and a deck for the views when the weather is warm.

-Rosalinda

I like Alton's idea about exterior insulating shutters.
Leave them open during the good weather and seal them up during the bad.

How about a screened in patio on the north side? Most scenery isn't that interesting in the winter

I have a similar site with nice stuff to look at 360 but the "killer" views of a harbor and ocean run from about due north around through NE, E and to the SE. I've wrestled with this a bunch but haven't settled on something yet. My current thinking is an open porch (no bugs here) on the east and north elevations and panels to cover the windows on the north and east that hinge at the window heads and swing up to to the porch "ceiling" when open. My house will likely be seasonal - occupied from June through Sept and then a weekend or week here and there through the rest of the year. My goal is to keep the house above 45 all year without burning anything. I mention this only in that I'm willing to have opening and closing the panels over the windows be a bit more of a chore than I would tolerate doing on a daily basis.

I also contemplated having some limited glass in the panel itself so I could at least see out a bit when they are closed. I agree with Alton that interior shutters will be impossible to seal completely and will allow condensation and frost on the inside of the window and probable moisture damage. The key is a good tight seal between the panel and window frame or casing as without that the effectiveness of the panel is severely compromised by air infiltrating into the space between the window and the panel.

One concept I like is that of separating the ventilation function from the viewing function. You can capture the view with fixed glass (either fixed windows or a curtainwall glazing system) and then use smaller operable windows or doors elsewhere for natural ventilation during the non heating/cooling seasons. Most houses have at least some operable windows that never get operated - this saves both $$ and infiltration but takes some planning.

I also see a lot of houses where the view is "beaten to death" - that is, there is a great view and the designer's obvious but not-too-subtle solution is to install a full wall of glass. I think great views are like fine art and need good frames - carefully placed windows with less total SF of glass, if well designed, can be every bit as dramatic as a window wall (and cheaper and more energy efficient). In our case a view of the ocean, although wonderful, can also be boring (lots of blue and a horizon....) without some "foreground" and "middle-ground" - foreground can be the interior of the room and window casing and the middle-ground can be your nearby gardens and landscaping.

Tough problem that requires some compromises.... Hope that helps.

By the way - Estes Twombly Architects are, IMHO, the masters at not beating a view to death but capturing it beautifully. Google them up or get a copy of their book "Yankee Modern". The house on the cover is a great example - I know the house well and have been there - it's a masterful capturing of a stunning view without a wall of glass.

I think that condensation can be prevented with interior shutters that sit tight to the glass (ie, no air gap), are vapor impermeable and seal well. Or design them such that any condensation is safely contained - ie, doesn't touch wood.

Lots of glass got much tougher in IECC 2009, the new energy code. Used to be you could trade super efficient hvac for less r value in the envelope. No more. 2006 went light on basements also, so you could bulk up underground and add more glass. Not so in 2009 . I couldn't build my passive solar house if I was starting today.

IA may have an alternative permitting process in which you -- or more likely an energy designer -- demonstrate that south facing glass makes up for north facing. If not, you may need r30 walls.

thanks for the suggestions. I am thinking maybe the use of interior insulating blinds (cellular shades) might be what I would go with, or perhaps blinds in the glass in a triple pane window on the north. I was planning on mixing casements with a majority of fixed windows as well to not only increase them slightly in efficiency, but reduce cost some as well. I do want a couple however to create some cross ventilation from the south facing glass.
R-30 walls was about my target to hit. Originally i was considering doing r-35-40 walls, but I am thinking that is overkill, especially if my glass is higher. We also plan on doing geo as well.
I modeled the house in Revit, so I can export it to Autodeck Green Studio and also do solar studies and all of that jazz to figure out everything I hopefully need to show for.