I would love to read a book on this: How far can you get relying purely on design and structure, not technology. "Passive" solutions, as you say. A fascinating topic.
Thermal Delight in Architecture
http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/thermal-delight-architecture
Commonsense Architecture: A Cross Cultural Survey Of Practical Design Principles
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4584732-commonsense-archi...