This journey from the beginning of the 20th century to the future examines the evolution of buildings making use of the sun. It begins in the USA and then follows paths in Europe and Asia. The way is marked by milestones in the forms of technological breakthroughs and political changes. Two different courses are tracked: the engineering approach using active solar and technical systems and the architectural approach where the building collects, stores and distributes solar heat. Both approaches impact aesthetics and have led to fascinating design variations from the Californian hippy solar houses of the 1970’s to today’s prefab, industrial design boxes. Along the journey some ways have proven to be dead-ends, some detours and some expressways. It is interesting to learn from the journey in order to make wise choices now as we proceed.