A cube-shaped design, with a conventionally British hipped roof. But there are plenty of unconventional features, including giving one corner over to a “sun-space” full-height conservatory, making the basement a biofuel and rainwater store, and taking advantage of the principle that hot air rises by stacking living spaces on top of the bedrooms.

Design

The double-glazed sunspace will be oriented south to exploit solar gain, storing heat in the walls, tiled floor and concrete balcony. The main living spaces and bedrooms all lead directly from the sunspace, and can make use of its heat by opening internal glazed doors. The basement biofuel boiler will help heat the house in winter, with vents carrying warmed air to the first floor living space, and the flue pipe warming the stairwell. The kitchen and bathrooms adjacent to external walls will have extract fans fitted to heat exchangers to re-introduce warmed air into the house.

Technical

Insulated window shutters trap heat on the inside
Photovoltaic panels will be fitted on the southern roof slope, and on the upper parts of the sunspace walls
Overhangs on the south elevation will shield the sunspace from overheating when the sun is at its highest.

Innovation

A knock-out panel in the ground floor ceiling will allow a lift to be easily installed at a later date

Cute and curvy, the design of this house was inspired by the way animals curl up tightly to conserve warmth and energy. External wall space is minimised thanks to its low-slung two storey structure, wrapped in a curving organic skin built in flexible timber. The frame would be clad in a variety of materials including photovoltaic panels.

Design

To the north, the house is built from timber cassette panels filled with hemp insulation and covered in a hemp-based render to increase thermal mass. But the southern facade is a sheltered conservatory, which acts as a buffer zone to moderate summer and winter temperatures. The house utilises a stack ventilation system, with rising hot air vented via the cowl on the roof. The internal layout is designed to minimise the distance warmed water need to travel to conserve efficiency in the underfloor heating system. The communal family space can be shuttered off to allow for noisy play or quiet study.

Technical

Sustainablility features include a composting toilet and wood-pellet fuelled kitchen range.
A variety of external cladding options, including recycled aluminium, FSC-approved timber, grass or hemp
Rainwater would drain from the green roof into the grey water stroage system sited in the conservatory.

Innovation

The conservatory also acts as a glass house, sheltering a vegetable patch

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