A house that blurs the divide between inside and outside space, with a ground-floor glazed courtyard, first floor terrace, second floor balcony, and a top floor reading platform overlooking the “green” roof. With so much access to the outdoor environment, indoors is flooded with daylight and warmed by the sun.

Design

Two timber frames are used to form the structure of the house, with the space between the two enclosed at roof level by a glazed roof light, creating a slice of light through the central zone. Glazing and shading are carefully calibrated, so that the house is warmed by sunlight filling the internal courtyard in winter, but protected from the summer heat with screens of planting. But the design also includes “active” heating and ventilation systems, with opening vents at roof level combined with a heat exchanger unit to “recycle” the heat energy from rising warm air to cooler intake air at ground floor.

Technical

Fitted with a wind turbine and photovoltaic panels, the roof of the house functions as an energy generating platform
Waste timber left over from the structural frame can be “recylced” into balustrades, shelving, desks and benches.
Rainwater is collected from the roof and stored for toilet flushing

Innovations

A combined “cycling/recyling” room on the ground floor, where bicyles and recycling bins are slung from the ceiling

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