A glazed atrium to the south-facing facade collects the sun’s warmth, directing it to a brick “Trombe wall” – a heat absorber and emitter. To the north, a brick facade with minimal glazing apertures keeps the heat within the building envelope. Meanwhile, a sophisticated IT system monitors occupancy and adjusts windows and vents accordingly.

Design

The double-glazed front portion of the house contains the staircase and lift, but also forms the basis of the home’s heating and ventilation system. The brick and block wall abosrbs and stores the sun’s heat, while vents inset into it open in winter to allow heat to enter the house, but can be closed off in the summer. The iHome is designed to be self-sufficient in electricity, with photovoltaic panels on the roof generating 4 500 Kwh per annum – enough for average household consumption with spare capacity for summer air-conditioning. Bicylce storage, a private office and a meeting room on the ground floor encourage sustainable transport and working practices.

Technical

The angled white “hopper” on the roof collects rainwater to feed a 10 000 litre storage tank
The white resin panels are manufactured from 85% recycled plastic bottles
The glass automaticaly polarises in summer using thermal detectors to reduce solar gain

Innovations

The double-glazed glass curtain could incorproate LED technology, linked to the iHome’s central computer, and displaying different colours or images

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