This house can sit on a modest site, thanks to its 6 metre plot width. External amenity space is provided in balconies and roof terraces, making the house adaptable to sites with limited garden space.
On the inside, the house is zoned into parent and servant spaces, with living spaces being awarded generous volumes and service spaces handled economically. At the heart of the house is an open chamber which acts as its lungs, distributing light, air and energy into the interior. This also splits the house into two distinct elements allowing opportunities to customize its front and rear. The central chamber can be part infilled with an open platform for future expansion.
A feature of the house is the flexi-room, an adaptable space that can have such uses as office, workshop or garage. In conjunction with an adjacent disability compatible shower room it can be used as a bedroom for family or guests. The dividing wall between the flexi-room and the rest of the ground floor is non load bearing and can be opened up to allow integration with other living spaces.

Construction
The designers’ approach to materials is to allow a level of interchangeability within an overall kit of parts so that different façade treatments can be adapted to different contexts. An offset spine allows the timber frame to be introduced at midspan. Facade walls are non load bearing. Walls and roofs are treated as single surfaces and clad in cedar shingles. They can also be clad in clay and slate tiles or standing seam metal sheeting. Other external wall surfaces have a variety of timber claddings and fibre cement panels.

Ventilation and energy concept
The design concept aims to achieve high levels of insulation and air tightness, minimizing cold bridging elements and controlling ventilation as a means of capping heat load. The roof profile also allows a third orientation to be introduced at high level, effectively providing flexibility on sites with restricted orientation. The lightwell at the heart of the house acts as a distributor of natural daylight and a conveyor of good quality air.
In summer, natural ventilation is achieved with the use of a light well and stack vents. The glazed high level light well creates warm buoyant air – as this is vented it will draw air from below. Trickle vents or open windows supply the fresh air that additionally provides cooling to occupants. Stack vents provide the necessary extract to kitchens and bathrooms.
In winter, mechanical heat recovery ventilation is used. Energy used to power the unit is significantly less than the heat energy recovered from kitchen and bathroom extracts. Some of the stack vents are used in winter mode, with the aid of changeover valves, to become supply and extract ducts. Trickle vents are closed via the building management system to ensure an airtight building.

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