Our clients had lived in an existing house on the site for several years before they approached us to design a new house. The house had to fit into the existing neighbourhood and the established garden. And importantly the brief from the clients had a very strong emphasis on environmental sustainability.
Contractor: Mark Haimes - Haimes Building Ltd.
Photographer: Arthouse Architecture Ltd.
The design of the house incorporates:
room layout to maximise sun in the winter
large eaves to control summer sun
high levels of insulation
high level windows for natural ventilation
solar hot water panels
the use of natural materials and finishes
The clients are also developing a separate grey and black waste water system, collecting rainwater and have included an underfloor hot water heating system heated by a combination of solar panels, wet back from the wood burner and electrical back up.