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Architects: Anderson Architecture
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Nick Bowers
Text description provided by the architects. Optimal climate control can make any home a haven. With one half of the client couple hailing from the UK, our brief for a new house was clear. They wanted a light-filled, comfortable family home, with easy access to the great Aussie backyard, and thermal performance that would minimize reliance on artificial heating and cooling year round. Thermal modeling proved our combination of passive and active design measures could achieve an 8-star performance rating. And all of this in a two-story residence whose living zone would need to face the hot afternoon sun.
To address significant overshadowing from a hulking neighbor to the north, we proposed a light-seeking, two-story form with a bright, full-height living-room void. In a neighborly response, we designed a slanted, folding roof to the south, maximizing light for those in shadow on the opposite boundary. On hot afternoons, temperature-triggered, computerized louvers were designed to adjust automatically, screening the void to help cool the entire home. In the event of rain, a moving roof form above the terrace can be deployed remotely via a smartphone or personal device.
Thermally broken, Low-E windows were a cost-effective eco-friendly architecture measure for high thermal performance throughout the home, and air quality was considered, too, with low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) finishes throughout. Solar-powered, hydronic, underfloor heating adds extra warmth to this home’s hub in winter but, in reality, this is rarely needed. The concrete floor’s thermal mass, combined with the building’s reverse brick veneer construction means indoor temperatures remain stable in all but the most extreme of weather conditions, even without eaves or overhangs.
