NEW BUILD PASSIVHAUS HOMES

One Point Five Architecture is proposing a development of three new homes in the back garden of a house on the edge of a village in Suffolk.

The proposals reinterpret the traditional local vernacular as a way to achieve high-quality, low-impact new homes in an area of relatively low land values.

The steeply pitched gables of the half timbered houses in the area are expressed as a triangular form with a timber A-frame structure. The simplicity and economy of this system more than offsets the cost of achieving the Passivhaus standard. The A-frame structure facilitates screw pile cantilever foundations, removing the need for concrete, which reduces construction impacts.

The houses are arranged in a friendly layout, with the homes fanning out to optimise sunlight and privacy to the large living room windows and raised deck patios.

A-frame house design for sustainability and viability

Each house has a double-height living space, open to the ceiling like a mediaeval hall. This opens onto a raised deck, with the glazing shaded to prevent summer overheating.

Eaves storage mediates the form of the house with characterful, practical living spaces and bedrooms.

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