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UK 2012-6 [Project] A detached house on a typical residential plot. Use of space is open, adaptable and flexible. Based on Space Standard Study of London Housing Design Guide, the house is designed with two bedrooms for 3 persons. The house is able to be three bedrooms for 4 persons by inserting another bedroom, and to be two bedrooms for 4 persons or three bedrooms for six persons if the house has an extra depth of 1.6m. The house is suitable and easily adaptable for occupation by a wheelchair user at a later date, achieving an inclusive environment. The house provides for the installation of a wheelchair accessible lift connecting a circulation space on the entrance level with a circulation space on the level of the main bedroom. A structural opening of adequate size for a wheelchair accessible lift is built in. The space could be used for storage until the need for a lift arises. As we move towards a digital society smart home systems will become a standard feature in our homes. A simple and flexible user interface can be tailored to different types of users. An intelligent docking port for an electric vehicle is capable of two-way interaction between the car's batteries and the home energy systems. In December 2006, the UK Government promised that all new homes would be 'zero carbon' from 2016. The house will integrate sustainable and renewable technologies. The house is of timber frame construction, built upon a reinforced concrete ground floor. Timber is completely renewable building material. Wood has almost zero embodied energy because it is grown with solar power. Materials and products are mostly naturally sourced, recycled and/or reclaimed and recyclable. All rooms have two controllable opening louvres, where the ventilation function has been separated from the daylight and view function. The openings contribute to both stack and wind-induced ventilation that is realised as cross-ventilation, where air enters on one side of the room, and leaves on the opposite side. Natural ventilation has several benefits: low running cost, zero energy consumption, low maintenance. An under-floor heating system and the hot water are pre-heated by a ground source heat pump. Apart from providing privacy, the venetian blind at the windows reduce solar heat gain during summer months when the sun is at its highest. The blinds can be angled to allow daylight but block any direct sunlight. Photovoltaic solar panels are installed on the flat roof and provide electricity, a savings of carbon. Rainwater is harvested from the roof and stored in a tank and is used to irrigate the planters and garden. |