House E is a small double storey residential house located in Lynnwood Ridge, Pretoria. The house borders the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve; therefore key concepts of the design include the integration of the house and surrounding natural landscape as well as the enhancement of the surrounding suburban context. The open plan design and large glazed openings allow a fluent transition between the interior and the exterior, optimising the use of South Africa’s generous warm climate.
To integrate the house with the nature reserve landscape, natural vegetation is allowed to grow around the building and on planted balconies. Natural rocks found on the site are utilised in the building facade. Seamless flow between inside and outside is accomplished by large glazed facades, sliding glass doors which integrate the inside and outside spaces and blur the boundary between living inside and lounging outside.
Sustainable, low maintenance and cost effective construction form the core of the design. Materials include reclaimed bricks, reclaimed pine used for ceilings and wall cladding, textured concrete walls, exposed polished concrete floors and natural stone. Honesty of materials are illustrated in the house, completing an overall concept of nature and design.
Holistic passive design optimises the interior climate of the house and eliminates the need for alternative means of heating and cooling. The orientation and location of windows and roof overhangs are calculated to provide optimal summer shading whilst allowing the sun to penetrate the house during winter. These calculations take into consideration the angle of the sun during different times of the year based on the latitude of the site. The exposed concrete floors absorb the sun’s heat during winter days and release the stored heat on winter nights. The high thermal mass of the stone, concrete and brick walls similarly stores the sun’s heat during the day and releases it at night. By utilizing the site specific prevailing wind direction, natural cross ventilation is optimised throughout the house to assist in cooling during the summer months. Low emissivity glass reduces solar radiation through glazed facades. Sufficient roof insulation and cavity walls on the western facade lowers the thermal conductivity of the building skin and prevents summer heat from entering the interior spaces.
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