Simon Winstanley Architects - The Houl House

Simon Winstanley Architects have another award winning green house to add to their portfolio. The Houl, in southern Scotland, is not only net "zero carbon", but an impressive open-plan modern statement to boot.

The house is sited in a natural concave area of hillside facing principally west along the contours to enjoy the spectacular landscape setting of the river Ken valley and the ridges of the Rhinns of Kells hills opposite.

The intention was to create a contemporary single storey "long house" which is recessive in the landscape, sustainable in its construction, very low in energy consumption, and aiming for zero net emissions of carbon dioxide for all energy use in the house.

The design uses lightweight but highly insulated steel and timber frame construction, clad in cedar weatherboarding allowed to weather to a natural silver grey colour. The roof finish is pre-weathered grey standing seam zinc. Windows and external doors are triple glazed high performance timber, painted grey. All
insulation levels are to Passiv Haus standards.

The slope of the roof of the main living accommodation follows the slope of the hillside, with the rear roof meeting the main roof at a shallower angle to allow morning sunlight to penetrate the centre of the house.
The entrance to the house is sited on the north east side of the house under the cover of the roof to provide shelter from the prevailing wind. The principal rooms are situated along the contour of the site to enjoy the views across the valley to the west. The ancillary spaces are generally to the rear.
The house is net "zero carbon" by using very high levels of insulation, minimising air infiltration heating using an air source heat pump with a "whole house heat recovery ventilation system", and generating electricity using a wind turbine.

Plans

Photos: Andrew Lee - www.andrewleephotographer.com

Simon Winstanley Architects - Deepstone Residence

Simon Winstanley Architects

Deepstone Residence

Of the earth - nestled in to the site of a former quarry, Simon Winstanley Architects have created the perfect "viewmaster" in the Solway Firth, Scotland (National Scenic Area).

Overview
The design meets the client's brief for a contemporary, energy efficient home which fully embraces the view
and relates to the surrounding context and landscape. The light, airy first floor contrasting the solid lower level, minimising the visual impact of the house, nestling it into the site. Open plan, the predominantly glazed top floor, provides two living rooms and a wonderful central entertaining kitchen dining area. Quite how the guests will tear their eyes from the view is another issue all together.

Location
The site is a steeply sloping, former quarry in a National Scenic Area which slopes steeply in two directions from the quarry base which forms the only level ground access.
The house is conceived as a stone plinth which echos the exposed quarry face and houses the bedrooms
with a garage & entrance under at the level of the quarry base.

Layout & Materials
The principal living accommodation is expressed as a lightweight glazed "pavilion" sitting on the solid plinth. It is set back to form an external terrace facing the sea and to reduce the apparent mass of the house.
The glazed pavilion is constructed with a steel frame and highly insulated timber infill panels clad in cedar and triple glazed windows. The roof, although thick internally to provide very high levels of insulation, is cantilevered on all sides with projecting expressed douglas fir rafters to give a thin, elegant leading edge.
The roof is finished in standing seam pre-fabricated grey zinc. The masonry base is finished in stone from re-cycled quarry waste.








The design uses the most energy efficient construction & technology where possible as part of a sustainable approach to building for the future:

• the external walls, floor and roof are insulated to a high standard and air infiltration is minimised.
  
• triple glazed windows with warm edge spacer bars, thermally broken frames and inert gas filled to achieve a whole window u-value of 0.7W/m2K.
  
• heat pump using a borehole as the ground source for the underfloor heating and hot water system with a closed combustion wood burning stove as back up.
  
• micro generation of renewable electricity using roof mounted Photovoltaic Panels.
  
• whole house heat recovery ventilation system.
  

Awards
The project has recently received a string of awards - a prestigious Saltire Society Housing Design Award, one of only two awarded this year, a Design Commendation from the Glasgow Institute of Architects and a Chartered Institute of Building Commendation Award. The project was also shortlisted in the Roses Design Awards.






Project location
Solway Firth, Scotland
Architect
Simon Winstanley Architects

Plans










Further photos flickr