The design response
The design response was to provide an L-shape house plan that captured the prevailing morning south-east breezes through to the afternoon north-east breezes. The L-shape plan assisted in providing a clearly recognised street address to the house that is often a problem with a corner site having two street frontages. This form of 'good manners architecture' clearly expresses a design solution that is simple and responsible.
The central living area forms the focus of the two wings of the house and allows for the internal cross-ventilation strategy of harvesting the prevailing breezes. This allows regular air changes to occur, providing for a refreshing, cooling internal environment and removing unwanted pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOC's).
The two vented gambrel roof forms at opposite ends of the L-shape wings take advantage of the prevailing breezes. As a result of air pressure differentials, air is drawn into the roof space providing cross-ventilation air movement through to the vented roof cavity at the north-west elevation of the house. Gable forms have been incorporated in the roof in the 'elbow' of the house to provide an appropriate focus and to provide further roof space ventilation.
The orientation problem has been minimised by using a number of recognised design techniques that collectively assist in reducing the heat load on the external building envelope and aid in a cooling effect on the internal living areas.
Some of these design techniques include:
- spatial planning of room zonation, (living, sleeping, service and circulation);
- insulation of walls, roof-ceiling cavity;
- ventilation (passive and mechanical such as climate modification technologies eg. ceiling fans);
- shading of windows and walls;
- application of 'smart glazing techniques', using glazing with an appropriate 'Solar Heat Gain Coefficient' and is 'Solar Spectral Selective', using the WERS (Window Energy Rating Scheme) program;
- daylighting strategy using 'angular selective skylights'; and
- appropriate and responsive landscape design.
Last updated 07 July 2005
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