Energy Efficient Family Home - Ardmore

BRIEF

To build a brand new energy efficient family home.  This building is the brain-child of Diego Vargas, one of MWA’s inhouse architects and the owner of Ardmore. It encompasses years of experience and firsthand knowledge of design and construction technologies.  Diego designed and project-managed this build from start to finish. A period of time living in the old building provided  a good understanding of the site’s geography, orientation, views and  the impact of the changing seasons on the existing well-established gardens. This in turn helped Diego design the best fit for both his family and the location.

A pallet of locally sourced materials creates an elegant composition of timber, handmade clay brick, natural slate, glass and metal.  Its distinctive timber clad gable arches provide an inviting, friendly façade, whilst giving the building its distinctive shape.

Diego chose a SIPs frame (timber Structurally Insulated Panels), which delivered the two main goals of the construction brief.  Firstly, by making the thermal envelope highly efficient  (well beyond minimum statutory requirements), and secondly by providing a speedy site execution.  

Conscious design decisions like the overhanging gables (front and back) provide solar shading to naturally control any overheating gains from the largely glazed open plan living areas.

The design incorporates a ground source heat pump with vertically drilled boreholes.  This  supplies ample heat for both the underfloor heating system and hot water requirements of a family of four + regular visitors.  The installation allowed for the removal of the mains gas connection to the old building.