Meet the architect-owners. Close to passive house standard new-build with green-roof, nicknamed the ‘hairy house’. Focus on insulation, natural daylight and air tightness, with thermal mass elements for heat regulation. Includes whole house heat recovery with ventilation.
Open: 22nd & 28th September
Type: New build
Built: 2007
Further information
Emma and Jeremy say: ‘We are both fully qualified Architects, running our own Cambridge based practice, Ashworth Parkes Architects. We purchased the site for our house in 2006. It is very small, measuring 7.5m by 10.5m, and is flanked by 3m high walls to the East and the North, and a 2m high wall to the West. The house is clad in a larch rain screen, there is a grass and wildflower roof and several roof lights to mitigate the restriction on windows on three of the main elevations.
Inside the feeling is bright and spacious. Light floods in via big windows from the courtyard and lots of skylights from the flat roof – which couldn’t be higher than the neighbouring terrace’s eaves. The downstairs is sunken, to give more useable height. Rooms have high ceilings and the back of the house is full-height.
The house has a strong design philosophy:
- Really good insulation
- Lots of thermal mass
- Natural ventilation and cooling
- Build in eco-features, not add-ons.’
Key features
- ‘Keep it simple’ principle: maximise insulation, natural daylight, air-tightness
- Insulation: roof, walls, floors, green roof
- Thermal mass: concrete, temperature moderation
- Heating: underfloor heating downstairs and two heated towel rails upstairs
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