passive solar design house

One has to be alone, under the sky, Before everything falls into place and one finds

his or her own place in the midst of it all. We have to have the humility to realize ourselves as part of nature.

Thomas Merton, from “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander”, 1965, pp. 294-295.

objectives

To build an as environmentally friendly house as possible Insulate as good as possible Reduce heating, electricity and water requirements Avoid draft, cold, dampness and mould Construct a “light” house, built to make use of sunlight Avoid waste or soil removal Use natural, reusable, recyclable materials Life cycle assessment approach

site selection

Site found in Riverhead township - close to creek, pub, restaurant, dairy and school

Site proved to be challenging

Intention was to turn constraints into features

site investigations & design preparations

Site “discovered” in January 2006 After checking council responsibilities, negotiations and

conversation started in February 2006 ARC contacted for wastewater disposal, very helpful and

negotiable Contacted RDC for stormwater and overland flow path,

difficult to get to the right person Babbage Consultants to carry out survey and geotech

investigation District plan requirements for setbacks, heights,

stormwater, trees

project data

809.00 m2 sloping site Two road frontages with 6m offset each Limited as to parcels, never surveyed No water, no sewer $400K max budget Swamp Several previous owners failed to build Soil quality unknown Huge pinetrees Overland flow path Springs Public stormwater line

site constraints

proposed site plan

proposed site plan

Boundary setbacks (District Plan)

proposed site plan

Boundary setbacks(District Plan)

Council Public Stormwater Line (had to be rerouted)

proposed site plan

Boundary setbacks(District Plan)

Council Public Stormwater Line(had to be rerouted)

Overland Flow Path (Had to be preserved)

proposed site plan

Boundary setbacks(District Plan)

Council Public Stormwater Line(had to be rerouted)

Overland Flow Path (Had to be preserved)

Wastewater Disposal Field (minimum size with maximum water saving devices located in suitable dry soil)

design – ground floor

Two platforms Separated by trench Bridge Triangular shape

facing north

Light

Water

Cool Air

design – upper floor

Light

Warm Air

Upper void area Two bedroom plus

study Storage area in

between Upper deck with

creek views High level void

windows East sun for

bedrooms

elevations

Elevation North West

Elevation East

material selection

Well insulated concrete floor slab H1.2 boron pine wall framing Untreated Macrocarpa for joists, rafters and beams Polyester insulation Untreated, unpainted Macrocarpa weatherboard Polypropylene cavity battens UPVC double glazed joinery Untreated Macrocarpa decking and flooring Longrun metal roofing

features

features

features

features

features

details

Detail view of north facade

A good amount of structural engineering and detailing went into this facade.

Eaves were specifically designed for summer shading and winter sun penetration.

UPVC window and door details needed special attention.

zero waste endavour

No soil was brought to site or removed

Macrocarpa and H1.2 Timber was all used on site

Treated timber offcuts could only be brought to Refuse Station

Surplus material returned to Carters (easy process)

Plasterboard surplus sold on Trademe

Plasterboard leftovers ground down for garden

Leftover concrete was crushed and used for retaining wall

Three rubbish bags

recycling

Collected mussel shells off the beach were integrated into the bathroom theme

Ballustrade offcuts were turned into a giant Jenga game

recycling

Concrete leftovers from the slab pouring was crsuhed into blocks and used for a retaining wall – drystacked

Leftover timber planks were used to build a terraced vegetable gaden facing north

Asphalt chunks found during excavation were used as stepstonesFor the vege garden

challenges

Mudbath:Earthworks in November

Foundation beams on piles in mud.

working