Coffey Architects

A four bedroom new build house in Rutland. The proposal uses the houses situation, between village and countryside and its relation to the winter sun as the starting point for the development of the form. The house opens up to the sun to the south, with thick walls to retain heat to the north. Arranged around a courtyard garden, the house is designed with a contradictory bilateral symmetry, front to back and east to west, a strong axis for entry, a clear hierarchy and a play on the sense of enclosure.
With maximal insulation and air tightness, the sun will provide almost all the heat needed for space heating and hot water. In winter, a woodchip boiler provides sustainable heat. Heat recovery ventilation provides fresh, clean air. The house has been designed to achieve the level of Code 5 of the code for sustainable homes. The house is conceived as a cave, a secure, warm place directly connected to the wild outdoors.