The Design - Technology
Rather than relying on technology to make the house comfortable I planned to rely on nature as much as possible and use a passive approach.
The houses are designed so that most of the living spaces (main bedrooms and lounge) face South and have large windows to let the sun in while “service spaces” (bathrooms, stairs and kitchens) are tucked away to the North and have small windows to lose less heat. The house is super-insulated, keeping in heat in the winter and out in the summer. Opening windows upstairs (especially in the attic) and North-facing windows downstairs allows a cooling “Passive Stack” effect as heat rises and draws cool fresh air through the house. The walls are “breathable”; finished with natural materials (clay plaster etc) rather than sealed with waterproof modern materials, giving a pleasant quality to the air inside the houses.”
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