Carwoola House 2017

Carwoola House

Passive solar principles: Orientation to let winter sun into the living spaces and exclude sun in summer (the 270-degree views from north to south include beautiful mountains and valley); extensive insulation to retain winter heat and summer cool inside; thermal mass in the walls (cavity brick) and floor to maintain a stable inside temperature; cross flow ventilation for spring and autumn; shielded from western sun by a rock ledge.

Passivhaus technologies used: fully sealed windows and doors which complete the building envelope with a membrane to prohibit air movement, except through a filtered 1kW heat-exchange ventilation system in the extremes of summer and winter (and excludes dust and fog); the windows and doors are triple glazed, thermally broken and seal shut like a fridge door; a thermal break beam also runs the perimeter of the house at the junction between the slab and the cavity brick wall insulation; a membrane is employed to allow moisture to move from inside to outside, thereby preventing condensation, but ensuring that the air is kept stable inside the home.

Read more about this Carwoola House in Sanctuary 40. Article written by Rachael Bernstone and photography by Paul Barnett