The architects behind this design imagined how ‘John Smith’ might live in the house over the course of a lifetime, and how the house could adapt as he married, started a family, set up a business from home, and converted part of the home to create a separate apartment for a grown up son. They made the house sufficiently sustainable to use and adapt to the physical and financial capacities of the occupants through the different stages of their lives. In its initial stage the house is a simple unit with a central core covering the provision of services (water, electricity, and internet) and installations (kitchen, bathroom). The concrete core supports various extensions that provide the space to accommodate occupants’ changing needs, such as extra living space or a home workplace. These extensions are constructed from precast concrete at ground floor level and prefabricated timber for upper floors. When no longer needed, these investments in additional space can be subdivided, sub-let or simply detached from the core home and resold to neighbours needing extra space. The design reaches Passivhaus standards of low energy operation by site orientation, storing solar heat in the concrete, high insulation levels and low air leakage through the building fabric. An overhang on the south façade provides solar shading in summer, while large windows allow good winter sun penetration and high levels of daylighting, reducing the need for artificial light. Triple glazed windows and a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery further limit energy demand. The flat roof provides the opportunity for solar water heating panel installation. Rainwater and/or grey water is collected for the low flush toilets; and surface water is drained to reed beds in the garden.
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