The client came to Ratio with a brief to create a multigenerational house to Passive House Low Energy Building Standards. There were numerous challenges with this small lot to create a house to meet the needs for multiple generations. This contemporary energy-efficient house with it’s zinc and brick cladding has a contemporary facade with main living spaces on the top floor overlooking the gardens. All the living spaces have direct access to outdoor spaces – terraces, courtyards or the garden, creating indoor/outdoor living spaces.

This house is a smart home and energy efficient, with windows oriented to maximise solar gain but with a sufficient overhang to ensure shading from the high summer sun, aided by the tall deciduous trees on the site. The east of the house faces onto a busy street, timber screens were designed to create privacy but still allow light through.

Designed to meet low energy Passive House building standards this timber frame and concrete house is super insulated throughout, as well as being lapped and taped to achieve an air permeability result of 0.3 ACH on the first blower door test. The final is still to be completed and we’re hoping it will be even better! Details were carefully considered to either eliminate or minimise the effect of thermal bridges on the energy demand.

This house is bright and full of sunlight, healthy, draught free, warm in winter and has a very low energy demand. The result is a contemporary home which manages to both exploit and respect the environment in which it is situated.