BUILDING A SOLAR HOUSE IN FRANCE - DESIGN - BUILDING A SOLAR HOUSE IN FRANCE - DESIGN

Comment:

Original conception in 2002 - garage and house linked by a roofed area carrying solar photovoltaic collectors. More collectors on the main roof providing domestic hot water. Super-insulated walls and roof, all of timber construction. Main house sits on top of basement (sous sol) with studio and spare bedroom. This early design had a 'sun space' on the south corner which modelling with SPIEL showed was less effective than direct solar gain to the living area.

Jan 30, 2006 - 11:55 AM

Site photo showing the wooded character of the site. The land slopes west, with a view over Brantome (in winter when the leaves have fallen). Site is 40 m wide and 104 m long - nearly 4000 msq (an acre) and entirely covered with a mixture of mostly young oak trees, a few maritime pines, some chestnuts and hazel.

Later design drawing (2005)after the project had been postponed for a couple of years for reasons of finance. By that time we had had further thoughts and sited the house further down away from the road in a slight clearing in the middle of the woodland and on a steeper slope, allowing a larger sous sol or basement and cellar floor level with bigger studio and spare bedroom. In this position no mature trees had to be cut down. Square plan with minimum surface area and a vertical rooflight over the mezzanine level. Area of solar collectors increased.

Album last updated on Feb 26, 2008 - 06:45 AM