The slot house is a modest yet inspired addition to a Californian Bungalow in Brighton Le Sands.
The project evolved from the desire to breathe new life into a character filled home, while creating generous , light-filled living spaces that opened up to the well-established rear garden. The design is underpinned by innovation and excellence in terms of Environmental Sustainability, by doing "More with Less " - spatially and materially.
In the words of the client: "The design made the ordinary extraordinary. The design was more than aesthetic, it was holistic: it embraced and respected our vision, budget, lifestyle and location. "
The Clients' brief and passion to renovate a well-loved house with Environmental Sustainable Design principles and a tight budget drove every decision.
The layout was derived from the spatial concept of "The Slot", bringing light and breeze into all rooms of the house and connecting the living spaces to the garden, so heating and cooling costs could be minimised.
Emotionally as well as physically, senses are heightened through the connection to the greenery of the garden and the views of the sky, creating a peaceful retreat for the family.
Three "Slots" were introduced:
- Skylights connecting the new and old parts of the house, defining a linear circulation path through the house and bringing pools of lights into the centre of the house.
- The rear wall consists of glass and sliding doors with a surrounding steel frame to contain the views of the garden and sky and provide shading from the Northern and Western sun.
- The internal layout is arranged to have a dining area with window bench seating along the side wall to take in the intimate views of the side garden, adjacent to the kitchen, which acts as the counterpoint to the room, the main focus internally.
KEY INTIATIVES
- Walls, floors and roof were insulated above the BASIX requirements to ensure no further heat loss or gain.
- A rainwater tank was installed for grey water recycling and garden watering and the laundry was designed without a dryer and fixtures selected for their optimum water saving performance.
- Innovation in material select, in terms of de-materialisation, "Less with more", using carbonated bamboo cladding and decking and pre-finished limed bamboo engineered floorboards.
- Timber windows and doors were chosen for their higher performance in reducing heat loss and low embodied energy and carbon footprint in production.
- Appliances and fixtures were selected for their water and energy saving ratings
- Feature lights "Scrap Lights" by Gray pants were selected for their innovative use of recycled cardboard, LED lights throughout
