ABACUS
A 'near passive' family home in Bath
The clients had come some way along their journey towards building a new house in their sizeable garden before approaching Greenheart. They had been through the concept design and planning process with CASA Architects who had provided them with a fantastic design. We were excited to be invited to take control of the rest of the project.
It became evident that the clients were keen to have close control of the cost implications of any technical design decisions. So instructing us, the builders, to carry out the technical design work alongside the costing process made perfect sense. We were able to navigate a route through this complex stage, which started and ended with a clear budget and performance outcome.
We reviewed the aesthetic and technical design decisions with respect to the projected cost at every stage and by doing so, were able to arrive at an approach which met the clients expectations on all fronts.
The plot was always going to be tricky. The building was to sit several meters below the road and the adjacent house. Lengthy design discussions between ourselves and George Holland at Element Structures lead to the conclusion that a suspended car-parking deck, over a series of masonry walls perpendicular to the road, would serve to buttress the existing stone retaining wall and provide a machine supporting deck from which lifting operations could take place. If you would like to know how we got machinery in and out afterwards, ask Finn!
It became evident that the clients were keen to have close control of the cost implications of any technical design decisions. So instructing us, the builders, to carry out the technical design work alongside the costing process made perfect sense. We were able to navigate a route through this complex stage, which started and ended with a clear budget and performance outcome.
We reviewed the aesthetic and technical design decisions with respect to the projected cost at every stage and by doing so, were able to arrive at an approach which met the clients expectations on all fronts.
The plot was always going to be tricky. The building was to sit several meters below the road and the adjacent house. Lengthy design discussions between ourselves and George Holland at Element Structures lead to the conclusion that a suspended car-parking deck, over a series of masonry walls perpendicular to the road, would serve to buttress the existing stone retaining wall and provide a machine supporting deck from which lifting operations could take place. If you would like to know how we got machinery in and out afterwards, ask Finn!
Credits
Concept/planning - CASA Architects
Planning amendments/Technical design - Henry Duncan, Greenheart
Structural design - Element structures
Energy Consultancy/modelling - Piers Sadler
Concept/planning - CASA Architects
Planning amendments/Technical design - Henry Duncan, Greenheart
Structural design - Element structures
Energy Consultancy/modelling - Piers Sadler
Stats
Heat demand (space heating)- 12.6 kwh/m2/yr
Airtightness- 0.35 m3/h/m2
U-values (Average, w/m2k)
Wall 0.12
Floor 0.09
Roof 0.11
Openings 0.73
Heat demand (space heating)- 12.6 kwh/m2/yr
Airtightness- 0.35 m3/h/m2
U-values (Average, w/m2k)
Wall 0.12
Floor 0.09
Roof 0.11
Openings 0.73