How were you commissioned?:
By a private property owner, how?, by reference to our work through our web site.
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What was the brief from the client and how much were they involved?:
This is a very small house designed for a senior couple. It has only one main bedroom and a studio, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a service patio and the living dining area. She is 67 year old retired interior designer and he is 73 year old writer and TV Host. The main idea was to move them from their old big house into a smaller one, which was built in the existing garden (a legally separated plot of land) so they can afterwards sell the larger property.
How did the brief affect the materials and design choices?:
Materials where affected by the Budget but mainly by our C02 countdown.
How did your previous experience help you with this project?:
We learn from all our projects, so it is hard to say exactly or quantify it. But we have been increasing all our efforts in using a performance base design process, from the very beginning of the creative and envision face. BIM and Weather analysis has been developing very fast as primordial tools at our office, by now, we do not do anything without these two tools.
Can you explain the layout of the project:
The project foresees the opportunity to use reinterpretation as a consistent creative tool. By mimicking orientation strategy and a very simple functional diagram, the new construction relinks to the notion of history and accustomed-living behavior patterns. Open space allow direct sun light to enter from the south side, east and west side are offset inner plot, so only north side is at property line. The idea is to transit from a 2,754 sq.ft. Old construction to a 1,937 sq.ft. one, mainly same program, roughly different space quality experience.
What problems or challenges did you face?:
The very restrictive budget 200 thousand usd
What do you feel were the most unusual design elements of the project?:
All rain water is picked up by the roof and main terrace, then passes thru two main carbon activated filters, and becomes drinking water, so there is almost no water dependency from the grid.
How do you think this project is pushing design forward? What makes it special?:
We are achieving the energy use standard for 2030 "The 2030 Challenge". Operational cost is about 15 usd per month, and the project is almost free of water dependency for the grid. Interior temperatures are in comfort zone and we thing the key challenge to attain all this by a very tight and rigorous budget control system.
Please provide details of product names and suppliers where possible.:
Caesarestone Teka Vives American Standard Chilewich Innover Estevez Duravit Dupont
