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Retiring Perth gym owners engaged architect Threadgold Architecture to bring their Harvey house design vision to fruition. The couple sought some solitude of the picturesque Harvey countryside famous for it’s lush citrus orchards. The architectural brief included passive solar design principles and net zero equivalency for the Harvey house design. The blank canvas of the rural landscape required fresh thinking to satisfy the brief requiring airbnb accommodation across a single storey.
The architectural layout conceived by Threadgold Architecture responds to the natural picturesque beauty of rural Harvey setting. The surrounding rural landscape backdrop frames the material palette locally sourced hardwood timbers, single lock standing seam cladding.
The central gallery-style hallway to the bedroom wing connects the entry and open-plan living spaces. The building’s axis, dimensions and proportions of the architectural layout ensure conformance to pragmatic passive solar design principles. Calculated eaves dimension and fenestration proportions ensure the potential for solar heat gain during the cooler winter months. The architectural house design includes highlight windows that generate an ever-changing play of light throughout the day. A polished concrete slab provides pragmatic benefits of thermal mass for the passive solar house design.
The owner’s architectural brief provided to the architect placed significant importance on environmentally sustainable design. Passive solar design principles and energy-efficiency due to the Harvey latitude and location. This Harvey house design cleverly achieves passive solar principles on a east-to-west orientated architectural design. Calculated eaves catch winter heat gain, when the sun is at its lower azimuth, and eliminates the summer heat gain. The architectural spatial layout incorporates highlight windows that maximize natural light through the daylight hours and create ‘stack effect’ ventilation. The residence’s correctly proportioned and strategically located fenestration to maximize cross-ventilation. An adjustable Vergola roof cover to the court ensures that the owner can enjoy indoor-outdoor living throughout the wet season.
