CLEARWATER HOUSE
#passiveenergymachine
This house was not only designed as a climatic responsive machine, but as a family leisure experience uniquely matched to this family.
The design strategically addresses some fundamental design issues.
Clearwater Flyfishing Estate is located in the colder south of Pretoria, and the stand overlooks the Rietvlei dam. It is situated on the edge of the estate park where it overlooks the fly fishing dams. In a localised climate where the sun sets early behind a western hill, the main objective was to design a house with ample heat gain opportunities, and sensible insulation from the cold winter exterior. When clients
give you freedom to explore climatic building science to enhance the comfort levels of a house, an architect eagerly embrace the opportunity. The original design boasted some of the most cutting edge climatically responsive strategies, both active
and passive. These include heat gain “trombe walls”, strategically adjustable heat gain and heat relief airflow openings, low energy electric heat extraction, insulated cavity walls, double glazing, amongst other unique construction details. Special sun studies explored the best massing options for winter sun exposure and summer sun shading.
We as architects get super passionate about customised design solutions that uniquely addresses climatic issues and sustainabilty, personalised design, and brave aesthetics that speak of personal expression, reflecting the client’s personality.
The result is a comfortable “relationship-centered” family home that connects and invites you to the adventures outside, while offering extremely comfortable interior spaces. Ample cross ventilation of the focal living space makes the view outside tangible to the occupant when the breeze brushes your skin. This house reflects a high quality lifestyle of a contemporary family. We love the boma, the patio that fused with the kitchen/dining room, the visitor knocking at the foyer allowed to look over the beautiful view and the suave curves we created.
Aesthetically this house boasts clean lines, and appears as a fundmentally “simple” construction, while actually being expressly functional to the family’s personal requirements and taste for neat interior spaces.
