Caymans Post

A world within. A state apart.
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Raised in Just 10 Days, This Airtight Prefab Is a Lesson in Efficiency

Raised in Just 10 Days, This Airtight Prefab Is a Lesson in Efficiency

This stunning forest retreat in England uses prefabricated panels to minimize site impact, shorten construction time, and protect against weather.

London-based architecture and design studio Alma-nac designed House in the Woods, a contemporary home surrounded by pristine forest in England’s South Downs National Park to replace a decrepit, 1950s bungalow. The new 240-square-meter dwelling retains the former building’s simple gabled form and footprint, but offers greater flexibility with its ability to change from a single bedroom home to five bedrooms for large family gatherings. The project’s construction value was approximately $830,000, not including value-added tax.

To speed up construction and to create a weathertight envelope, House in the Wood’s superstructure was prefabricated offsite using structurally-insulated panels. The external walls are clad in thermally-treated timber and hand-cut brick, while natural slate tops the sloped roof.



"Nowadays, timber is no longer considered an insulating material in energy-efficient design: it is a cold bridge in wall and roof construction," says Alman-ac partner Tristan Wigfall. "Constructed using SIPs (Structurally Insulated Panels) technology, panelized construction far out-performs timber frame methods both in terms of thermal efficiency and airtightness of the completed structure."

Each panel of rigid insulation, lined on each side with timber skins, stretches the height of the full story and carries the building load. After all the wall/floor junctions are sealed, the resulting building is both incredibly airtight and thermally insulated. This lowers the heating requirement in winter and, thanks to passive ventilation via Velux roof lights, keeps the interior comfortable in summer.



To complement the highly insulated construction, floors were built with concrete that function as "heat sinks," storing heat during the day and releasing that heat at night. If the homeowners do need heating, they can use the air source heat pump-powered underfloor heating installed in the concrete slabs, localized radiators, or a wood-burning stove. A heat-recovery unit continually introduces fresh air into the airtight home.



Designed to embrace the outdoors, House in the Woods features large glazed openings on the west side to emphasize indoor-outdoor living and offer direct access to the landscaped garden. A large roof terrace provides elevated views.



The social areas of the home are tucked into the south side with a large fireplace dividing the full-width living room from the kitchen and dining areas.



The bedrooms are located on the more private, northern end of the building, with the master bedroom and a spare room placed on the upper floor. Full-height sliding partitions can be used to cordon off areas or create additional bedrooms when needed.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Caymans Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×