The house is 904m2 overall, and cost EU750,000. The build period was 25 months and the client acted as contractor, supported by the design team to supervise the trade contractors.
The design primarily is a meticulously planned house to cater for an organic modern family. However, the architect team has explored what an appropriate design response might be in a small country recently ravaged by war.
The strength and solidity of the reinforced concrete offers safety and security, which has a long tradition locally and is important to the psyche. Yet the interiors are open, defined by the penetration of natural light into the flowing spaces. The weight and sculptural quality of the in situ concrete, which appears to grow from the earth, is offset by the angled facets and delicate edges that change as the sun passes.
As the climate is extreme with Mediterranean summers and winters which can bring deep cold and heavy snows, responsible energy use was a key consideration. Achieved through passive means, the house benefits both from the inertia that the heavily insulated construction provides, and from the ingress of winter sun through deeply recessed fenestration.
The orientation of the house, angled into the high north-east corner of the site, takes advantage of beneficial eastern, southern and western aspects. With the fa-çade’s large triple glazed elements open, an immediate and compelling connection to the gardens and terraces is revealed, with activity spilling outdoors as a natural result.
H house is located in an environment striving to find itself. The dynamism of the structure in such a prominent setting has become a symbol of confidence in the landscape.
For this project the design team set out to create a passive solution that would take advantage of the location and orientation of the site by applying straightforward principals.
At H House, the key components of the building envelope are its heavily insulated reinforced concrete façades and triple glazed windows. The high thermal mass and air tight construction cope well with the seasonal temperature variations, and have resulted in a house that takes little energy to maintain a comfortable environment in any weather.
The orientation of the house is focused toward the South West, where large windows open onto the gardens and to the views of Prishtina beyond. The windows are set back 1200mm from the eaves to provide shading from the overhead sun in summer, and to allow the low winter sun to penetrate and heat the interior spaces of the house. The elevated location allows natural cross ventilation to provide cooling in the summer months.
The house has intelligent response systems for comfort control which automatically operates glazing louvres and opens window fan lights. The heating system is a dual air/water thermal heat pump, which supplies underfloor heating throughout, and can be supplemented by a wood pellet boiler should temperatures drop below -25C°.
Low energy lighting has been used both inside and externally, which are set automatically to switch off at night to further reduce energy use and light pollution.
Material Used :
Exterior products:
1. Garden constructions (canopy, pergola, pavilion): Inter Cadra
2. Garden lightning: Adria 7
3. Fences: Fidan
4. Roof: Izolimi
5. Wicona Facade: Agrobutrinti
6. Isolations: Izolimi
Interior products:
1. Kitchen: Binni
2. Bedroom: Dekra
3. Bathroom: Kerasan
4. Ceramics: Albaqeramika
5. Children’s room: Dekra
6. Living room: Natuzzi
7. Fireplace: Agens Plus Kamina Skopje
8. Sofas: Natuzzi
9. Lightning: Adria 7
10. Flooring: Ontexi Mont
11. Wall covering: Boston Group
12. Water fixtures: Kerasan
13. Doors: Binni
14. Wicona Windows: Agrobutrinti
15. Security systems: Professional Alarm
16. Sustainable resources: Klimasan Daikin
17. Miele Kitchen fixtures: Binni
18. Audio/ video: Prova Center
19. Smart home: Professional Alarm
