Private House Culmore, Derry

This large private house in the Culmore Area of Derry is a modernist interpretation of a traditional long house. The house uses passive solar energy to enhance its green credentials with all living and bedroom spaces facing due south and the circulation zone acting as a buffer to the north.

High insulation levels together with good air-tight building construction make the house particularly energy efficient.

The windows are thermally broken aluminium with K glass double glazed units with argon gas between.

Externally the building is broken down into elements to reduce its size and each element is given its own individual treatment. (The house is purposely made long and pushed as close to the north as possible to enhance privacy but also to maximise the south facing garden which receives sun from dawn until dusk.

The circulation zone has a robust random rubble stone wall and flat roof. The main living accommodation block has a mono-pitch roof so that solar panels have a southerly orientation to capture the sun’s heat whilst the ancillary block is clad in untreated cedar.