Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments

51

Above  e interior fi nish on walls and fl oors

consists of sustainably sourced hoop pine

plywood, a native timber. As the tree canopy

is very high, the house has no spectacular

views. Consequently, the residence is more

internally focused; in the architect’s words,

“womblike.”

Site Conservation

52 Sustainable Environments

Michaelis Boyd Associates,

Oxford Gardens Residence,

London, United Kingdom

 is family residence preserves the expanse

of a designated open lot and adheres to the

stringent North Kensington neighborhood

planning regulations by building under-

ground.  e house rises no higher than 1.8

meters (6 feet) from street grade. A curv-

ing ramp descends from the street to the

entrance, between concrete retaining walls

that host abundant plantings.  e vegetated

roof of the house, satisfying both environ-

mental and planning board needs, is planted

with sedum, wild strawberries, and thyme.

As the surface has become part of the local

ecosystem, other fl owers have self-seeded.

Replacing the original green space with a

new vegetated roof has in fact improved

what was a derelict urban lot littered with

junked appliances.

53

bedroom

Site Conservation

14.6 m (47'-10

3

/

4

")

11.2 m (36'-9")

10 m (32'-9

3

/

4

")

9 m (29'-6

3

/

8

")

8.3 m (27'-2

3

/

4

")

6.9 m (22'-7

5

/

8

")

12 m (39'-4

1

/

2

")

11.7 m (38'-4

1

/

4

")

10 m (32'-9

3

/

4

") datum line

extensive green roof over reinforced-concrete deck

pool

living area

Above  e site was excavated to a depth

of 4 meters (13.1 feet) for the cast-in-place

concrete structure.  e structural require-

ments of building underground called for the

use of concrete, but it also provides thermal

mass, preventing extreme fl uctuations in the

interior temperature. Along the sides of the

building, solar panels have been added to in-

crease the effi ciency of the building systems;

photovoltaic panels to generate electricity;

and thermal panels for the domestic hot-

water system.

54 Sustainable Environments

55

Above and Opposite Although its exter-

nal form is somewhat austere, the interior

dispels any myths about underground living:

 e spaces are airy and well illuminated by

a skylight and large windows.  e fi rst level

is open to the pool on the lower level (also

accessible by a slide made of Corian). Similar

to a geothermal heating system, the water in

the home is obtained without cost from an

aquifer 100 meters (328 feet) underground—

a well was drilled in the yard. Once processed

through a heat pump, it is used for hot water,

radiant heating, and in the pool.  e pool

also functions as a heat sink, keeping the

temperature throughout the house constant.

Site Conservation