The Maurer Residence by Allen+Maurer Architects
Allen+Maurer Architects designed this house located in Naramata, British Columbia, Canada.
From the architects:
No tree was cut, no rock was blasted, no contours remodelled. 4 small buildings surrounded by existing trees form a private, tranquill garden. The simple shed roofs flow with the land toward a splendid view of Okanagan Lake.
“Form-Follows-Physics” guided the design: simple roofs, no roof intersections, large overhangs, good ventilation, finishes that are durable and appropriate to the climate: tile flooring, metal cladding and -roofing, state-of-the-art Low-E glazing.
Placement of buildings, roof overhangs, existing mature trees, performance of glazing product, thermal mass of concrete slab and tile flooring, all reduce heat gain in summer and made air conditioning unnecessary.
Visit the website of Allen+Maurer Architects – here.
Mycroft on 12 Dec 2008 at 8:40 am #
Nice. I just hope those tiles are heated. This is Canada, eh?
Sara on 12 Dec 2008 at 4:59 pm #
The Pacific coast has a mild climate.
Does Seattle need heated tiles? I doubt it… A few hundred kilometers north of Washington DOES actually have a similar climate to Washington itself. Believe it or not.
UrbanDesign on 13 Dec 2008 at 10:11 am #
Well, I mean in the 3rd picture from the bottom there is clearly snow on the ground and roof, so obviously it gets cold enough to require some sort of heat, and with those wood frames and huge panes of glass, I would be interested in hearing what kind of solutions they came up with to make this home energy efficient. Anywyas, I like the simplicity of the forms and details.
grey on 17 Dec 2008 at 2:13 pm #
“the pacific coast has a mild climate” – this is true, but Naramata’s climate is semi-arid as it is an extension of the Sanora Desert that extends North from the United States. So yes it gets cold in the winter, but it also gets very hot in the summer. Regardless, an excellent example of hillside development in a region where flat areas are extensively used for agriculture (Naramata produces world class wines) and are under increasing development pressure. Well, that was until the economy bottomed. Ooops.
Chris on 17 Dec 2008 at 3:29 pm #
Naramata is actually located in the near desert climate of the Okanagan Valley. Managing sun and desert heat will be as important to the design as any other consideration.
The Naramata region is famous for its hot sunny weather, wineries and fruit orchards and large sandy beaches. While it does snow, the winters are very mild by Canadian standards.
Visit http://www.okanagan.com/ for more information.
Zissou on 19 Dec 2008 at 3:01 pm #
I’ve been to this house and it’s spectacular. Beautifully sited, fantastic design, and well built – to it’s owner/designer’s exacting standards. It’s a house that is very well suited to the hot, dry summers with it’s massive sliding doors and master bedroom located in a satellite building … less suited to the cold Okanagan winters. I’d live there either way – a remarkable residence.
A side note based on the comment above: while BC is a Pacific province, the Okanagan Valley is by no means near the Pacific Ocean. Vancouver and Seattle’s climate is moderated by the Pacific whereas the Okanagan’s climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cold winters.
Delve on 27 Dec 2008 at 7:03 pm #
you could have gone to the site and read up on what they had to say about the buildings environmental efficiency.
“Placement of buildings, roof overhangs, existing mature trees, performance of glazing product, thermal mass of concrete slab and tile flooring, all reduce heat gain in summer and made air conditioning unnecessary.”
gordon on 10 Jul 2010 at 12:09 am #
i think they may have drainage issues. on the upside.
nice house though.