“Creating efficient space is valuable, but for us, rooms that offer visual and spatial continuity with nature are also important,” architect Julie Dowling explains. “When the sliding doors are open, the living room and kitchen double in size.”
Set on an east-west axis, the home stays cool with shading south-facing glass, minimal west-facing glass, and operable windows that allow for natural ventilation. Energy recovery ventilators also bring fresh air into the home.
“We designed a column-free interior space for the entire upper floor, indoor and outdoors, to connect the spaces. This structural approach, which includes outdoor space in the span of a roof system, is unusual. The seven sliding glazed panels at the rear and corner of the house allow it to open up onto large exterior spaces,” says McLeod.
Beyond the living room and deck, a natural pool filled with koi fish serves as a unique focal point of the tropical garden.
The ceramic tile is from Spanish manufacturer Hisbalit.
20050712_overway 061
