Architecture + Interiors
London Home Renovations
Connected House
A full, Passivhaus Low Energy standard retrofit of a family home in one of Dulwich’s most renowned Mid-century estates.
Nestled just on the outskirts of Sydenham woods, Woodhall House sits high on one of Dulwich’s most renowned Mid-century estates. With sweeping views of the city and surrounded by lush woodland, the estate was designed by architects Austin Vernon & Partners to preserve the semi-rural air of the site. Low sweeping rooflines and green divisions instead of fences defined this luxurious and ambitious 1960s development, and Woodhall House is one of the best preserved. Our clients, a programmer and lawyer with two small children needed extra space, which was achieved through an extension into the loft alongside a full-retrofit – making use of the unsympathetic previous extension to avoid unnecessary carbon emissions through its demolishing. Now, the house functions as a warm, innovative and efficient family home, not only restoring it to its original 1960’s splendour, but utilising technology and sustainable practices to bring it into the future.
Clients Michael and Talia needed a house that performed for their family, uniting innovative technologies with family comforts in a sustainable way. The previous extension had made the flow of the house feel disjointed, and the existing rooms along with the poor extension were drafty and uncomfortable. Upon our initial review using our Passive Home Indicator tool, we discovered that thermal bridging would prevent this house from achieving certified Enerphit standards, but that it would be able to be built to Passivhaus Low Energy standards, for which its certification is pending.
We were challenged too by the conservation limitations of the Dulwich Estate, which led us to replace the existing roof with a fully insulated airtight one, that incorporated solar slates designed to match the existing slates. The energy provided by these tiles is stored in a battery system that allows the house to function efficiently on peak or off-peak energy as required.
The house has been fully re-insulated, utilising triple glazed doors and windows alongside solar shading and MVHR and Heat pump systems to allow the home to run incredibly efficiently. The great number of different systems in use can sometimes make smart homes difficult to run, so client Michael used his programming skills to allow all the systems to communicate with each other, ensuring an even higher level of energy-efficiency and ease. Working together has allowed us and our clients to provide incredible answers for the challenges of low-energy retrofit buildings, and this exemplary project will define many others moving forwards.
