Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 6 New Zealand | Page 17

exceeded if measures were taken to ensure
the house performed well thermally.
By having the arrival facade primarily
presenting a blank face, the view side of
the house could be almost fully glazed.
“But we did go over the 30% fenestration because there was such value in
having as much glass as possible. In turn,
we used triple-paned glazing with two
layers of argon gas between, which has a
higher insulation value than is typical.”
Other environmental and sustainability elements in the design include hydronic

in-floor radiant heating as well as installation of a geothermal system which makes
use of the natural temperature difference
in the earth to heat and cool the home.
An insulation layer placed between
the concrete foundations and the concrete
floor creates thermal separation and prevents heat loss underneath the house.
And a rain screen system is used to
minimise thermal bridging from the exterior steel cladding. The steel panels are
mounted on a system of battens allowing air to circulate between the panels

and wall. This reduces heat transfer and
removes moisture.
David Pascu says that the key to the
success of the design of the house lies in
its simplicity.
“We didn’t try hard to force anything
into the design. We simply followed
the owners’ brief and added some nice
touches in the details – and the materials
just work really beautifully together.
“You couldn’t really lose when you’re
given a site like this. It’s probably the
nicest site I’ve ever had to work on.”

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