Sun House

Designed to accommodate a growing family, the Sun House is a comprehensive remodel and strategic addition that unifies a previously fragmented property. The original site featured two disparate, single-bedroom structures, severely limiting the programmatic flow and usability of the living spaces.

The architectural intervention acts as a connective tissue, physically combining the structures while fundamentally reorienting the home to optimize environmental performance. Conceived as a habitable sundial, the new massing is precisely calculated to harness passive solar energy. Strategic glazing allows low winter sun to penetrate and warm the interior, while precise overhangs shade the living spaces from harsh, direct sunlight during the summer.

The resulting floor plan takes on a serpentine configuration, weaving across the site to define three distinct outdoor courtyards. This careful choreography of solid and void not only makes the constrained lot feel remarkably expansive but provides the occupants with a diversity of micro-climates, allowing them to adapt their outdoor experience to the shifting environmental conditions of the day.

Furthering the home's environmental performance, the design integrates a custom-engineered combination heat pump water heater to supply both domestic hot water and the hydronic radiant floor system. This ultra-efficient system utilizes carbon dioxide as a refrigerant, offering virtually zero ozone depletion potential while remaining non-flammable and non-toxic—characteristics unmatched by conventional alternatives. This advanced technology also allows the system to operate within its most efficient range of 145 degrees, establishing an ideal synergy for thermal energy storage and hydronic heating supply.

Ultimately, the house is designed to generate more energy than it consumes each month, achieving net-positive performance without compromising on occupant comfort or reliability.