JC House by Plus Line Design; Romania

The house is located on a low traffic street with an ordinary residential use of a four-member family. The topography places the house between two adjoining blind walls, which divides the space into two yards: a limited front yard, which provides street access and connects with the private, landscaped backyard. A third “courtyard” is created indoors, beneath the staircase. This empty space stretches to the width and height of the house, from wall to wall and has an over-sized skylight providing ample light.

This skylight also provides passive ventilation for the entire space through an electric controlled window. With energy efficiency in mind, the house is insulated by a 15-centimeter stone wool layer (20 cm for the upper terrace,) and the west facing facade (towards the backyard) is protected against the sun by a concrete console at second floor level and wooden pergola and sunshades at first level. These passive systems, which reduce energy consumption, are complemented by the solar panels and the floor radiant heat.

Wood plating can be found on the East facing facade (street side,) as well as indoors (hard wood flooring is raised on the walls or by MDF veneer.) This creates a warm, natural atmosphere. Following the same trend, the yards have been landscaped with various plants types, with varying blooming seasons to provide a beautiful landscape year-round.

Ultimately, the core principles of this project are the connection to nature (in an urban setting with limited available lot) and energy efficiency.

What makes this project one-of-a-kind?
The core principles of this project are the connection to nature (in an urban setting with limited available lot) and energy efficiency. Its biggest quality is the interior natural light that penetrates the entire house in various ways all day long although it has only two facades (and two blind walls).

Text provided by the architects.