1. DESIGN MAVERICKS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS LIGHTING UP THE PATH OF INDIAN DESIGN
RS 100 HOME-REVIEW.COMvol 15 issue 07 July 2016 total pages 148
TRADITION
AND KITSCHABIN DESIGN STUDIO’S ODE TO BENGAL
DESIGNQUEST : OBJECTRYMY SPACE : FADD STUDIO SPECIALIST : TRUNKS COMPANY
WALLMAKERS’
GREENER THAN GREEN!
WHERE DESIGN MEETS NATURE
BY OPEN IDEAS

2. Home Review July 2016 115Home Review July 2016 115
GREEN
PROJECT
A Green Design
Takes Root
As you move around this green
abode called +House, you witness
dramatic moments of spectacular
views that coalesce effortlessly
with the charm and elegance of its
uncomplicated interiors.
Heat mirror triple glazing, operable skylights facilitating passive ventilation, natural day lighting and a pond loop geothermal system are just a few
features of this LEED Gold-targeted project.
Text By Kanupriya Pachisia
Photographs Courtesy Shai Gil Photography

3. 116 Home Review July 2016116 Home Review July 2016
The township of Mulmur is a hidden gem
of Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada.
Straddling the famous Niagara escarpment
this house enjoys unparalleled vistas.
Architect Andre D’Elia of Superkul Architects
points out, “Our clients wanted a healthy
house - one that first and foremost was
sensitive towards the environment and
secondly was also a beautiful space to
live in. Therefore to our clients and to us
the most important dialogue with the
environment started with an understanding
that the most beautiful space could also
be a potentially worst space if it was not a
healthy space. The two had to be one!”
The green structure lives up to its tag by conserving natural resources and thus lowering the carbon footprint, protecting biodiversity, reducing operating costs,
minimising strain on the local infrastructure and improving occupant health and comfort.
Site plan of +House.

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Durisol blocks or ICFs (Insulated Concrete Formwork) made from concrete and recycled wood producing no VOCs have been used throughout the building. These are
also fire and soundproof and energy efficient as they help reduce thermal mass.
The 2,150 sq ft four season house consists
of no drywall - something very unusual for a
Canadian house. Sited in a valley facing the
banks of a stream fed pond, the explicit lines
of the building accentuate its profile while
also contradicting with and highlighting
the vegetation behind and the angular
perpendiculars of the slope. As some of
the best buildings have always shown a
concern for the environment, +House is no
exception either.
Andre explains, “The expanse of a 14
feet high glazing along the south facade
responds to and allows for an interaction
with the environment but there are also
several other features that are hidden or not
evident enough which contribute towards
the dialogue with its environment.” As
Andre elaborates further, “The house is
designed to breathe and the walls help to
regulate the humidity naturally using a clay
product that never fully dries.”
A green roof assists in absorbing heat
and acts as insulation, thereby reducing
energy consumption. Lift and slide
doors provide access to a full length deck,
integrating all indoor spaces with the
outdoors during the warm months, making
them joyously liveable. Lightweight and
porous Cedar boards plunge from the
ceiling to the exterior soffit relieving
noise pollution and adding to the
insulation quotient of the house.
Bedrooms located on opposite ends of
the rectangular plan help in extending
the limits of the house into comfortable,
cosy and inviting rooms. The open kitchen
and the large room situated in the heart
of the building, collect ample light.
+House’s precise profile and eminently
functional spaces belie a wealth of
complex health and ecologically sensitive
technologies hidden beneath.
Each material and finish was vetted by
the architects and then tested by the client
to ensure zero adverse physical reaction.
Durisol blocks or ICFs (Insulated Concrete
Formwork) made from concrete and
recycled wood producing no VOCs
have been used throughout the building.
These are also fire and soundproof and
energy efficient as they help reduce
thermal mass.
The interior walls are finished with a natural
clay plaster that is a self finishing breathable
product requiring no paint. The concrete
floors that connect with the Cedar deck
unfolding outside serve as a counterpoint to
the tall ceilings.

5. 118 Home Review July 2016118 Home Review July 2016
Bedrooms located on opposite ends of the rectangular plan help in extending
the limits of the house into comfortable, cosy and inviting rooms.
Lightweight and porous Cedar boards plunge from the
ceiling to the exterior soffit relieving noise pollution.
A soy based sealer was used on the concrete
floors and counters. Soy proved a sensible
alternative to regular petroleum based
sealants as it is a renewable product and
helps in reducing the carbon footprint.
Untreated silk and hemp that are popular
biodegradable and organic substitutes
were used in the form of curtains along
with a PVC free blackout roller shade
fabric that is mildew resistant.
Hospital grade Hepa filters were suspended
in the duct systems to help purify the air.
An array of large quadrangular openings
placed throughout the external skin of the
building called for compelling attention
to the beauty found in the otherwise
straightforward explicit geometry.
Heat mirror triple glazing, operable
skylights facilitating passive ventilation,
natural day lighting and a pond loop
geothermal system are just a few
more features of this LEED
Gold-targeted project.
Andre tells us, “The house is the clients’
summer home in the country so they
wanted it to be their oasis.” With a
combination of local and natural materials
and a line up of distinct design elements,
the archly rectangular structure is a classic
example of what modern architects are
renowned for.

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A green roof assists in absorbing heat and acts as insulation, reducing energy consumption.
In fact, the green structure lives up to its tag
by conserving natural resources and thus
lowering the carbon footprint, protecting
biodiversity, reducing operating costs,
minimising strain on the local infrastructure
and improving occupant health and
comfort. Andre very aptly puts it - “The
house was always conceived as the sum of
its parts where every material, be it building
skins, structure, mechanical and electrical
systems, finishes and furnishings all had to
come together as one voice that would sing
a sweet healthy song.”
www.superkul.ca
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