While the industry has set 6 Stars as the standard, WOLF ARCHITECTS’ houses often aim to achieve 8 Stars. We focus on minimizing the need for mechanical heating and cooling, providing good insulation and considering the orientation of double glazed windows. Various internal walls can also be insulated to enhance zone control and thermal performance. Most spaces should benefit from the ingress of daylight from multiple directions, eliminating the use of artificial lighting during day time hours. Vital to overall performance is having numerous operable windows in strategic locations allowing the house to breathe. All WOLF designed houses allow for night purging.
Sustainable Building Design
With consideration to embodied energy, we have a preference for materials and technologies available locally. We incorporate recycled and recyclable materials with a preference for those with low VOC levels. Even plants from demolished homes have been rescued to be replanted in the new house’s landscape. Solar, geothermal and wind power are further options that we try to consider with all our projects.
Further to incorporating many energy saving measures, a WOLF house is designed to embrace flexible use of space. This avoids the costly and premature renovations commonly seen. Utilizing low maintenance finished materials also contributes to minimizing embodied energy.