Playfair House | 43North Architecture

The Playfair project was designed for adventurous clients who wanted a unique, budget-friendly beach house.

It is a variation of the classic A-frame design, clad in corrugated metal and structurally expressed by four identical steel portal frames.

Designed and approved as a complying development this project had to navigate a raft of DTS regulations.

The house is positioned to maximise solar access, with a double-height volume at the street and a single-storey at the rear.

Simple and commonly available materials are used to keep cost and maintenance to a minimum. 

Metal deck roofing, aluminium windows, heat treated unsealed timber and local timbers for floors and decking. 

The sustainability approach uses a central stair void for natural ventilation, strategically placed windows for passive solar heating and cooling, and a wood heater. The design incorporates energy-efficient features like induction cooking, heat pump hot water, and a potential PV installation.