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A simply perfect house

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"The roof windows are crucial for natural ventilation. It's enough to open them together with the terrace doors on the lower level for the warm, stale air to go up. It's just the good old chimney effect. The lower side of the house is in the ground, it does not heat up much, so while airing the cold air is sucked up to the upper floors." - Juri Troy, architect

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Design: Juri Troy architect, Photos: Jürg Zimmermann
Dealing with the use of daylight

In 2010, VELUX launched a project dealing with the use of daylight in seven countries across Europe. Following a competition, seven houses were built - the one in Austria by the architect Juri Troy and his office. The "Sunlighthouse", as it is called, is the first carbon neutral house in Austria and was broadly published and awarded.

Daylight from all possible sides

The challenges in this project were the same as in Mr. Troy's earlier work. He had to find solutions for a steep plot, where terrain should not be altered, while access from the street had to be provided, and deal with strict regulations on volume and form of the future house.
The answer to those complex requirements turned out to be a simple volume with symmetrical roof, opening to the landscape on each level, catching daylight from all possible sides - roof included.
The outer appearance is homogenous, with walls cladded in white fir and roof in cedar shingles. The openings reveal the massive insulation, necessary for achieving a good energy balance.
When the outside temperatures drop below 14 degrees the house, due to its Minergie P standard, has to rely on mechanical exchange of fresh air with heat recovery. In the warm season it is naturally ventilated.

case study  Design: Juri Troy architect, Photos: Jürg Zimmermann

Juri Troy, architect

Both me and the client were interested in the topic of optimal use of daylight.

case study
Design: Juri Troy architect, Photos: Jürg Zimmermann
An open space, yet it's offering diverse cozy corners

The house is accessed from the street through a long staircase, starting in the garage. The kids' rooms are on the first floor and on the second a large living room provides views to all sides. It's an open space, yet it's offering diverse cozy corners.
Although modest and straightforward, this house features some tiny everyday-life luxuries, like an outdoor kitchen or the worldwide first pizza oven with passive house certificate.

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case study
case study
Design: Juri Troy architect, Photos: Jürg Zimmermann
Diffused northern light creates a nice contrast

The upper floor - dedicated entirely to the adults - features a large bedroom, a bathroom with sauna, guest- and working room. All roof windows, oriented towards north, provide smooth daylight and fresh air to the rooms beneath. This was possible thanks to a smart trick of the architect: he invented deep shafts, connecting the guest room to the openings on the opposite roof pitch. Diffused northern light creates a nice contrast with working area, bathed in midday sun rays.

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