Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge - KLH

Cavendish Avenue, CambridgePrivate houseProject informationCompletion date: 2008Building type:Location:Architect:Private houseCavendish Avenue,CambridgeMole ArchitectsStructural engineer: RambollTimber frameengineer:Main contractor:Joinery:Timber element(s):Timber specie(s):Awards:KLHCambridge BuildingCompanyLawrence Smith JoineryStructure, cladding,staircase, external frameto terraceLarch, cedar, oak, walnutRIBA Spirit ofIngenuity Award 2010:Sustainability: WinnerDaily Telegraph BritishHomes Awards 2010:WinnerGrand Designs Award:Best New Build: FinalistDavid Urwin Award: 2010WinnerCivic Trust Awards 2009:ShortlistedIntroductionCavendish Avenue is a tree-lined suburbanenclave rich in architectural character anddomestic diversity. The houses are largeyet individual, creating an interestinglydisjointed street frontage. The new house -a contemporary ‘villa’ - replaces a 1930sdetached house which was a crudeamalgamation of modernist and rural cottageaesthetics, uncomfortably small and with aseries of unfriendly spaces. The new houseis designed to be of exemplary quality indesign, scale and construction, reinforcingthe existing overall architectural quality ofthe street. The house was very contentiousat planning; however the council planningdepartment are now known to use it as anexample of how contemporary design canwork in existing historic neighbourhoods.Since occupation, energy use has beenmonitored and the energy use meets stringentGerman Passivhaus standards for energyefficiency.Building descriptionThe scale of the house takes its form from theexisting street, composed predominantly oflarge-scale three-storey dwellings set backfrom the street frontage. The house layout is adirect response to passive solar design and tothe advantages of the north-south orientationof the site.The north-facing façade, facing the street, isclad with a rainscreen of semi-reflective frittedglass. The glass partially reflects the skyabove and is divided into small panels whichadd a delicacy to the façade and avoid acorporate feel. Openings to this street-facingfaçade are limited to three carefully placedwindows which maintain the connection of thehouse to the street but protect the privacy ofits occupants.The small extension at the front of the house– dubbed ‘The Retreat’ by the client as itis remote from the TV – is clad with cedarshingles. It has a single large window,designed to act as a traditional ‘bay window’,a room to sit and watch passers-by in thestreet; it also gives personality and scale tothe abstraction of the façade behind.The predominant areas of glazing are on thesouth façade, at the rear of the house, whichlooks out over the garden. At first floor levelthe bedrooms have full-height windows. Atground floor level, the dining and living rooms[Continued on page 2]Case Study | Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge1

Cavendish Avenue, CambridgePrivate houseThe glazed openings to the south façade are shaded by external fabric sunshades fixed to a two-storey glulam frame.Building description cont.have full-height sliding glass doors whichopen out to a paved terrace. Solar shadingto the glazing on this façade is provided inthe form of external fabric sunshades hungfrom an exposed timber frame, a series ofstructural glulam columns and beams boltedat junctions with steel flitch plates, whichdefines the terrace and which is itself anextension of the internal glulam structure ofthe house. The external fabric sunshades areadjustable and removeable.Use of timber andsustainabilityExperience based on the design of threeprevious houses led Mole Architects toestablish several basic principles for lowenergy use and sustainability:• Use of timber as primary structure• Highly insulated structure - 94mm thicksolid cross-laminated timber and 230mmfoamed glass insulation• Thermal mass and a weather-tightenvelope• Restriction of overall sizes of windows,with openings predominantly on southfaçades• External solar sunshades to preventoverheating• Heat recovery ventilation for supply air• Cross ventilation and stack effect forpurging heat.The external glulam frame is an extension of theinternal glulam structure.Case Study | Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge2

Nominiert für den EISEN 2012 Innovationspreis Nominated for The EISEN 2012 Innovation AwardCIMCO SchraubenzangeCIMCO PliersDas ProduktDie CIMCO Schraubenzange wurde entwickelt, um selbstSchrauben mit stark beschädigten Antrieben (durch Korrosion,Verschmutzung, Verstopfung mit Farbe etc.) zu lösen. Siegreift ab 1 mm jeden runden Gegenstand vom DurchmesserM2 bis M6.Die Innovation.Durchgreifend: Die patentierte Form der vorderen Greifflächemit horizontalen und vertikalen „Zähnen“ an einemovalen Zangenmaul passt sich perfekt an runde Durchmesserzwischen M2 und M6 an. Das aufwendige Aufbohrenvon defekten Schrauben entfällt – so spart die CIMCOSchraubenzange teure Arbeitszeit und verhindert unnötigenWerkzeugverschleiß.The productThe CIMCO pliers were designed to even loosen screws withbadly damaged drives (as a result of corrosion, contamination,blockage with colour, etc.). They can grip any round objectstarting from 1 mm, with diameters ranging from M2 to M6.The innovationRadical: The patented shape of the front grip surface withhorizontal and vertical “teeth” on oval jaws can be perfectlyadjusted to a round diameter of between M2 and M6. Thereis no need for any time-consuming drilling out of defectivescrews – the CIMCO pliers save time and thus money andprevent any unnecessary wear and tear of the tool.CIMCO-Werkzeugfabrik Carl Jul. Müller GmbH | Halle Hall 10.1 | Gang Aisle A + B | Stand-Nr. Stand No. 60 + 61

Cavendish Avenue, CambridgePrivate houseExternal insulation andcladdingThe choice of foamed glass (Foamglas) asan insulation material for external walls wasmade as the material is completely rigid, isunaffected by moisture and incorporatesa high percentage of recycled glass. It islaid with staggered joints and sealed with abitumen-based adhesive. On the south façadethe insulation is overclad with cement fibrerainscreen panels, and on the north façadeextension, with cedar shingles, both with adrained rear cavity.The overall value of the wall/roof constructionis calculated at 0.13W/m 2 K. Windows anddoors are timber/aluminium compositeconstruction with glazing to the highestspecification available.Evening view of the north façade. The cedar shingle-clad extension is scaled tomatch the tiled front bay windows of neighbouring properties.The staircase is made of oak and the walkways to first and second floors are lined with oak boards.Case Study | Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge8

Cavendish Avenue, CambridgePrivate houseOther aspects of thesustainability strategyGround conditions made a ground slabpossible, so that sub-floor ventilation and theassociated difficult detailing, was not an issue.The slab was cast with kickers, on which thetimber structure sits. The solid slab supportsa screed floor with a black basalt stone finish;this acts as a solar heat sink. It also supportsan internal dense concrete block ‘tower’which rises through two floors adjacent to thestaircase void and will further stabilise theinternal temperature.A ground source heat pump has beeninstalled; it supplies hot water to a dual coilcylinder and to the underfloor heating withinthe screed on all floors. The fabric sunshadesto the south rear elevation are designed as‘sails’ to be hoisted up the ‘masts’ of theexternal exposed timber frame, and pulledin and out as required. They are taken downin winter. Stack effect ventilation is achievedby rooflights set at the top of the stairwell,shaded by external blinds. The houseachieves the AECB Passivhaus benchmark foroverall energy use.The light-filled triple-height hall has a timber staircase which rises tofirst and second floors, with walkways connecting bedrooms.Case Study 9| Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge

Cavendish Avenue, CambridgePrivate houseTRADA TechnologyStocking LaneHughenden ValleyHigh WycombeBuckinghamshireHP14 4ND (UK)Photography: David Butler / www.dnbutler.comDrawings: Courtesy Mole Architectst: +44 (0)1494 569600f: +44 (0)1494 565487e: information@trada.co.ukw: www.trada.co.uk© TRADA Technology Ltd 2011Case Study | Cavendish Avenue, Cambridge10