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JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.
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Incorporating Prefab Modules
Front Elevation
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Facade from the Lower Terrace
Upper Outdoor Living Space
Upper Outdoor Skylight
Sliding Window Screen
View from the Kitchen
Kitchen
Stair Detail
Shower
Bathroom Vanity
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Villa Fairfax is 212m2. First floor is a light, prefabricated wooden box with vertical boarding of Siberian larch. It is placed on a heavy brickwork construction, which has been cut into the sloped terrain. The entrance to the first floor is made via a stair, on the west side of the house. The stairway also leads to the huge 32m2 terrace. The terrace is partly roofed so it can be used all year.
The kitchen and dining room is combined. It is a huge open space with a magnificent view towards the hilly landscape. In the centre there is a massive looking black chimney which has a fireplace on the inside as well as on the outside terrace. The chimney and the brickwork construction absorb warmth from the sun and emit heat to the rest of the house.
The rooms have a huge glass partition that brings in the outside life. If the sun gets to harsh, the partition can be covered, with the outside floor to ceiling shutters.
The stair that leads to the ground floor is placed in the centre of the house, and is illuminated by a skylight. The skylight is electric operated, so it can be opened for ventilation purposes. Too be economical the house also has a south-facing solar collector.
Address: Private
Client: Nikki Fairfax & Lars Legaard Christensen
Architect: ONV architects
Extent / size: 212m2
Completed / Year: 2004
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We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.
provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.
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