SHIFT HOUSE

For the design of Shift House, we took a simple cottage form with a shed roof and shifted the lower entry over one bay which allows for a front entry with a covered overhang. The gesture of the house points to the south-facing views of the water.

The upper floor was designed to protrude over the large windows of the lower floor to minimize solar gains in the winter months. The upper-level windows are recessed from the facade to gain shade in the summer. The living/dining room opens up to the land via two 9-foot wide screened patio doors. The north side of the building is entirely clad and insulated to minimize thermal losses while the south side looks out to incredible views of the water. For the public spaces on the main level, a simple plan was made to give a minimal, open concept feel. The "shift" of the upper level to create the shade and solar gains needed to increase the energy efficiency of the house is what gave it it's name... "Shift house".