{"id":767858,"date":"2024-12-16T11:17:34","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T11:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=767858"},"modified":"2024-12-16T16:04:57","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T16:04:57","slug":"adrian-james-completes-own-copper-house-in-oxford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/adrian-james-completes-own-copper-house-in-oxford","title":{"rendered":"Adrian James completes own copper house in Oxford"},"content":{"rendered":"

Designed by the architect for his own family, Copper Bottom sits high on Harcourt Hill with views over Oxford. Surrounded by a wildflower meadow and overlooking a nature reserve, the home is easily accessible by foot or bike from the city centre.<\/p>\n

Designed to be low in embodied energy, the form of the house has been shaped by Passivhaus principles and features a copper carapace that acts as a solar helmet, protecting the glazing from summer sun in the south and lower sun from the east and west.<\/p>\n

Creased bulges around the east and west flanks create deep reveals and porches.<\/p>\n

The ground conditions allowed for only shallow foundations, so there is minimal concrete in the ground and the house sits lightly on the site.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The form of the house beneath its copper shell is a two-storey cuboid box with a sloping lid. Its roof sits at an angle of 7 degrees facing towards the sun and carries a 37-strong PV array. The house is zero-carbon in operational use.<\/p>\n

The same oxidised copper finish \u2013 a variation on the standard pre-patination \u2013 has been used throughout the house\u2019s exterior to enhance the sense of its being a single sculptural object.<\/p>\n

The superstructure beneath the copper is constructed from SIPs meeting Passivhaus targets and all openings are triple-glazed. A system of lightweight timber trusses supports a plywood skin, which in turn supports the 100 per cent recycled copper cladding.<\/p>\n

Inside, the four-bedroom home has a simple layout with feature staircase formed out of brick to match the plinth of the whole house\u2019s sculptural form.<\/p>\n

An air source heat pump provides water heating while an MVHR system ensures 90 per cent heat recovery on the incoming air.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

Architect’s view<\/h3>\n

I was fascinated by copper long before I trained as an architect. My school had a clock tower visible across the whole town made from a naturally luminous lush green material – copper, apparently. A metal abundant in supply which, once mined and purified, is as shiny as a freshly shelled conker, then dulls as it oxidises, and then gradually and magically turns this distinctive bright blue\/yellow\/green and then, then stays that way forever.<\/p>\n

Copper is a very special metal. Unlike most others (such as iron), it does not continually corrode as it oxidises. Once the surface has oxidised, it stabilises and then stays that way forever. It will outlast any building it covers. It is the ultimate durable material; able to withstand as much weather as is thrown at it. It is malleable enough to be comfortably worked by hand. And it ages so beautifully.<\/p>\n

Copper is not actually primarily used for covering buildings. It\u2019s very good for wiring, and huge amounts of it are used for this purpose every day and ditto, every day huge amounts of it become redundant. When all this copper is recycled it is slightly too impure for electrics so second time round, and every round after that, it can be used in buildings. This means the copper we specify for roofing and cladding is both 100 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable. It is tough, good to work with, never corrodes, has unique and delightful aesthetic and is a sustainable top trump. What\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n

There is one possible catch: the process of patination which creates the protective coating on the raw metal is slower than it used to be because the air is cleaner these days. I specified my first copper roof nearly thirty years ago and it only just now has a hint of green on the flatter areas and the steeper slopes will probably never move on from the earthy brown colour of a much-handled penny. The good news is that the patination process can be replicated in the factory where copper is rolled out. So, you can specify copper in its freshly minted state or pre-patinated.<\/p>\n

We have not used contrasting finishes for Copper Bottom but we have used the same finish throughout to enhance the sense of it being a single sculptural object. The finish we have gone for is a slight variation on the standard pre-patination – a less turquoise and more lime version of Verdigris. Copper Bottom is on a lush site surrounded by mature trees and wildflower meadows, so we have chosen a finish which harmonises with its verdant setting.
\nAdrian James, director, Adrian James Architects<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Client\u2019s view<\/h3>\n

It was a wrench to sell our riverside home (also designed by Adrian) after a quarter of a century in order to fund the build, and a bit scary too. But the light-filled spaces of Copper Bottom, the sense of immersion in nature and the views are something special. Sometimes it doesn\u2019t feel quite real that we are living here.
\nSarah Shekleton, client<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span>\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Project data<\/h3>\n

Start on site<\/strong> May 2023
\nCompletion<\/strong>\u00a0July 2024
\nGross internal floor area<\/strong> 235m2<\/sup>
\nForm of contract<\/strong> JCT Intermediate
\nConstruction cost<\/strong> Undisclosed
\nArchitect<\/strong> Adrian James Architects
\nClient<\/strong> Adrian James and Sarah Shekleton
\nStructural engineer<\/strong> SOLID Engineering
\nServices engineer<\/strong> CBG Consultants
\nPrincipal designer<\/strong> Adrian James Architects
\nApproved building inspector<\/strong> Vale of White Horse District Council
\nMain contractor<\/strong> GC Interiors
\nCAD software used<\/strong> Vectorworks<\/p>\n

Environmental performance data<\/h3>\n

On-site energy generation<\/strong> 100%
\nAirtightness at 50Pa (predicted)<\/strong> 2.95 m3<\/sup>\/h.m2
\n<\/sup>Heating and hot water demand<\/strong> 12,160 kWh\/m2<\/sup>\/yr
\nTotal energy demand<\/strong> 15,720 kWh\/m2<\/sup>\/yr
\nOverall area-weighted U-value<\/strong> 0.261 W\/m2<\/sup>K
\nDesign life<\/strong> 100 years
\nAnnual CO2 emissions<\/strong> -3.36 kgCO2\/m2<\/sup>
\nEmbodied\/whole-life carbon<\/strong> 217 kgCO2\/m2<\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Designed by the architect for his own family, Copper Bottom sits high on Harcourt Hill with views over Oxford. Surrounded by a wildflower meadow and overlooking a nature reserve, the home is easily accessible by foot or bike from the city centre. Designed to be low in embodied energy, the form of the house has …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59337,"featured_media":767922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[706],"tags":[1737,4130,1310,1738],"yoast_head":"\nAdrian James completes own copper house in Oxford<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The external form of the two-storey house on the edge of Oxford has been shaped by Passivhaus principles and is entirely copper-clad to double up as a \u2018solar helmet\u2019\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/adrian-james-completes-own-copper-house-in-oxford\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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