Heimaklettur House – Langley, Canada
Title
Heimaklettur House – Langley, Canada
Designed by
MOTIV architects inc.
Image Credit
© Ema Peter
Website Source
Project Description
Project description provided by MOTIV architects inc. - The Heimaklettur House was designed for an ambitious family of three on a 5-acre property within the Agricultural
Land Reserve (ALR) in Langley, BC. Their initial vision for the project included the goals of living smaller and more
closely to the land and ultimately growing their own food. Heimaklettur (home rock) is a nod to their Icelandic
heritage - the name of the mountain in their father’s hometown of Vestmannaeyjar.
Inspired heavily by Nordic roots, the house form references contemporary Iceland/Greenland dwellings that
feature pitched roofs, lean-to additions, traditional wood framing, often highlighted by bright and contrasting
cladding.
The design carefully notes existing site characteristics such as solar orientation, shade from existing trees and the
prevailing direction of wind in the valley, while utilizing the existing septic system and disturbed area of the site to
land the house footprint.
The project achieved performance levels of Step 5 of the BC Building code, with an Energuide rating of 47.
Thermal bridging is minimized and thick insulated exterior walls and roofs as well as high performance triple
glazed fiberglass windows contribute to the structure’s performance along with a high efficiency heat recovery
ventilator forced air system.
