Most Irish homes were built in the last century, with low ceilings and close walls. Because these confined spaces with low ceilings and small windows are so ‘normal’ to us, we often don’t notice how they can affect us. A new build or renovation, if it’s carried out using modern design principles, can profoundly change your experience.
Let the Light In
There have been many insights made in the last decade around how a building’s shape can shape our mood. If you are renovating your home today, you have an opportunity to experience something new. In the past, windows were a huge source of heat loss, and the technology wasn’t there to produce large glass panes. Today, glass can be produced with much larger dimensions and with excellent insulation. When these modern, large windows are well-placed, with consideration to sunlight at different times of the day and different seasons of the year, you can allow much more light and natural heat into your home and into your life.
The visceral experience you feel when stepping into your newly renovated home, illuminated naturally through modern renovation principles. We check in with our clients after they’ve settled into their new home, and we often hear comments about how the sense of light, open space and the comfortable temperature has transformed their mood. The difference is like night and day.
Step Into a Happier, Healthier, Home
Architectural design and materials have progressed massively in recent decades. Today, there is far more understanding of the health impacts of different materials and designs. From heating and humidity to ventilation. For example, we know today that many buildings and materials render their occupants susceptible to all sorts of invisible health issues. Many older buildings having poor air quality, with high levels of carbon dioxide, moulds and toxins. These can aggravate or cause a range of health issues best expressed in the term, “sick building syndrome”. Thankfully, today we have the understanding and the means to create living spaces that better support our health.
Take a Breath Of Fresh Air
Draughts are a problem in a traditional home. We’ve all felt that finger of icy air that creeps into our muscles and bones, causing stiff necks and shoulders, tension and pain. We try to fend it off with thick layers in winter and heating at full blast. And because the heating takes a lot longer to reach a comfortable than it does to drop when we open a window, we often feel reluctant to open up our windows for too long. It’s because of this that a draughty home can hurt our health. Because we’re always fending off the cold, we don’t allow in enough fresh air. This means that the air tends to have a higher level of Co2, with elevated levels of trace toxins. In this way, many of us unwittingly live our lives in a sea of stale air that subdues our senses and hurts our health.
With an architect who takes these things into consideration, you can escape the dreaded draught. And with heat exchange technology, it’s possible to expel from your home all that stale air, all of those toxins, and pump in fresh, healthy air in its stead — all without loss of heat or the slightest draught. Just a cosy ambient temperature, allowing natural sunlight and optimal health.