Raerae House

The building has already received significant acclaim, including being judged the Winner of the Residential Architecture Award (2020); RaeRae House also received a Commendation in the National Architecture Awards (2020).

In a conceptually ambitious extension such as this, the glazing and framing elements play a central role in joining these two buildings seamlessly. Crucial to this renovation’s success is the glazed entry area, leading the viewer’s eye from the front garden to the greenery beyond.

The irregularly shaped aluminium Futureline 440TB thermally broken window frames give the exterior a sense of visual texture and variety. Inside, the framing is used to provide a series of ‘nooks’, recreational spaces, and a range of interesting outlooks. These are utilised most creatively in the two-storey, three-bedroom children’s section, completely separate from the main house.

This self-contained living and recreation area contains some of the most challenging glazing and framing applications, fully utilising Capral’s renowned precision. Each of the irregularly shaped windows required the utmost precision, notably the circular porthole-shaped structures.

The care taken in the combination of glazing and framing, then, sets RaeRae House apart. The irregular roofline profile uniting these two terraces provides a visual echo of the creatively shaped windows and frames, signature design features which are unobtrusively framed by the exterior’s stripped-back timber and brick aesthetic. On the ground level, Schüco ASS 39 PD.NI sliding doors link interior and exterior spaces.

The series of carefully oriented and chosen windows complement the building’s environmental strengths, with passive solar awnings shading the windows to protect the main building from heat load.

In keeping with the framing and glazing choices, RaeRae House has been situated to maximise its energy profile. The house was built along the property’s southern boundary, with the northern aspect allowing residents to take full advantage of naturally available light and warmth. To maximise passive solar gain, the home has been reoriented along the property’s southern boundary.

As well as effectively shielding RaeRae House from heat during summer, the window suites have a difficult task during winter – maximise available daylight while optimising passive solar gain. To achieve this, all Capral windows in this project are double-glazed with fixed external awnings for deliberate shading.

Actively managed shade and passive ventilation considerably reduces the demands placed on mechanical heating and cooling. Working in tandem, the windows, framing elements and architectural placement keep energy use to a minimum.

The Capral framing used in RaeRae House is in keeping with the architect’s philosophy of using durable and sustainable materials, as Capral’s window suites are made from sustainable aluminium. The company’s aim is to prevent waste by using fully recyclable, durable, and energy efficient framing elements – a philosophy that coheres perfectly with RaeRae House’s sustainable approach to design.