Beacon, A Sustainable Suburban Living, by McLean Architects [Glasgow, UK]

‘Beacon’ is an aptly named sustainable home design for a suburban living. If you ever go to Glasgow you can find ‘Beacon’ on an high-up southern site looking over the magnificent Glaswegian city views on the south and the hill ranges in the north. Best of both worlds really. Beacon house was first designed by Don McLean of McLean Architects for his own family. The house follows strict sustainable home design principles. It is build upon a interesting suburban site in the north of Glasgow city. Antoinne Wall, which is a locally renowned world heritage site falls just at the rear of this property.

The present location where Beacon is built was selected on the basis of its challenging landscape and complexities it presented in designing a contemporary home in a dense suburban landscape. The main intention of the design was to develop a new but suitable intervention in a existing street at the same time making the most of the elevation and aspect features of the location. Such is the design that all four bedrooms, study and ancillary lie at a mid-level while the family room opens out to the rear garden. Garage lies under this level. There is an open plan ‘loft’ at the upper most level. This loft opens out to the south using huge bi-folding screens. This ‘loft’ accommodates living room, dining room, and kitchen. Additionally, there is a south facing glazing over the stairs. This is to add to the view on the upper level.

‘Beacon’ is constructed in Insulated Concrete Formwork, which gives an airtight and isolated structural personality. The concrete floor also designed to store energy directed form south facing glazing. The roof is partially built in stainless steel and the overhangs provide shades in summer and provide solar passive gain from the low-road in winter time. In terms of heating there is a air source heat pump as well as an under floor heating system. This system reduces the energy use by 40% for eth like-for-like usage. There is also an innovative wood-stove that sources its own fresh air from outside, this acts as an additional heater as well preventing drafts flowing through the house.