Our occupant, Rachel, a single mother of three young children, was at the forefront of our decision making throughout the design process. Gaining a first-hand understanding of our occupant's needs was exceptionally important to us. We conducted interviews with several single mothers, and the information gathered provided a reliable source of information that has guided much of our design. Additionally, creating a day-in-the-life of the occupant helped to understand how spaces would be used day-to-day by the family.
Family orientated spaces were proven to be important to single mothers, so R3ven house comprises an open plan living area in which the living, dining and kitchen spaces are connected. The occupant values a line of sight between these areas. As a young family, the occupant requires an ability to monitor the children much of the time, and this has been made possible through the openness of the area. The combined indoor and outdoor on the ground floor ensures the family has an extended living space that connects them with the environment outside the home. The ground floor also contains a study space that can be hidden from sight when it is not in use. This is ideal for Rachel as someone who works from home during the day.
The first floor of the design contains 4 spacious bedrooms for the family to grow into. A second living space is also provided, as the occupant valued an area separate from the main living area where the children could have an alternative space to use when necessary. Throughout the home there is also a generous amount of storage space, an aspect of the design that was necessary for the occupant. These areas in the house were specifically thought out to cater for a single mother and her young children. The simplicity of the design, however, ensures the house can be functional when another occupant moves in.
It was an important consideration when designing for the occupant that sustainability was incorporated in an encouraging way. Through simple and low impact passive design, the house operates in a sustainable way that, through small occupant actions such as the opening and closing windows, the house functions and further teaches younger generations how to live and operate within a sustainable home. Therefore, it was imperative that the technology and practices used were easy to understand, operate and intertwined within the occupant's life so that it could be accepted and absorbed as normal everyday living.