The Sliding House
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There are advantages to living in an all-glass house: the views, the natural sunlight, the passive solar heating on chilly sunny days. There are disadvantages too: the lack of privacy, the unwanted extra heat on warm days, the common wisdom ban on throwing stones while living in one. So what’s a home owner to do?
If you are Ross Russell of Suffok, England the answer is: Build a house that slides open.
When it is slid closed you likely wouldn’t notice anything unusual about Russell’s house. With its timber-clad exterior and 45-degree angle roof it resembles so many barn-like structures in the English country side.
When the house slides open, however, it is an unusual sight to behold. (And, indeed, you can behold it in the video below). Four electric motors silently slide the 20 ton outer house shell back to reveal the inner glass and steel structure. The motors that power this sliding run on car batteries automatically recharged through solar power.
Currently the house shell slides back 28 meters (92 feet), a trip that takes about 6 minutes. In the “back” position the shell shades a patio. However, the London-based architectural firm that designed the house, de Rijke Marsh Morgan, allowed for the possibly of extending the track further to allow the roof shell to cover a garden or swimming pool.
When Russell sat down with his architects to first conceive of his house’s design they started with the mantra “We are prepared to be radical.” So it is no wonder that Spot Cool Stuff likes this house so. That could be our mantra too.
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December 17th, 2012at 5:01 am(#)
It turned out so lovely! There is nothing better than sunshine filling up your house. WOW… I am thoroughly impressed with this sliding house, awesome.
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August 27th, 2010at 8:15 pm(#)
I’m totally doing this with my house. Um, wait. Can I get the 1 bedroom apartment version?
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December 2nd, 2009at 2:14 pm(#)
MAKE MY HOUSE
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October 21st, 2009at 10:18 am(#)
I hadn’t seen this house before. Very cool! So is your site. I’ve had fun looking around it this morning. Thanks!
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October 16th, 2009at 8:59 am(#)
I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest.
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September 25th, 2009at 1:57 am(#)
I can’t believe that I’m the first comment…
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September 25th, 2009at 1:57 am(#)
Wow! gives me inspiration to be more open to share my ideas with my own architect friends.
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