Gull Wings

The large overhanging gutters or as we like to call them – gullwings, were designed using ARCHICAD modelling with the relationship of the building through out the year and position of the sun – rising high in the summer and staying much lower in the winter months. The gull wing detail, deliberately casts a shadow over the glazing apertures in the summer months, providing excellent sun shading and thus minimising over heating, but in the winter months the angle up stand allows light to penetrate the building heating up the thermal mass of the building, keeping the house warm.

The gull wings also act as our main water harvesting mechanism – these large gutters cascade from one level to the next, with the final stainless steel downpipe concealed in the huge battered walls outputs the collected rainwater firstly to an infinity pool and then eventually pumped back to to the 10,000 litre water collection tank. Moonstone uses the 880 sq. metes of available roof space, the additional 400 sq.metres of industrial building roof space and the 580 sq. Metres of tarmac driveway to collect over 820,000 litres of rain water annually – this is based on an average rain fall of 110cms per year. With low flush toilets, further recycling of grey and balck water – Moonstone doesn’t have to worry about being extravagant with its own water supply – we have no mains water or mains sewage on site.