Have you ever wondered what it is about traditional row-houses that gives them such enduring appeal, compared to modern homes? A big part of the secret is ceiling height. High ceilings actually improve our cognition, our sense of wellbeing and make us think more creatively. Headspace makes it possible to create compact homes at mid-urban densities that still feel open, generous and filled with daylight.

Conventionally you might expect to have higher ceilings on the ground floor, and lower ceilings on upper floors. But this design pattern plays with this by switching level heights in the middle of the house. This has two main effects.

First, it gives spatial variety, even within a relatively simple home. The high ceilinged entrance, kitchen and dining room space at the front of the house transitions to a lower, cosier living room space at the rear, while the main bedroom above gets a high, spacious ceiling.

Second, it makes the layout very space-efficient. By splitting the stairs, less floor area is lost to circulation space.

Ultra-low energy

Although you could build a version of this house with a pitch roof, the design shown has a flat roof with a parapet which then needs to be finished with an additional layer of tapered roof insulation. This results in an exceptionally well-insulated home. It's also simpler to build, and creates a roof area where you can install solar panels (on frames) orientated in any direction, and a heat pump unit and MVHR vent outlet that are neatly hidden from the rest of the world.

Keeping cool

High windows are the best way to maximise light while minimising glazing area, but nonetheless on the sun-facing aspect you will probably need to add shading, such as shutters, awnings or clip-on 'sails' in summer. The windows and rooflight should be fully openable to allow warm air to escape upwards. We recommend adding boards with thermal mass to the internal floor or walls to help. Inward-opening windows work really well, allowing connection to the outside, but make sure there are sufficient protection rails on the outside to prevent falling. Your building rules should have rules about this.

Layout variations

There are two version of this design pattern, Medium and Large. The difference is the span. The larger span, L, allows the addition of a third smaller bedroom and an ensuite bathroom. By default, the design shows a fully open space on the ground floor to allow people, light and air to flow from the front to the rear of the house, but especially with the larger variant there is plenty of capacity to additional additional space, such as a larger downstairs bathroom. In fact, you could create a 'flipped' version of the house, which has a bedroom, kitchen and dining room on the ground floor, and a high 'drawing room' living space on the upper floor.

Outdoor rooms

As with all WikiHouse builds, you can use any foundation type, but for minimising carbon emissions, it is best to avoid concrete if possible. Steel screw piles are ideal. The WikiHouse chassis sits off the ground. This requires dealing with the level-changes outside the building in an elegant way. On the front, raised planters can create a buffer zone, disguising a ramp up to the entrance. At the rear, a raised deck is a great way to create an 'outdoor room' for dining in summer, that then steps down to the garden.

Any cladding

As always, you can use any cladding you like, including cork spray-render if you want the homes to blend-in to a traditional context. This is a good opportunity to use different materials, human-scale textures and decorative relief to create a subtle differentiation of character between the homes if you are building an entire row. On the side walls, you'll need appropriate fire protection between the houses, so make sure you leave enough of a gap. This gap can be capped off on all sides.