Location

Tuckers Town

Year

2012

HIRT kinetics®
  • SF XL
Project Partner

To feel completely free

Freedom from everyday life, its limitations, and constraints: That is what a holiday should feel like. And that is exactly what happens when walls and borders silently disappear thanks to HIRT kinetics®.

A perfect holiday by the beach

Life on the British overseas territory of Bermuda feels almost Caribbean: Turquoise waters, beautiful sandy beaches, and lots of tropical greenery – these are the archipelago’s trademark features. In such a paradise, a holiday feeling arises almost naturally. This modern beach house in Tucker’s Town is a prime example of contemporary and sustainable Bermuda-style architecture.

Houses built in the traditional Bermuda style have a quadratic layout with a stepped roof made of natural stone. This roof is meant to collect rainwater, as freshwater was and still is a rare and precious commodity out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This newly built beach villa incorporates both these elements and translates them into a modern architectural style.

Here, two glass pavilions are connected by a rectangular concrete building which houses the central utility rooms. To ensure that everything fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape, the connecting building received an unobtrusive grey coat of paint as well as a green roof. The property itself, which drops off towards the ocean, is bordered by a half-height wall made of natural stone, as well as low hedgerows. These are meant to shield the house from the constant Atlantic breeze.

Fluent motion creates an impression of weightlessness. Thanks to perfectly balanced counterweights, the retractable fronts can even be moved easily by hand.

The retractable window fronts open up new dimensions and expand the living room.

Reinterpreting the classic Bermuda style

Traditional Bermuda-style buildings are almost always made entirely from stone with comparatively small window openings. This beach house, on the other hand, uses lots of glass to open up the view across a stunning panorama. This ease and openness in turn creates the villa’s particular charm. Whether looking out from the living room or the bedroom – you can always see the blue of the Atlantic Ocean and the white crests of the waves.

The window fronts extend from the floor all the way up to the edge of the roof. At first glance, they appear to be simple panoramic windows. At a second glance, however, they reveal a surprising secret: They are HIRT kinetics® retractable fronts, which means that they lower silently and seamlessly into the ground at the press of a button. Now, the true magic of the Bermuda archipelago – and along with it, the islands’ perfect holiday feeling – fills the rooms. When you hear the rush of the waves against the shore and smell the salty sea air all around you, the boundaries between inside and outside blur together to create a singular experience. In the blink of an eye, the living room with its fireplace transforms into a covered veranda. In the evening, you can sit outside around a crackling fire as the day comes to a close. This villa really is the perfect holiday home.

When raised, the HIRT kinetics® retractable fronts shut out bad weather while keeping the spectacular panorama intact. Inside, everything stays warm and comfortable.

“Ordinary” doors can also be incorporated easily. This way, HIRT moving architecture® ensures that builders and architects have no need for compromises.

HIRT moving architecture® sets the standard for elegance and safety

The Bermuda archipelago thankfully lies on the outer edge of the so-called “hurricane alley”, which stretches across the Atlantic Ocean from the eastern coast of South America and the Gulf Coast all the way to the southern USA. Even so, Bermuda is occasionally hit with severe storms bringing large amounts of rain. Naturally, this was kept in mind during the beach house’s planning and construction. It is legally required in Bermuda that buildings must withstand winds of up to 160 km/h (100 mph). HIRT kinetics® panoramic windows meet these requirements easily as they fulfil highest safety standards. In addition, the thermal glazing provides excellent thermal insulation. Bulletproof safety glass with a thickness of up to 62 mm is also an option. HIRT kinetics® retractable fronts possess pneumatic sealing as well as an excellent drainage system, ensuring a watertightness of up to 100 percent. They have passed all tests regarding storm-proofness and watertightness in heavy rain with flying colours. The technology “made in Switzerland” employed at this beach house has proven itself under extreme climate conditions for many years. Neither salty air nor tropical heat can do it any harm.

HIRT moving architecture® rethinks the way we build and changes conventions by opening up new dimensions. The sophisticated technology revolutionises architecture, setting in motion what used to be static. This way, not only windows, but entire walls can be made to disappear. The strength and elegance of HIRT moving architecture® rests on a single and straightforward insight: Architecture is perfect only when it touches the heart.

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