In my original design for the house the entire north wall (as well as east and west walls!!) was buried under the earth sheltering. In discussions with a local architect and the engineers I was persuaded that a path that meandered down the hillside through the olive and carob trees that led to an access in this north wall could provide suitable "front door" for entry as well as light and ventilation. As the excavation (see previous posts) progressed it became apparent that this was not a realistic proposition, with a 7 metre difference in ground level from the back to the front of the house!!
However, in order to bring more light to the passageway to the bedrooms from the main room, provide additional ventilation (see earlier post) and a "cool sink" outdoor area, adjacent to what was originally a hallway I decided to take the opportunity to create a light well.
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| Getting the shuttering in place for casting the lightwell. |
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| View of the shuttering for the upper part of the lightwell. |
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| Ready for pouring the concrete. |
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| Looking up the lightwell from the ground floor. |
