Carefully tailored to the lifestyle of the clients, this newbuild house connects them to the land they have worked for many years. The clients’ brief called for economy and sustainability and this is reflected in the focus on timber construction, ultra low energy performance and the simple and economical form.  The house also needed to sit comfortably alongside the adjacent listed C16th farmhouse and enhance the local landscape.

At the heart of the house are a beautifully crafted kitchen around which the accommodation flows, and a snug to enjoy the undulating landscape.  A double height atrium connects the levels of the house and provides a light filled entrance around which all of the other spaces are accessed.  The subterranean guest rooms in the semi basement below feel hunkered and secure, while the airy master suite above has a light and dreamy feel, with a shuttered balcony overlooking the atrium.

The main living accommodation is on a split ground level, creating a lofty dining space with carefully placed windows to the listed farmhouse next door and a raised living room with far reaching views to the surrounding farmland.  The spaces are light and joyful with timber soffits and panelling that give warmth to the interiors and express the construction and form.

The external materials reference the landscape, connecting the earth and sky, and allowing memories and relationships to form.  A heavy concrete base anchors the house to the land while  the upper floors are a prefabricated timber frame with external timber cladding.

Alongside the house are two outbuildings, housing a studio and garage.  Drawing from the agricultural forms and materials surrounding the site, these structures stand in contrast to the main house.  Carefully detailed black corrugated cladding wrap these buildings, with cedar lined cutaways at the entrances.  Internally a warm timber lined space connects to the landscape in its own secret world.

• Winner of the Ideal Home Blue Ribbon Award for Best House 2014
• Winner of RIBA East Regional Award 2015
• Winner of RIBA East Sustainabilty Award 2015
• Winner of RIBA East Client of the Year Award 2015
• Longlisted for RIBA/Grand Designs House of the Year 2015

‘Careful consideration to form, position, design, client considerations and aspirations to the scheme led to this project being a delight for the jury to visit. In sustainability, budget, timetable, engagement, invention and response to the site … this project ticked all the boxes of what good architecture is about.’ RIBA Awards Judges