Best Architecture Single Residence EUROPE Award Winner 2024-2025

Best Architecture Single Residence UK Award Winner 2024-2025

Best Architecture Single Residence Surrey Award Winner 2024-2025

Sited on the brow of rolling hills overlooking a valley on the edge of the Surrey Hills Natural Landscape with a backdrop of mature woodland, the concave curved plan provides different views from the principal spaces along the southern elevation while the curved circulation spaces offer tantalising glimpses between rooms. Spine walls, following straight radii lines from a common centre point, divide the curved walls to create and define the spaces.

The curved plan is also echoed in the split curved roof mixing barrel vaults and S-spline roof forms with an interlinking flat roof entrance hall and the curving roof forms express the rolling nature of the surrounding Surrey Hills. Internally, the curved glu-lam beams forming the barrel vault roofs are visible in the ceilings to the main reception spaces and principal bedroom suite. These main spaces are positioned on the southern side of the building, leaving circulation spaces and ancillary utility spaces to the north, to take advantage of the views over the rolling hills and valley below. In order to ensure overheating isn’t an issue, solar control triple glazing to the southern elevation is combined with the deep overhanging roofs to the ground floor spaces which also creates outdoor covered dining spaces.

The curved floor plan, with radii varying from 25m to 38m, created interesting construction issues not just in terms of setting out but also curved steelwork, curving plasterboard to follow the faceted blockwork walls, steel spine staircases following the radii of curved walls, setting straight windows in curved walls etc. For the zinc standing seam roof, each panel tapers in plan to take up the curve while also bending to follow the roof profile; curving in three dimensions for the S-spline roof section as well. The attention to detail required to produce such a high-quality and unusual build tested all the contractors on site but the end result speaks for itself and the client, and we, are delighted with the finished home.

Externally, the paved terrace is carefully set out to pick up on the spine walls in straight lines with diagonal paving between to take up the curved plan. The overhanging roofs are supported on a series of timber and steel posts, aligned with the internal spine walls and reminiscent of the curving colonnades of Classical antiquity such as Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. The internal spine walls are further expressed externally with low stone clad walls extending beyond the line of the terrace to divide the private terraces from the bedroom wing with the outdoor entertainment areas leading down to the outdoor kitchen, swimming pool with its retractable enclosure and attached gym, games room and changing facilities.

The soft palette of external materials and colours was carefully chosen to represent the tones of the woodland behind and the sandy soils of the local area. Ecoscape composite recycled timber cladding, Norstone stone cladding, VM Zinc roofing and aluminium powder coated rainwater goods and self-coloured soffit and fascia boards minimise future maintenance.

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Thank you to Matt Chisnall for his photography work again

We were appointed by the client to redesign a previous house on the site that did not meet their size or architectural requirements. The overall site was part of a larger property that was to be demolished to make way for this new home on half the site with the other half sold off to developers to pay for the construction of their own home.

The heavy stucco porch with rusticated shallow arch contrasts with the softer stock brickwork of the main elevations complete with brick pilasters with stone capitals and stone surrounds to feature windows.

The exposed original oak frame and beams contrast with the honed and polished travertine flooring and clean lines of the new insertions. The steel and solid oak tread staircase with glass balustrading features in the double height new entrance hall behind the new oak frame gable. In the bathrooms, a more traditional approach was taken with painted wooden panelling and free-standing vanity unit furniture and traditional sanitaryware.

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A Lawful Development Certificate was then sought to demonstrate realistic fall-back positions to extend the existing building before a fresh planning application was prepared and submitted for the new replacement homes.

Each home has approximately 125sqm of floor space including three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open plan kitchen / diner with two further reception room spaces and a utility room. Careful design planning from the outset ensured efficient and maximum use of the rooms to the first floor. Generous driveways and landscaped gardens wrap the pair of detached homes with large areas laid to lawn.

To design and construct a larger replacement home for a chalet style building which combined traditional building materials and detailing with a contemporary aesthetic.

Please click here to download the project brochure.

Summary:

The existing hip roofed chalet bungalow was raised above the surrounding site by approximately 0.9m. By lowering the new house this allowed the eaves to be raised accordingly in relation to the ground and first floors, minimising raked first floor ceilings. By using traditional gable roof forms raked ceilings were further reduced and kept to only the outside walls.

The large footprint with deep plan minimised external walls again and allowed the creation of the large rooms requested by the client. The Entrance Hall benefits from the tall glazed screen with oversized door (measuring almost 2.3m tall by 1.3m wide) and a 4sqm rooflight drops daylight into the heart of the building over the curving staircase.

External walls built of solid Horsham stone with real stone sills and headers are complimented by fire-blackened larch cladding boards, black painted soffits and fascias and natural slate roofing.

Large windows and sliding doors facing south and west open on the rear gardens, terraces and swimming pool with a contemporary, flat roofed, single storey rear with two vertical panels of matching stone along a fully glazed wall and return panels.

To the first floor, the two main bedrooms take advantage of the steeply pitched roof with vaulted ceilings and glazing following the roof line.  Dormer window detailing is kept simple and modest with flat lead roofs.

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Photographs (c) Matt Chisnall Architectural Photography

More photos of the whole project to come later this month!

It replaces an brick and pitched roof cottage on the site with a modern, open plan, light filled scheme that maximises out to the gardens to the south. Slim brieze soliel over the south / west facing windows have been added to introduce passive solar control to reduce overheating in summer while allowing low winter sun to enter deep in to the building. Different depths of project were modelled and tested to calculate the number of hours of direct sunlight falling on the glass using the geo-synchronised 3D model and software designed to calculate annual sunlight levels.

Designed to be constructed as a timberframe building to minimise site deliveries, provide cost-effective construction with reduced build-times the flat roof is covered with sedum ‘green’ matting to improve the bio-diversity of the site.

Planning permission is to be submitted to Waverley Borough Council in late Spring 2020.

For examples of some of our other timber frame homes please click here.

The site was to be ‘created’ by removing a section of a locally listed flint and brick wall and excavating the 4m height of earth behind this wall to form a site level with the road. A new brick faced retaining wall to the rear of the site (and forming the rear walls of the houses) would ensure that the earth behind was kept in place.

Clearly, this site would present many design challenges.

The solution was a pair of small semi-detached cottages designed to ensure daylight to the principal rooms could be achieved from the front and side elevations as there was no opportunity for natural light from the back. Two double bedrooms, each with ensuite bathrooms and an open plan ground floor make these properties perfect for shared young professionals looking to get on to the housing ladder.

A small courtyard garden provides amenity space for each plot and parking for one car was provided with visibility down the one-way road achieved by setting the front elevation back from the road which also served as access from the parking space to the front of the properties.

The buildings were designed as traditional brick and flint buildings with clay tile gabled roofs and chimneys to reflect the materials of the existing wall and a number of existing buildings in the nearby Conservation Area.

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An application was submitted to extend the original dwelling using Permitted Development Rights, i.e. without the need for further planning permission, by adding a large side extension, two separate rear extensions and alterations to increase the roof space. The resulting extant approvals would have allowed the house to be increased to over 413sq.m footprint and a width of nearly 30m.

The proposed replacement dwelling was smaller than the extant permissions in terms of footprint, gross external area, volume, width and depth and as such created “very special circumstances” which allowed the planning officer to accept this increase over the existing house.

The proposed new dwelling has been designed on the Principals of Vastu, an ancient Indian architectural proportioning and well-being system while maintaining a traditional rural architecture including steep gabled roofs, timber cladding and a veranda surround the property on all four sides.

A 9×9 grid, a completely square footprint based on proportional measurements, a large two-storey central atrium with clear lines of sight through critical parts of the building, coupled with rules defining everything from chakra points, stair positions, toilet orientation, bed directions, percentages of window to wall opening (different on different parts of the building), incoming services positions etc etc have meant careful planning and a host of decisions which have resulted in a clear floor plan.

The position of the house on the site is of equal importance in considering the Principals of Vastu. The house is orientated true north-south, has to avoid water points within certain site lines, has a Vastu ‘fence’ perimeter set at a distance reflecting the proportioning system of the house, and with clear views through certain axis of the landscaping.