The project was for a 'off site' replacement dwelling on a sloping, exposed site in the countryside. The site was at the end of a small 'ribbon' of properties meaning an application for a more 'traditional' dwelling would have been outright refused by the local council.

The main focus of the design concept was to integrate the new dwelling into the landscape. In order to achieve this we used the natural slope of the site to provide a ‘backdrop’ for our new dwelling. The use of a reconstituted natural ‘field stone’ retaining wall encapsulates the north east boundary of the dwelling leaving only glimpses of the new wildflower green roof available from Gortree Road. The use of natural materials, such as the green roof, natural stone, timber and copper cladding means the dwelling will weather and age naturally into the landscape. The use of additional soft planting will develop mature natural boundaries to define the new site.

The dwelling itself consists of a single storey, clad in western red cedar with large expanses of glass to the south - south west, maximising solar gain during the winter and taking in the open views across the countryside. The flat roof will incorporate a 1m+ overhang - with fascia & soffit clad in copper - to protect the large expanses of glass from strong sun glare during the summer.

This project is a great example of what can be achieved on a difficult site when the client, design team and local council think outside the box.