Set among 30 acres of parkland and surrounding unspoilt English countryside, this stunning new build home was built to Passivhaus standards and was granted planning approval due to "exceptional quality of architecture" under the Paragraph 84 National Planning Policy Framework. To achieve planning, the house needed to out perform sustainable targets, respond to the site and have an architectural design which stands the test of time.
The building mass is intentionally restrained to reflect the generally two-storey nature of nearby buildings. The innovative plan shape also serves to break down the volume by restraining the observable volume from any given direction. The use of natural and local stonework, characteristic of the nearby buildings, is an important reference to the rural context. Windows to the public face are kept modest with vertical proportions, a design response that both reflects the nature of the local building style and helps reduce heat loss on north facing elevations.
A single timber clad opening clearly defines the entrance and adds a contemporary element to an otherwise restrained, monumental stone facade. Double height stone walls extend toward the landscape and beyond the roof edge to fully embrace the timber body. The articulated tower façade is vertically and horizontally broken as homage to the tree canopy backdrop, serving to blur the boundary between landscape and building, which is further re-enforced by the integrated landscape design.
Project Information
Location:
Size:
Status:
Project Type:
Frome, Somerset
395 SQM
Completed in 2016
New Build - NFFP Paragraph 84