Originally the kitchen garden of a a large house, the site had planning permission for the two mews houses to align with the adjoining mews houses. After consultation with the planners the architects gained consent for a single detached dwelling facing West into its own courtyard garden and away from the facing adjoining mews houses. The house was designed as two interlocking cubes of reinforced–concrete cavity walls exposed internally and externally, with the West facing faced consisting of floor to ceiling panes of glass in hardwood timber framing. Louvered shutters were specified at the first- floor level to give privacy in the bathrooms but openable to enjoy light and sunshine. As well as using concrete timber and glass internally and externally with limestone floors and open- tread stairs, the palette of materials changes dramatically in the family bathroom, which has stainless- steel walls and red rubber flooring. An imaginative family house for which the architects received a RIBA Award. Photography: Keith Collie (01233 840530) |
