This garden suburb now has a mix of eclectic, loud & unsustainable mansions. Instead this 480 m2 6 bedroom house proposes a distinguished modern & sustainable design intended to quietly meld into a wild & sensually intense landscape; whilst unfolding a shock of light, generous & delightfully surprising spaces internally.
Two distinct 2 & 3 storey blocks including basement are arranged around a semi-sunken garden that opens out to the rear on the down-slope. The largest wing runs east to west parallel to the boundary. Internally floors form a series of terraces, punctuated by double & triple height spaces that step down to the rear following the site falls. The small guest wing connects to the main house beneath a glass bottomed pool. The new house is 3x larger than the previous, yet the split frontage & lower height significantly reduces the property's visual impact.
A concrete frame contributes high thermal mass, the basement is earth sheltered & doors, windows & walls are highly insulated. Heating is provided by ground source heat pumps, solar thermal panels & wood burning stoves, & used with heat recovery systems; rainwater is recovered for use on site. The roof & north wall of the rear wing is intensely landscaped. Under construction