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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Woodpeckers in Hampshire, England by Strom ArchitectsNovember 22nd, 2016 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Strom Architects Woodpeckers is a private house in the New Forest, designed as a two-storey replacement for a 1930s bungalow. The site sits amongst fields and private woodland just outside the National Park, with a heavily-treed and well-established garden. The clients wanted a comfortable contemporary home as a weekend house, which would eventually become their permanent home in the future. With busy lives in London, they needed somewhere that they could retreat to at weekends to relax and to entertain friends. As keen gardeners and enjoying the outdoor lifestyle in the forest, they wanted a strong relationship with the garden, as well as the surrounding countryside.  Looking into the house from the ‘side’ – you see from the living area right through to the kitchen, with the master suite above, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes
 The sunny Southern aspect, looking past the terrace into the kitchen/dining areas, and the large mezzanine on the first floor, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes With the clients both involved in the design world, their aspirations for the aesthetic and build qualities were high; they wanted a house that would be simple but elegant – stylish rather than fashionable. A tight budget meant that we had to find efficiencies in the building fabric and structure to offset the cost if the quality of the finishes and size of spaces were not to be compromised.  Night shot of the Southern aspect, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes We established that for build speed and lower costs, it was best to adopt a timber frame for the house. To create a strong internal-external relationship, large openings would be required – traditional masonry would have needed large amounts of steel to achieve these, which would have attracted costs, and diluted the simplicity of a singular structural strategy. As it stands, the structure is entirely timber studwork, sitting on a piled concrete slab. The studwork is filled and over-clad with insulation, creating a thermally- and structurally- efficient envelope.  Looking at the house from the Southeast, you can see how the house sits within its environment and enjoys great privacy on the plot, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes Planning constraints dictated that floor area could be increased by just 30% for the replacement house, with an additional 20sq.m. for a ‘conservatory’. This figure included all overhangs, so we established that a slab-sided volume would make best use of the area restrictions, pushing glazing to the outer edge of the envelope. By integrating a single-storey, almost flat-roofed element, which continues out seamlessly from the main open plan space, we were able to eschew the typical aesthetic of a domestic conservatory.  Looking through the house to the terrace and garden beyond. The brick slip floor was also used on the terrace, giving a sense of connection between inside and outside, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes Having been approached by the clients in December 2012, we developed several design options to address their brief. These were discussed in pre-planning consultations, with a final design submitted in June 2013 and granted approval in August. Working drawings were then started, but this process was protracted due to cost reviews and final decisions regarding design and procurement. A project manager was brought on board to oversee construction rather than tender the project under a traditional contract or procurement route. This was done to avoid main contractor profits and because our past working relationship with the project manager gave us confidence that this house could achieve the level of quality that the clients wanted. The clients wanted to be in the completed house for Summer 2015, so a build programme of approximately 11 months was planned out. Building works started in August 2014 and the client moved in at the start of July 2015.  The double-height void in the kitchen area creates a feeling of light and space, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes Initially envisaged as a house for the weekends, Woodpeckers has become much more the clients, with them spending more and more time there – from long weekends, to weeks spent working from home and extended stays hosting family during the holidays.  The concrete hearth extends to the end of the conservatory, creating a seating area for reading or looking out, Image Courtesy © Luke Hayes  Image Courtesy © Strom Architects  Image Courtesy © Strom Architects
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Categories: House, Residential |
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