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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. The Quest in Swanage, England by Ström ArchitectsFebruary 23rd, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Ström Architects “The Quest” is a private house in Swanage (UK); it is a new-build home replacing an ageing bungalow that had been on the site since 1917. The clients wanted a house for their retirement, but with a keen interest in design and a love of abstract and modern art, it needed to eschew the usual trappings of staid, retirement home design.  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner
 Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner The site is heavily wooded and sloping, enjoying a beautiful southerly aspect with a view over the Durlston Country Park. Early on, we established the advantages of a single-storey building; it would suit the retired clients’ future needs and the needs of their disabled daughter, give an elegant solution to the steeply sloped site and allow a simple arrangement of spaces. At the same time, the design reduces the visual impact from across the valley when looking back towards the house, and helped the scheme from a planning point of view.  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner The sloping site – with protected mature trees – very much dictated the positioning of the dwelling. Access is via the front of the property to the South, so we made use of a retaining wall faced in local Purbeck stone, to define different levels and visually mask the vehicular route, maintaining a clear view from the living spaces across the valley.  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner The house cantilevers over the retaining wall to deal with the level changes and views, and creates a sheltered undercroft parking area. The large cantilever has been achieved through two concrete planes: the floor and roof acting together like a space beam. The concrete structure is then in-filled with simple timber dry-lining, leaving the concrete frame visible externally.  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner Internally, a large open-plan kitchen-dining-living area occupies the centre of the plan, with a covered terrace spanning its length and giving a sheltered outdoor area overlooking the Southern views. To the Eastern end of the house sits the guest accommodation and studies, with the master suite sitting within the cantilevered Western end of the house. A simple interior palette of Purbeck stone flooring, a concrete hearth and engineered timber flooring, provide echoes of the external materials – waterproof concrete slabs and untreated larch cladding.  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner The house exemplifies our belief that simplicity and honesty of construction underlie good design. The initial concept and design drivers are instantly recognisable in the building, and we worked to retain this clarity of intent without adding anything unnecessary to the building. We think carefully about how we build our buildings and work closely with our engineers to ensure an architecture founded in such basic things such as structure, details, materials and order.  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner  Image Courtesy © Martin Gardner  Image Courtesy © Ström Architects  Image Courtesy © Ström Architects  Image Courtesy © Ström Architects  Image Courtesy © Ström Architects  Image Courtesy © Ström Architects  Image Courtesy © Ström Architects
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Categories: House, Residential |
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