An Exceptional Quality New Build House

Simon Knight Architects were approached by our private Clients to produce initial designs for a new family house on a plot of land adjacent to their current home.

 

The Farmyard Typology

We were interested in taking inspiration from local vernacular forms and materials and the adjacent Farm offered some inspiration in creating a contemporary version of a local farmstead.

 

Gabion Walls

We proposed using gabions for the main envelope of the house. This offered a rich texture that is natural in appearance but also offered a cost effective way of treating a high quality and innovative facade. We are interested in how this construction method could be an exemplar for other rural housing developments. The gabion offers a structural solution that can also be a rainscreen. There are opportunities to allow light through thinner gabions that offer interesting internal effects.

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Fabric First Approach

We are aiming to create a very low energy house that is built sustainability and offers a fabric first approach. This means that the building materials used and the construction method is efficient and maximises the building’s thermal performance. As well as this we will be looking at incoporating technology such as solar panels, preferrably in an array adjacent to the house, rainwater harvesting and ground source heat pumps under the house.