Adolph House

The site is approximately 0.17-hectares, surrounded by agricultural fields and with no immediately adjacent neighbouring properties and was occupied by a large bunglaow and outbuildings.  It lies within the open countryside and within the designated Green Belt.

The clients are returning from working in the Caribbean for a number of years, so wanted a house that could enjoy as much sun as the British climate can offer.

Our design concept developed from an idea of a single-storey house with a simple ‘L-shaped’ plan form wrapping the garden space to face the sun. This was then overlaid with two parallel pitched roofs, staggered around a central flat roofed section containing the entrance. 

The main living spaces are arranged along the northern wing to face the sun. The central link contains bedrooms and entrance, while the master bedroom suite and car port sit beneath the southern pitched roof. 

The material palette will lend the house visually recessive, while ensuring an appropriate local vernacular on this part of the Green Belt: the walls of the house are to be in flint, with black stained timber vertical boarding to the central section, and gables beneath black roofs. This material palette will be complemented by dark bronze coloured anodised window frames.

The living wing is subdivided to provide a guest bedroom to the front, along with a study and back kitchen/utility room. The main vaulted living room space is also subdivided by a large masonry fireplace with through the wall stove between open kitchen-dining-sitting area into a living room. All living spaces are fully glazed onto the garden, shaded by a frame external awning that returns to the end to create a covered al-fresco dining area.

The garden, to landscape architect Nick Dexter’s design, is centered on a small swimming pool bringing nature into the house, and perhaps a touch of the sunny Caribbean to rural Berkshire.

The house will run on an Air Source Heat Pump, powered by rooftop PVs, with battery back-up.