Studio Bark . photos: © Jim Stephenson
Water Farm was designed to nurture the needs of a young family of five, with strong historic ties to the site and a desire for off-grid living. The result is a unique and functional five bedroom off-grid home. The proposal is on the edge of Dedham Vale National Landscape, and has been designed with sensitivity to local character.
Reflecting local character with integrity
The proposal translates recognisable, local features into a unique yet sensitive rural home. The defining characteristics of the local area are reinterpreted, influenced by building typologies found in the nearby villages.
Many of the key design features were informed by traditional farmsteads and traditional timber frame buildings. Integrity is achieved using traditional, natural materials, and the form is logically inspired by the surrounding landscape. A heavy weight plinth defines the ground floor, contrasting with the sculptural timber clad roof.
A clever layout to enhance family life
The client wanted spaces to be connected and feel open whilst remaining separate from one another, and to enhance views of the beautiful surrounding landscape. Our solution is a stepped ground floor arranged around a modest central courtyard. The courtyard provides ventilation while bringing a sense of the natural world into the home. This in-between space also creates a layering of views through the house and to the landscape beyond. Each space on the ground floor also has a stepped threshold, giving hierarchy to the living spaces and also responding to the sloping site topography.
Where the ground floor is expressed through the changes in the ground plane, the first floor is defined by the striking geometry of the roof form giving each room a unique spacial character. The gable ends offer the two main bedrooms expansive views across the natural surrounds.
_
