POND HOUSE

The client bought the land to fulfil a desire to live next to his own extensive pond, within a biodiverse natural setting.  

The plot is part of a local County Wildlife Habitat Site, and includes locally important wild grasses and insects, which have since been enhanced with the introduction of a large fishing lake which will be tended to over the years.

The proposed form, scale, height and materials all respond to the neighbouring and nearby Victorian properties.  At the same time, the clients wanted the scheme to be ‘of it’s time’, and so window placement, a band of black timber cladding to the ground floor, an accent chimney stack, and generous black-timber-clad dormer to the rear all add contemporary interest.

The kitchen and dining area runs front-to-back, with views out to all garden areas, and across a rear terrace to the feature pond.  Across a corridor, a family sitting room and ground floor accessible bedroom allow the occupants to share space or find privacy require.

Upstairs, the generous landing creates a home office space, while the dormer to the master bedroom frames views to the pond and retained Victorian run of store buildings.

The design adopted the Passivhaus principles, and was assessed using the PassivhausPlanning Package to optimise natural gains and limit heat loss. Insulation and air-tightnesswere enhanced, achieving an air permeability of 1.85m3/h/m2.  The property benefits from a whole-house mechanical heat recovery system.