A new private house on a brownfield site on the edge of a village close to Nottingham. The plan is arranged either side of a central, naturally illuminated circulation space which has the sheltered main entrance to one end and culminates in an open plan glazed kitchen/dining area at the other. The accommodation is arranged on split levels to make maximum use of the existing site levels and the different types of accommodation located on each. With split levels the accommodation is intertwined and connected, not separated.
Externally the accommodation and split levels are reflected in the form of the building. The house becomes a grouping of harmonious parts rather than one large mass. Different materials are also used to separate the individual forms – glass, render and hanging tile. Large areas of external glazing (with solar shading to the southerly aspect) to habitable spaces allow for views into the garden and beyond, as well as filling the house with natural light. Room heights are increased to family areas, the kitchen/dining area has a clerestory toplight and the ceilings follow the roof pitch wherever possible to maximise the feeling of space. A glass balcony to the master bedroom cantilevers through the hanging tile.
Townsend House
Client: Private client
Completed: 2015
Images by Louise Dunn
