300m² detached rural dwelling
This plot, located on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells, is nestled amongst ancient woodland, with most oak trees dating back to the 17th century. The site falls within the Greenbelt, an Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty and of specific interest for ecology.
The site was initially occupied by a small, burnt down cottage which had been uninhabitable for decades. The client, whom we had worked with previously, presented us with this 5 acre plot without any remit other than to create a unique home for them. The existing building was less than 100m², making any chance of creating a larger home extremely difficult due to Greenbelt limitations. With careful consideration to the design, however, and working with the previous planning history, the proposed dwelling totaled a final size of 300m².
The concept was based around local materials to form its structure, with hand-built flint walls for the ground floor and narrow, vertical oak cladding for the upper level. A light-weight, first floor terrace wraps around the South and East facing elevations. Coupled with the orthogonal yet undulating first floor plan, private terrace spaces were created for each of the five bedrooms, with the master bedroom assuming the corner position.
The internal floor plan draws upon traditional concepts from local farmhouses, where the kitchen and dining room are conjoined and where forgotten volumes such as pantries and reading rooms are re-introduced into the plan. Yet, as with the past, these rooms were typically functional and bare, these spaces are now recognised as architectural gems and detailed to a high level, incorporating meticulously tiled floors and contemporary, oak-cladded walls.