The initial concept for the house was that of a contemporary twist on a traditional barn with a nod to the site’s rural vernacular setting. This informed the building’s strong massing and gable form, which presents itself as a traditional barn structure, appearing to firmly nestle into the site’s steep bankside topography and surrounding woodland landscape.

A series of punctuations break up the linearity of the form, with a number of feature dormers that correlate with open living spaces and offer framed viewpoints of the landscape.

Set out on a uniform grid, the layout of the house is arranged over three floors and a partial mezzanine in the roof space. The double height entrance core acts as a natural divide, and frames a sculptural staircase, where a series of generous galley walkways spur from to connect all floors.

To utilise the views and the site’s southern aspect, the main living spaces have been brought up to first floor, which comprise a large cinema and entertainment room to the eastern wing and an expansive open-plan living space and west facing balcony overlooking the garden, as well as including an adjoining dining room and utility spaces. A series of bedroom suites are located at ground floor, including a large master bedroom which has direct access onto the garden. An extensive basement is incorporated into the design where a large spa and gym facilities are housed.

A simple palette of robust materials were chosen for the house to imbue a sense of quality and craftmanship. The upper walls and roof is clad in a black standing seam zinc clad, with a strong pre-cast concrete base and deep window reveals. Fine elements of detailing such as the feature bris-soleil, windows and entrance reveals are picked out with bronzed anodised aluminium.