Wood often features in residential design – but when architect Catja de Haas was working on her own home in the southeast of England, she wanted to honour the material in more ways than one. Her home is called Burwood, linking back to the region's rich green countryside and underlining her architecture's connection to nature.
‘Burwood is a type of wood that grows in existing woods, becoming a new tree’, de Haas explains. ‘It is the name of the house, and we hope the house will itself slowly disappear in the green.'
De Haas, who worked on the project with the support of Takero Shimazaki Architects, has created a house that is beautiful, open and sustainable. Her aim was to revisit ‘modernist ideas of flexibility, variety in use, inclusivity and scale,’ she explains.
The house consists of three volumes: two oak-clad forms linked together by a third, lower one that wraps around them on one side. On the opposite side, the house appears more ‘closed off' and private, but it opens up dramatically towards the sea, featuring expanses of glass on the ground level. It is in this generous glass enclosed space where the architect has placed the main living areas, which are topped by a green roof.
Built-in furniture on the ground level living space (in the form of pull-out storage boxes on wheels) provides seating inside and out. On the same floor lives a large kitchen and dining area, as well as two bedrooms. The top floor contains two further bedrooms, as well as a second living room that acts as an overflow bedroom when needed.
Soft, light hues and exposed CLT make up the house's main material character and colour palette, complemented by oak frame doors and concrete blocks. Meanwhile, underlining the building's sustainability credentials is Passivhaus detailing, air source heat pumps, natural ventilation and a glazing orientation and overhangs. These help regulate solar gains in a beneficial way throughout the year.
INFORMATION
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to timeA serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
-
Is the Pragma P1 the most sustainable watch yet?Geneva-based brand Pragma combines industrial design with real sustainable credentials
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in OxfordThe Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodellingNorth Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its gardenArchitects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional spaceA multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
-
'Bold and unapologetic', this contemporary Wimbledon home replaces a 1970s house on siteThis grey-brick Wimbledon home by McLaren Excell is a pairing of brick and concrete, designed to be mysterious
