Hampshire home for a sailor makes for a sustainable domestic haven
Sailor's House by OB Architecture is a Hampshire home that combines minimalism and sustainability
Minimalist architecture and sustainability meet in this Hampshire home. Sailor's House by OB Architecture is a bespoke residence for a private client with a background in sailing – a world that not only lent the house its name, but also informed its sustainable architecture approach that puts nature first and allows the residents to keep in touch with their green surroundings.
A sustainable Hampshire home
The Hampshire home sits on a secluded, generous piece of land, placed centrally in a green garden that neighbours a Grade II-listed church. The structure itself, which occupies a Z-shaped floorplan, is composed of two single-storey volumes and a central, two-storey one, and was crafted to ensure views of the precious historical and natural surroundings are not obstructed in any way. At the same time, stepping inside, the interior spaces offer a serene, contemporary domestic haven.
The owners were keen to create an environmentally sensitive home, and the Winchester-based studio's architects, led by founding partner Olly Bray, obliged. As a result, the house uses not only high-performing building fabric and carefully calculated levels of airtightness, but it also features integrated renewable energy technologies to minimise the mains supply of energy and water. And while the modern home replaces a tired, smaller, 1970s existing bungalow on site, the built area footprint remains roughly the same.
Inside, the home contains ample living space, which opens up its pared-down, calming interiors to the leafy outdoors. A neutral colour palette and the extensive use of wood in surfaces and detailing make for light and tactile spaces. The ground level is intrinsically connected to the terraces and planting beyond, while the much lighter, glulam timber-framed and clad upstairs volume envelopes three generous bedrooms. Meanwhile, the ground floor forms a 'base' for the structure, anchoring it to the ground, made of a steel frame (also containing highly insulated timber infill).
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Audi launches AUDI, a China-only sub-brand, with a handsome new EV concept
The AUDI E previews a new range of China-specific electric vehicles from the German carmaker’s new local sub-brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Izza Marrakech: A new riad where art and bohemian luxury meet
Honouring the late Bill Willis’ hedonistic style, Izza Marrakech fuses traditional Moroccan craftsmanship with the best of contemporary art
By Ty Gaskins Published
-
Clocking on: the bedside analogue timepieces that won’t alarm your aesthetic
We track down the only tick-tocks that matter, nine traditional alarm clocks that tell the time with minimum fuss and maximum visual impact
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Capability House blends contemporary architecture and historical landscape in rural England
Capability House is a modern retreat by Dedraft set in the historical landscape of green, Capability Brown-designed grounds in rural England's Aynhoe Park Estate
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Peckham house design unlocks a spatial puzzle in south London
Audacious details, subtle colours and a product designer for a client make this Peckham house conversion a unique spatial experience
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Squire & Partners' radical restructure: 'There are a lot of different ways up the firm to partnership'
Squire & Partners announces a radical restructure; we talk to the late founder Michael Squire's son, senior partner Henry Squire, about the practice's new senior leadership group, its next steps and how architecture can move on from 'single leader culture'
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Meet the 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner: Livyj Bereh from Ukraine
The 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner has been crowned: congratulations to architecture collective Livyj Bereh from Ukraine, praised for its rebuilding efforts during the ongoing war in the country
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
RIBA House of the Year 2024: browse the shortlist and pick your favourite
The RIBA House of the Year 2024 shortlist is out, celebrating homes across the UK: it's time to place your bets. Which will win the top gong?
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The new Canada Water boardwalk is an experience designed to ‘unfold slowly’
A new Canada Water bridge by Asif Khan acts as a feature boardwalk for the London area's town centre, currently under development, embracing nature and wildlife along the way
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Paddington Square transforms its patch of central London with its 'elevated cube'
Paddington Square by Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been completed, elevating a busy London site through sustainability, modern workspace and a plaza
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural car parks to drive into, in the UK and beyond
Architectural car parks form an important part of urban infrastructure but can provide a design statement too; here are some of the finest examples to peruse, in the UK and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published