This sustainable Farnham house sprang from its owners' fabric-first decision. Instead of updating a dilapidated bungalow on site, it made more sense for the clients and their architects to demolish the modest property and replace it with a new, eco-friendly, modern building. The aim was to design and construct a home that would make the most of the secluded setting and enable the owners to integrate renewable technology to run it efficiently and with minimum impact to its surroundings.
Designing a sustainable Farnham house
Sketch Architects were enlisted to design the home's sustainable architecture that would relate well to its verdant setting and be finished in natural materials. Built on a sloping site, the two-storey house now features an array of solar panels that assist in running an air-source heat pump. The panels provide electricity to the entire building with any surplus energy stored in the onsite battery. The highly insulated building envelope was designed to ensure an increased level of air-tightness – a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system (MVHR) helps renew the air within the property and recycles the heat produced to keep temperatures in this all-electric home comfortable.
The sloping site has been exploited to give the occupants 360-degree views from all angles and allows the house to take on a traditional format with the communal spaces arranged over the ground floor of the building. The positioning of glazing and interior furnishings have been calculated in response to the elevated views of the Surrey countryside. Within the open-plan layout is a kitchen, dining and living area. This zone is delineated by a bespoke steel and timber staircase, which rises up through a double-height space above the living area. Rather than mask the supporting steel beam and column, it is instead highlighted in a moss green.
A pod studio that can be transformed into a guest bedroom with a utility space and bathroom help future-proof the home, should accessibility become an issue in the future. The pod structure is connected by a glass link and clad in charred timber. It features a sedum roof, which contrasts with the natural larch façade and zinc standing seam of the main building. Upstairs, four bedrooms fan off the gallery landing, one of which is a master suite. The rooms celebrate the use of glulam beams, which are left exposed to add a layer of detail and texture.
-
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
