This naturally led to practical requirements. In this case, the son and his caregivers needed their own separate zone, without being separated from home life. ‘And then we come to the moral brief,’ Richard continues. ‘What values do we want to bring to the project? That’s where we deal with sustainability, energy efficiency and positioning the home in the local environment. My clients were passionate about all those elements.’
The resulting house is very satisfying because it is designed to meet the needs of the family, with no superfluous space. Its four separate zones are connected by a central spine meaning it can be opened and closed depending on who is there. ‘It’s not a big house,’ says Richard. ‘But it gives so much more.’ One zone contains the kitchen and sitting area; The second holds the main Bedroom; And a pair of additional rooms in the third are ideal for guests. The fourth is a self-contained apartment for the son and his carers, carefully designed to suit him, and easy to close or open as needed.
Richard is known for his ability to construct new buildings employing the rural vernacular (his work The Newt in Somerset as the most notable example) and, here, local farm buildings informed its design and choice of materials. ‘The local vernacular is simple, with some red brick, some black-painted wood cladding, concrete on the floor and then a corrugated tin roof. You also get barns with hit-and-miss bricks, where you have holes in the bricks for ventilation. So we used those ideas to create two lean-to shed experiences from the central space.’
The scale of the house is clever. None of the rooms seem larger than they are, but at the same time there is a sense of generosity as the central space is higher than the eaves line, creating a pleasant air. Every other room has a ceiling that slopes down towards the windows, so they have a more homely feel. The windows are large enough to immerse occupants in views of the countryside, without being alarmingly large. ‘I always avoid huge sheets of glass because they can be nice at certain times, but then at night or in the darker times of the year, you’re just looking at darkness,’ observes Richard.
