John certainly helped us achieve it. Since the building has been completed, it has become one of the favourite locations for students
Patrick Hanlon
Our client runs a working farm and a construction business and they turned to us to design a replacement dwelling as part of a plan to accommodate a growing family within a modern and more manageable home. Initial studies suggested that the setting within an AONB would preclude the provision of a new dwelling but we took inspiration from the local vernacular of timber clad, low rise dwellings and rural buildings and thoroughly reviewed local and national planning policy.
We designed the new home to work with the landscape setting and combined traditional features with a modern twist, in the form of a fully glazed gable end and triple height glazed entrance and stair lobby, to ensure the new home was flooded with natural light and that the principal rooms were placed to take advantage of the magnificent views across the farm to the wooded valley beyond.
The new home was also designed to be more environmentally friendly, using fabric first methods of airtightness and high levels of insulation. An adjacent field was utilised for a closed-loop, horizontal trench ground source heat pump system, to provide heating and hot water for the new home and single story annexe. Skilful design and a carefully constructed response to planning policy ensured our client achieved planning success first time around. We applied our construction knowledge to assist them during the construction phase.
‘We needed a larger and more environmentally friendly home to replace the house that has stood on the land for almost 100 years. We were unsure of how to proceed given that the plot is in an AONB. John helped us see the potential of the plot and went on to design a discretely modern home, secure planning permission and assist during the construction stage. We are very happy in our new home.’ – Ian and Kerry Fieldwick.
