Plot 2

Initially, we studied several historical and contemporary solutions to sites where the southernly aspect also had reduced privacy; one of the fundamental tenets of all homes is the division of public and private space, ensuring the comfort of the occupants. Initially, a Portuguese style gatehouse was considered but this was overly dominant on the rural lane so instead the garden wall was devised as a dominant manifestation of the division. Inside the wall, people are invited to enter and the house exposes its true form with its courtyards and vistas but outside the wall, the structure was extroverted to emphasize the disconnect between the internal and external spaces.

Being home for one of our directors we could take our time on the construction, allowing a significant volume of reclaimed, reused and upcycled material. The wall is formed of rammed stone dust (waste from the stone quarried for Plot 1) which was studied at length to minimise cement and chemical usage in its various vestiges. The lower ground floor uses a reclaimed drystone battered and biodiverse wall with openings formed in stone dust. The top floor is a slatted local oak cladding reducing used volume and contrasting with the mass of the lower ground floor and wall.