This private house is set in deciduous woodland near Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire. Completed in 2012, it is a 500m2 home for a professional couple.
The house is divided into a living wing and a bedroom wing, with a fully glazed stair hall forming the fulcrum of the composition.
The first floor living space and master suite benefit from spectacular views of the surrounding woodland. A cantilevered terrace runs along the length of the south facing façade, extending the living space into a landscape with dramatic effect.
The house has a complex Mechanical and Electrical system. Heating, hot water and pool heating are supplied by air source heat pumps located in the existing stable block. Major plant is also housed here and pumped via super insulated pipework in ducts under the driveway to the main house. A heat exchange system allows energy to be recovered from the living spaces and the pool.
The exterior of the building is clad in Cotswold stone affording the house a great sense of solidity. The traditional stone exterior creates an interesting juxtaposition with the buildings modern detailing and slender steel roof.
A wide range of stones and materials were considered, but the CotswoldOolitic limestone offered the best variation between the base tones and some blue hues which compliments the colour of the surrounding trees.
To achieve a dry stone walling look the stone was back mortared to standard blockwork cavity walls. The stone was sorted into different sizes and is angled inwards from bottom to top, which creates a traditional cambered effect, and improves structural stability.
