House in the woods

Named, House in the Woods due to it integrated design within the natural woodland setting. The design for the house has been founded to provide a fully-accessible and ergonomic retreat for our client, who uses a wheelchair, and his family while creating expressive and engaging architecture, based on the established styles of the Lakes by Yoo.

The House In the Woods is laid out to relate to its wooded context, to maximise natural daylighting and sun to the garden while maintain privacy with neighbouring properties.

It is a new design that merges two typologies found at The Lakes: the flat-roofed modernist houses that line the lakes, and the pitched roof ‘vernacular’ form of the barn-like woodland houses. This hybrid approach stems from the clients desire to create a unique, contemporary house that refers explicitly to its immediate context and wider setting in the Cotswolds.

The house’s two characters express the difference between different programmes within the house. Living accommodation is arranged in glazed, concrete-framed spaces that address the open areas of the garden, while private bedroom spaces are located in pitched-roof volumes which rest on the heavy concrete plinth

Vertical circulation is provided by a minimal-glazed glass lift, positioned on the north facade. The fully-accessible car serves all levels, which are navigated via wide corridors and generous doors. The lift itself is conceived as a room in its own right, allowing the applicant can share the journey through the house with family and friends. It is an integral part of the architectural experience, rather than a disconnected add-on.

Planning was granted last month and we are hoping to start on site in the Summer.