Private House, Kenilworth

At the end of a long garden to a listed building in a bustling conservation area in Warwickshire sits a non-descript brick double garage built in the 1980s.

In the early 2010s, planning permission was granted for a brick and clay tile two bedroom dwelling of around 175m² GEA.

The permission has since lapsed, and the current owners of the house wanted to renew permission for a new dwelling, but investigate a form that was more sympathetic to its surroundings, was ultra energy efficient, and could get more activity into the same area.

We embarked on a massing study to determine the constraints of the site and to look at the materials and forms of the nearby houses. We had to ensure the project sat in the same boundaries as the lapsed permission; that the overall height of the proposals was no taller than the lapsed permission; and that our proposals enhanced the streetscape.

Our proposals are for a ‘storey and a half’ house, similar to the lapsed permission, albeit with the gable end facing the road. This trait is visible in some neighbouring properties. By increasing the pitch of the roof to match local forms, we could ensure more usable space at first floor.

Fronting the gable end on to the road also reduces the mass of the building, allowing for views and light through to the existing listed building.

With less area taken up in the long thin form, the ‘leftover’ area was manifested in a single storey element forming entrance, utility, kitchen etc.

The eaves, ridge and single storey element have all got curved edges to soften and reduce the overall massing.

The form of the building is further broken up using material treatments characteristics of nearby dwellings. The base of the building is brick, while the roof is ‘split’ from the base by a large dark timber shadow gap, which also hides windows to the stairwell and first floor corridor. The gable ends feature timber cladding, similar again to neighbouring properties, and the single storey element is a simple vertical timber clad box. Since the house is a modern interpretation ofthe local vernacular, we are proposing a red zinc roof, which echoes the colours of the local clay tiles.

The superstructure will have highly insulated walls and roof, following a ‘fabric first’ approach to sustainablity.