Country House, Cranleigh, Surrey
Country House (for a meadow)
New Build Private Home, Cranleigh, Surrey
The brief, to redesign an existing planning permission for a new-build 5-bedroom family dwelling, replacing existing WW2 structures.
The site is located within the Surrey Green Belt and a rare opportunity for a new dwelling on a south facing, gently rolling meadow site. The existing planning permission was for a smaller, traditional 1½ storey chalet style house, orientated north/south along a B road to reduce the impact on a neighbouring hamlet.
Our design includes the reorientation and reconfiguration of the residential curtilage whilst maintaining a minimal impact on the neighbours. An early stage impact assessment demonstrated this successfully, resulting in the new optimum orientation for views and daylight.
Taking full advantage of the gently sloping topography, the new house design is split level and set into the slope by half a storey, thus maintaining perviously permitted building heights. The design makes reference to the existing WW2 structures with the use of metal cladding - zinc and an agricultural massing sensitive to the countryside setting.
The reorientation of the building permitted the definition of a public, westerly garden fronting the road and a south-easterly private garden overlooking the meadow and a number of striking oak trees. The separation of these two halves will be a natural drystone garden wall, which doubles up as the westerly building envelope, broken by a couple of glass bays to frame the afternoon sun.
The two storey base shape is complimented by a number of single storey building elements that serve to form a private courtyard setting. In line with Passivhaus principles, the north facing part of the property is enclosed and restraint. Whereas the southern courtyard features full height glazing and rendered facades overlooking the outdoor swimming pool.
Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will provide the necessary solar protection for the double height glazed central core of the building, as well as the generation of green electricity.