long house
We were appointed by a family living near this site in West Sussex to develop plans for a spectacular woodland house to meet the stringent planning requirements of the ‘Country House’ Paragraph 84 clause. The design seeks to demonstrate an exceptional approach to design on the wooded site through a layered approach.
The design seeks to demonstrate an exceptional approach to design on the wooded site through a layered approach - using a mixture of an innovative structure and local materials, within an ecologically positive landscape that supports rare species within the High Weald AONB.
As a starting point we considered the narrative of a ‘fallen tree’; something which creates a unique set of ecological habitats as part of the natural life cycle of a woodland. The vertiginous, linear qualities of the existing site and open glade led us to propose a long-house, itself reminiscent of a long standing tradition of this form of dwelling.
Internally the house provides flexible family living spaces, seeking to expand and contract to suit the clients needs over time.
