Ardenwood Solar residences 2004

A development of three solar hemicycle residences. Built but not under our direction.

Ground Floor plan.

First Floor Plan.

Ardenwood solar residences. View of one unit under construction.

Aerial view from South

A detail of the entrance area.

Ardenwood solar residences - view of the model of one of the three houses.

Rather than spoil the curved tiled roof with solar panels we put the solar photovoltaic panels on tracking arrays on the two South gables.

Ardenwood solar residences - construction image.

Sintrendel, Combe Raleigh, Devon. 2017

A four bedroom two-story solar passive residence near Honiton, Devon.

Plans

Perdicted EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) - double 'A' grading.

Detail of model

Roof deck from Northwest. The roof deck was accessed by a staircase from the master bedroom suite.

model..roof off..

model..roof on..

Sintrendel model - East elevation.

One of the elegantly simple Structural Engineering layouts for Sintrendel.

The basic characteristics of concave and convex solar hemicycles. One is outward looking and one is inward looking. Sintrendel had superb outward views, so we made it a convex hemicycle.

Summer solstice sun penetration and the function of the roof extension.

Winter solstice sun penetration

Ground Floor plan. Gross internal floor area is 170 sq. m.

A split-level solar passive 'leaf' with three bedrooms (leaf no. 5)

A three bedroom split level solar passive residence. Aerial perspective from Southeast. This design which followed that of 'Sintrendel' would also be a double 'A' EPC.

Aerial perspective from Northeast.

Aerial view from SW

South elevation

CAD model...roof off. This suncast and that on the next image is for noon on June 21st - midsummer day.

CAD model...roof on, at noon on June 21st - in theory the hottest day of the year. The interior of this building is cooled by the shade given by its overhanging roof, the cooling effect of high thermal mass in shade inside, and of the cross ventilation promoted by its many opening windows.

Solar passive three-bedroom 'leaf'. Roof-off view showing the elevated gallery to the rear of the Lounge that gives access to the bedrooms.

Sketch perspective from Southwest

Split level solar passive residence - straight-walled

The idea behind this design was for a house expandable from its 'core', This is the three bedroom version.

Solar passive residence of three bedrooms. Wide site. 2016

South elevation Where site space permits, the bedrooms can 'emerge' from behind the main living areas. The bedrooms are here accessed by an elevated gallery to the rear of the main living areas.

Detail

Split level solar passive residence for a narrow site.

Variants of this design go from single to five bedroom layouts. The Lounge, Dining and Kitchen spaces are front and centre and open-planned, and the bedrooms line up behind as they are the least used accommodation in a house.

Anatomy of a solar passive house. The Lounge, Dining and Kitchen areas are open-planned and have priority at the front of the house facing the sun. They are contained in a large bay structure here which is shaded from the summer sun by large roof overhangs. The ancillary accommodation is lined up behind the main living spaces with only the master bedroom 'peeping out' to get some south exposure.

East elevation showing the private 'eyrie' balcony to the master bedroom. The roof is in effect a hat with a large brim facing the sun to stop the summer sun overheating the house, but letting in the useful low sun of winter.

Two bedroom solar passive 'leaf' (leaf no 4)

Plan. This is a unique design in having level access throughout - i.e. no steps or stairs. The two elevated bedroom suites are accessed by curved ramps rising behind the main living space. There is a small office near the entrance. This plan has a 'cooling pool' to assist summer cooling, and broad roof overhangs in the solar direction to act like the brim of a hat and give solar shading. The challenge with most solar passive buildings even in temperate climates is mainly in cooling rather than heating.

Solar passive 'leaf' no 4. Aerial perspective with the roof removed.

Eye level perspective from SE

Eye-level perspective view from SW.

Rectilinear solar active and solar passive residence.

Ground Floor Plan. The main living areas are in a tall single-story element which permits them to be larger or smaller when built according to a client's brief, and more easily extended later. The nominally flat roof over the Lounge/Dining areas has 300mm of insulation in the roof and 200mm to walls. The entire south-facing pitched roof is covered with solar photovoltaic panels.

First Floor Plan Two double ensuite bedrooms.

The entire South facing roof is covered with solar PV panels while the layout of accommodation follows solar passive principles.

Perspective view from NE. Minimal openings. The chimney-like structure is a passive vent stack which promotes natural stack ventilation. The passive stack can be opened or closed off according to how much 'draw' the owner wants to create up the vent.

Solar passive 'leaf' no. 2

A very compact two-bedroom solar leaf residence. The porte cochere structure to the rear is intended to provide a covered area for bicycle storage, tools and recycling, but it could be extended to provide sufficient space for a vehicle.

Simple solar passive

A small solar passive residence. Designed as an alternative to a mass-produced static caravan.

Simple rectangular solar residence_basic dimensions

Simple solar passive

A small highly-insulated solar passive residence designed as an alternative to a mass-produced park home. The leaf-shaped version of the previous plan.

Extension to Listed cottage in Swinbrook village, Oxfordshire 2012

The heavy Douglas Fir louvres were intended for privacy as a public footpath leads up past the property on this elevation.

Swinbrook extension - early sketch.

An early version of roof modelling shown in SketchUP.

Swinbrook extension - CAD model. - cutaway view down adjoining pathway. This view is essentially as this extension was built.

Swinbrook extension - upper bedroom terrace with walk-on rooflight

Swinbrook extension. Downstairs area. The near invisible glass balustrade to the staircase was to our design.

Extension in Swinbrook village - a detail of the staircase 'tower'

Extension in Swinbrook village - Lounge

Extension to Listed cottage in Kelmscott village, Oxfordshire 2001

This lovely image was taken by a Japanese magazine. Aragato!

This project won an RIBA Award for 'Best Extension in Wessex' in 2003. Wessex at the time consisted Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Islands.

The almost monastic frugality of the space and finishes comes out in this image.

View from garden

Detail of the ballustrade to the galleried first floor. Thanks CRM.

Extension near Lechlade - Building Regulations drawing excerpt. This section drawing is on paper, drawn by hand.

The statue is a garden sprite designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Extension to a Listed cottage in Langford village, Oxfordshire 1995

West elevation with the beautiful Romanesque arches of St. Matthews church behind.

Extension in Langford village - subsequent addition of a large oriel window

Extension to Listed Rectory outbuildings, Charney Bassett village, Oxfordshire 2002

Granny annexe and music studio additions to existing outbuildings. Built, but not in accordance with our drawings and not under our supervision. In memory of a wonderful and kind lady, Brenda, for whom we designed this extension.

Extension to sandstone villa, Glasgow, Scotland 2016

A radical departure in design necessitated in order to contrast the large villas behind. The Planners loved it and we had no difficulty getting Planning Permission.

untreated Douglas Fir wood was used externally

internal view showing light descending through rooflight with water on top. We called it a 'waterlight'. Through it light was constantly being bent into new patterns displayed on the wall below.

Glasgow extension. CAD model study of trellised eaves.

Glasgow extension. CAD model study of trellised eaves.

CAD model of this extension - more or less as built

Glasgow extension. Roof construction study model

Roof construction study model showing perimeter gutter formed in glassfibre roof.

Extension to a Listed House near Burford, Oxfordshire 2016

An unusual feature is the veranda. This allowed the new Lounge doors to the garden to be left open for most of the time, enhancing its 'connectedness' with the garden.

Extension to a thatched residence near Cricklade, Wiltshire 2008.

Rear elevation

The two story height bay fronted the double-height Lounge with a small office galleried above it. The substantial new stack contained one flue for a ground floor fireplace and one flue for the home heating boiler. This extension was built but not under our direction.

Extension to a semi-detached house near Witney, Oxfordshire UK. 2016.

Construction is anticipated in 2021.

Extension to a semi-detached house near Witney, Oxfordshire UK. 2016.

Construction image - October 2021

The roof overhang is shown here. The idea is to give the interior a sense of protective shelter, with pools of light falling through the rooflights and trellice openings like the light through a forest canopy.

House in a woodland near Exeter, Devon 2021

This is part of a house in a woodland setting. A house where the bedrooms are separated off and scattered through the wood. This is an elevated double bedroom pod.

elevated bedroom - plan

Elevated double bedroom pod - aerial view

Elevated bedroom pod - perspective view.

Elevated bedroom pod - end elevation

This is 'Michiko' - the largest of the standard Garden Branch units. It is insulated to a higher standard than most newbuild houses. Wide overhangs without visible guttering and horizontal rainscreen cladding give these structures a low, wide minimalist look.

Michiko - end elevation. Because of the wide roof overhangs the windows can be left open even in pouring rain.

The rainscreen cladding is untreated Douglas Fir fixed with stainless steel fixings. This is an image of a built home office.

This is a Garden Branch home office near Oxford, UK, built in 2019. It is slightly longer and narrower than a standard unit in order to fit the space available. This one has been built by its owner - a fastidious and careful builder.

Garage and Studio to a Listed cottage. Near Lechlade, Oxfordshire 2005

View of West elevation across adjoining field.

CAD model of west-facing gable is a close match to the finished building.

Sails are used as room dividers internally.

Early sketch study. Getting there..

CAD model roof construction sequence.. Beautifully detailed trusses support a ridgebeam.

Roof structure on top of trusses..

Rooflights in..

Roofing completed with real stone tiles in diminishing courses. The kink in the plan was an important characteristic that was 'celebrated' in the detailing internally.

Detail of entrance area.

Beach House, near Kingsbridge, Devon, 2006

Aerial perspective showing the house all but invisible to the access drive behind. The house had four bedrooms.

Perspective view from South. The Lounge was two-story and galleried to the Kitchen/Dining areas.

Perspective view from estuary beach. The bedroom 'block' was a cliff face of local stone.

Sketchplan of upper level.

Perspective view from below showing balconies. The floor of the balconies was grilled to allow strong breezes to blow up through them without lifting them off the house

Balcony detail.

roof detail

Gambles residence, Highworth, Wiltshire, UK 2004

Design for a family residence on a very small sloping plot - hardly bigger than the house itself. Four double bedrooms and an 'eyrie' Lounge. The Kitchen/Dining was to be in an atrium under a large roll-aside skylight.

Gambles residence - upper level plan.

The lower level is housed in a cliff-like bastion of masonry.

'Tengoku' A four-bedroom residence near Sheffield, Yorkshire, 2010

The bay windows capping the main living areas are two storys high.

The Garage/Studio block in the foreground is unbuilt.

Staircase detail - beautiful Ash joinery

minimalist detailing in Ash.

The pagoda-like flying rooves of Tengoku

Tengoku - very oriental treatment of the entrance gates

All vents and venting pipework were led to the main stack so that the roofs are all clear of visually messy pipe penetrations.

Village housing, Langford village, Oxfordshire, 2000

Village housing that relates to its context. It sat on the opposite side of the road to St. Matthews church. Unbuilt

Langford village housing. The tall gable windows expressed the location of the staircase there and responded to the scale of the ancient church opposite. Such things, however, appear to be lost on most people.

Site layout. All of the cottages had south-facing dual aspect Lounges, and a south-facing gardens.

Langford village housing. Ground floor plan of Northern block.

First floor plan of northern block. Staircases were positioned for ease of extension into the roofspace. A loft bedroom was pre-planned and the lofts were structured to facilitate ease of later conversion. This was to facilitate residents extending rather than being obliged to move if they needed a third bedroom - a device intended to help village residents stay rather than move.

Langford village housing. The lofts were 'prepared' for ease of conversion to an additional bedroom. The dormers are pre-detailed for later construction if desired.

Ferndale Cott. A cottage in a Cotswold village 2021

South Elevation. Windows on this elevation are made as large as possible to admit solar radiation for passive solar heating. The problem is going to be keeping this house cool in summer rather than keeping it warm in winter.

Turning a previously-approved carbon-positive plan around to face the sun, so it can be carbon neutral and within a few years carbon negative. Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan The bedrooms all have south exposure whilst the showerrooms staircase and landing face north.

North Elevation. Windows on this elevation are suppressed in order to save energy.

An early sketch of its west elevation. This is the 'public face' of this building with a busy street beside it. Hence the ground floor glazing is severely suppressed while the first floor gable window to the master bedroom is expressed and engages with a chimney stack 'tower'.

The West elevation in context with boundary walls, gates, existing trees

Sketch for a desert residence. 1975

Sketch of a hilltop group of buildings. 1975

Student scheme for grouped houses of max 100 cubic metres volume. Kerridge village, Cheshire 1975.

Student scheme for houses in Kerridge village. Section through site.

Victoria Park Medical Centre, Manchester, 1976

A student scheme for a small medical centre in a wooded Victorian suburb.

Victoria Park Medical Centre. Elevation of the consulting suites through the trees.

Naive early sketches for a 'Usonian' residence overlooking/overhanging a wooded hillside. Circa 1978

Sketch for a house with a dam, circa 1976. The dam was to power the house. A study/guest house at the other side of the dam is accessible by steppingstone circles at the head of the dam. Health and Safety would have had a field day..

Student scheme for a residence on a hillside in Helensborough, Scotland, 1979.

Berry/Katzeff residence extension, Hampstead. 1985. Unbuilt

'Tirion' - a residence in Luton, Bedfordshire circa 1987. Study of the front of the house.

'Rohan' - a residence in Bromley, Kent, circa 1986. Built, but not to this design.

Two houses in Angelica Court, Milton Keynes, circa 1986. Built, but not to this design.

Thames Footpath Bridge competition

Entry. Circa 1992. A bridge as a destination, with a long seat in the middle.

Sketch studies for a studio in Kelmscott, Oxfordshire, circa 2005. None of these proposals was adopted.. thankfully.

Kelmscott extensions. Tall bay windows on house and Studio compared. Repetition of a theme.

Myton Road residences, circa 1985. Sketch proposal. The striated brickwork and tall bays mark this as my work. Built, but not to this design.

Sketches for a playhouse for my daughter 1996. Unbuilt.

Sketch for a small sailing club, Sandwell valley, Birmingham, circa 1983. Unbuilt.

Sketch for terraced houses with Lounge at first floor level in large bay. circa 1985. Unbuilt.

Garden Courtyard houses. Circa 1984

The idea here was that each house had a private courtyard garden with its Lounge front and centre to the garden court. The bounding walls of the courtyard later grew to 2m in height to make the courtyard garden a 'secret garden' - visually accessible to the house only.

Conygre House competition entry. 2001

I cannot remember much about this competition. But it is clear from the scheme that it is 'anti-classicist'. Any resemblance of the plan to the alien spaceship in the movie 'Alien' is purely intentional.

Conygre House Competition. Mezzanine level plan. The gravelled and turfed mezzanine platform linked all of the parts of this house together with a circular 'garden' walkway above entrance courtyard level. "The horses and Land Rovers go down THERE, dear heart!" What was I thinking? I hate hunting and I hate Land Rovers.

Conygre House Competition. Plan of the upper levels of some of the 'standing stone' elements. This is an appallingly wasteful project from the embodied energy point of view. It is interesting as a signboard for what was to come after I 'woke' to climate change. This presages the curvilinear designs that came later.

Conygre House. Cross section. The main elements of the house were to be contained in huge 'standing stones' shapes containing the main accommodation. These were to be partially clad in Titanium or thin stainless steel with opening glazing set flush - so that they looked like polished metal stones set in a circle. The graphics are klunky. Heyho, who cares? The 'stones' were to be oriented to the centrepoint of the entrance court, and be linked by the elevated mezzanine walkway.

Section detail. I spent alot of effort on this competition entry, clearly. Where did all those Land Rover and horse blocks come from?! All to no avail - I think the winning design was a neoclassical lump. Power to the...errr...wealthy elitist class!

In the 1990's I drew all of the details for Keymer rooftiles installation guide under the tutelage of my boss and mentor David Baker. This is one of them.

A leaf extended