Here is the second design we did. this was knocked up on site when I spent a day there with Alex and Joana of dRMM (firm of the architects I am using). I like it a lot, especially the orientation and the dramatic roof-line. But for the moment we are pursuing another option as shown on the next page.
The picture shows a fairly traditional pitched roof building. The problem with the local style is that the gable width is limited to about 5.8 metres, which is not as wide as I would like for a house. Alex’s solution was to make he building taper - so that the gable visible from the road or the nearby footpath is 5.8 metres, but the house is wider (some 8m) at the far end. This angle to the plan of the building means that the eaves of the 45 degree pitched roof also slopes downwards. To avoid this blocking off all the light, the roof then kinks upwards, origami style, which means that there is a large window area to that end of the building opening onto a double height living space behind. the model shows one end of the house (where the master bedroom would be) cantilevered out from at first floor level. It looks dramatic, but again I’m not sure that the planning authorities would see it as appropriate. But apart from this quirk, an advantage of this design is that, from the road side, the building looks pretty traditional and unobjectionable to planners and neighbours.
The secondary building is the annex to house my office and guest accommodation. It needs work to make it fit better with the main house.
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