1 The Paddock, Hampshire Residence, England Residential Property, English Architecture

House in Brockenhurst, Hampshire

English Residential Building – design by Studio PAD, England

12 Sep 2013

1 The Paddock Residence

Design: Studio PAD

Location: Brockenhurst, Hampshire, England

photo from architect

House Redevelopment in Hampshire

The Paddocks is a typical seventies cul-de-sac development of rather uninspiring brick houses set back from the bustling and hugely popular High Street in Brockenhurst, situated within the New Forest National Park. Number 1 was bought by its’ current owners, Ian and Catrin Finlay in 2005 who quickly decided that more room was required to accommodate their rapidly expanding family. Fans of contemporary yet environmental design, they interviewed local practices and appointed a young practice PAD with a growing reputation in cutting edge sustainable architecture.

Located in Lymington, PAD was awarded the Daily Telegraph Award for ‘Best Residential Project in the UK’ last year and now has a clutch of recently completed projects on the south coast. Formed only 6 years ago they specialize in sustainable design and construction. Their approach to every project is unique and site specific – designs are often influenced by particular characteristics of the location. Wendy Perring, partner at PAD explains that ‘we aim to create buildings that sit in harmony with their site, and to make buildings that will be loved. If they are loved, they will be maintained for a long time – a sustainable building must possess those qualities if it is to be successful.’

photos from architect

The existing layout comprised living room, kitchen / dining room, utility and bedroom on the ground floor with three bedrooms and family bathroom upstairs. The Finlay’s were very keen to improve the energy efficiency of their home both to reduce their carbon footprint and their future energy bills. A previous single storey extension to the property housing a garage and badly laid out ground floor bedroom provided the obvious starting point for the new extension.

PAD looked at the options available to the couple in design terms and produced a number of different sketches that gave the couple a choice of different solutions. PAD also came up with an environmental proposal based on the client’s needs and the site orientation. A fundamental priority for PAD was to improve the thermal envelope of the existing house – the walls, roof and windows which have all been upgraded to exceed the requirements of the new Building Regulations, and the new extension is very highly insulated.

The house benefits from a good southerly aspect, beneficial for solar gain especially during the winter months when the sun angle is low and the heat of the sun can penetrate the living spaces facing the High Street and heat them naturally. Discreetly positioned solar thermal panels were added on the sedum roofed extension which supplies enough hot water for family’s daily requirements. Ironically, given the location of the home within the conservation area it was the addition of the solar panels not the contemporary design which almost resulted in the project being refused planning permission.

The architects successfully managed to persuade the planning committee that they should be setting a positive example within the conservation area, not penalizing energy conscious designs. These panels now provide the majority of the family’s hot water requirements and feed into a thermal store which also supplies hot water to the new under-floor heating laid throughout. All of the plumbing and electrics in the house were upgraded and replaced during the refurbishment with low flush toilets, aerated showers and new energy efficient lighting by Aurora being added throughout. A wood-burner in the living room provides further back-up heating and of course due to location the fuel is in abundant supply locally.

photos from architect

Inspired by a modest two storey flat roofed Victorian insertion on the High Street opposite PAD wanted the new extension to appear as a simple box form clearly articulated and separated from the existing. It is held off the existing house by glazed panels to the front and rear which also help to introduce plenty of light internally.

The extension does not appear as an alien form as it is sympathetically knitted into the existing building through the use of unifying materials: The old timber boarding has been replaced, new windows inserted throughout and a new warm roof added. Originating from Wales it was important to Catrin that the slate roof be Welsh in origin and that as many local materials and tradesmen as possible be used. A sedum covering was chosen for the new extension to increase biodiversity and minimise water run-off. The new kitchen worktops are made from recycled glass and even the mineral paint on the walls was chosen for its environmental credentials.

Work started on site during autumn 2010 during which time the Finlay’s moved into a nearby rented property with their two young boys and appointed local building firm Raymond Brown Ltd to carry out the work under the supervision of PAD. The alterations enlarge the home to 240m2 providing an additional 60m2 floor area which includes a remodeled entrance and family bathroom, an extension to the kitchen/dining and utility and 2 new bedrooms, cloakroom and a playroom.

The first floor has been be extended to the north-south to accommodate the new master bedroom with en-suite shower and adjoining east facing sun terrace, and the playroom benefits from its own south facing terrace with cleverly design solar shading to prevent over-heating. Whilst a design feature of the building it also allows the playroom to be opened up in all weathers affording shelter from too much sun, the occasional Forest drizzle and privacy from passers-by admiring this latest addition to Brockenhurst High Street.

Internally the house has also had a make-over using natural materials such as oak flooring and timber linings on the walls. Floors have been cut-away to allow light to penetrate into the centre of the plan. The old staircase has been removed to allow better use of the space upstairs and a new oak staircase with glass balustrade provides a dramatic link between ground and first floor.

Throughout the house views into and outwards have been carefully considered and the effect is a light filled home that is linked to the outside and the constantly changing environment outside. The results have been given the thumbs up by the children also who love to play ‘peek-a-boo’ through the glass floor panel with visitors.

The Finlay’s moved back into their refurbished home in June a month before the birth of their third child. The extension has given them the much needed space and flexibility to continue living in a location that they love for many years to come.

1 The Paddock images / information from Studio PAD

Location: 1 The Paddock, Brockenhurst, Hampshire, England, UK