House on a Hill Bath, Southwest England real estate design architect, UK residential development news
House on a Hill in Bath
18 May 2023
Location: Bath, southwest England, UK
Design: Artel31
Photos by Pete Helme
House on a Hill, Southwest England
This hillside site above Bath has to rate as one of the best we’ve ever been engaged to work on for its uninterrupted views down the valley to the world heritage city of Bath. Artel31 wanted to create a hillside house that both framed the views and sat in it seamlessly when viewed from the opposite hill.
The lower ground floor of House on a Hill is formed from an oolitic limestone wall, a material that forms the hill on which the house sits and from which Bath is famously built. The upper ground floor wings sit perpendicular to the grounded stone form and centred on key views, use ebonised timber as a literal amalgamation with its woodland site.
A grey brick chimney is used to anchor the otherwise horizontal nature of the building, giving it a Z axis, and drawing the eye up above the woodland backdrop to the sky.
Given the access on the uphill side an inverted house was designed to allow the earth sheltered nature to the bedroom wing while the main living spaces and master suite enjoy the uninterrupted views of the ground floor.
Sustainable Measures:
Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP)
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Photovoltaic panels
Minimal internal structure to allow future alteration
High insulation levels (low U and Y values)
Home working space
Rain water harvesting to a large beneath ground tank
What are the sustainability features?
Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP)
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
Photovoltaic panels
Minimal internal structure to allow future alteration
High insulation levels (low U and Y values)
Home working space
Rain water harvesting to a large beneath ground tank
What was the brief?
An existing residence on the site was replaced due to subsidence. The site’s incredible views down the By Brook valley to the Unesco World Heritage City of Bath needed to be framed and used as a backdrop to the living spaces.
What building methods were used?
An ICF was used below the ground with a stick built timber and steel frame above.
What were the key challenges?
The steep hill on which the house was sited and narrow access added a logistical challenge to the construction process but this was designed into the construction system to minimise the size of panels or products brought to site. The hill also meant that sunlight was severely curtailed during the winter. we used a low asymmetric roof pitch to maximise permeability for the sunlight from the east.
House on a Hill in Bath, Southwest England – Building Information
Architects: Artel31 – https://artel31.co.uk/
Giraffe Engineering
Ellendale Environmental
Project size: 300 sqm
Site size: 1000 sqm
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 2
Photography: Pete Helme
House on a Hill, Bath, Southwest England images / information received 180523
Location: Bath, southwest England, UK
Circle Bath
Location: Peasedown St. John, near Bath, southwest England, UK
Dates built: 2006-09
Design: Foster + Partners, architects
CircleBath, opening of the first hospital designed by Foster + Partners
image : Foster + Partners
Address: CircleBath, Foxcote Avenue, Peasedown St. John, Bath BA2 8SF, England, UK
Contact Circle Bath : 01761 422 222
Location: Foxcote Avenue, Peasedown St. John, near Bath, BA2 8SF, England, United Kingdom
Architecture in Bath
Contemporary Architecture in Bath
Bath Riverside
Design: Alison Brooks Architects
image from Alison Brooks Architects
Bath Riverside
The Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
photo © Craig Aukland / Fotohaus
The Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care Bath
Bath Spa development
Grimshaw Architects
photograph : Edmund Sumner
Thermae Bath Spa
Bath Abbey Building
Design: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
image from architect studio
Bath Abbey Building
Holburne Museum of Art
Design: Eric Parry Architects
Holburne Museum of Art Bath
James Dyson Design School
Design: Wilkinson Eyre
Dyson School of Design Innovation
Comments / photos for House on a Hill, Bath, Southwest England designed by Artel31 page welcome