Orchard House, Wiltshire Property, English Residence, England Residential Building Design

Orchard House : Contemporary Wiltshire Property

Residential Development in south west England, UK – design by Studio Octopi

28 Nov 2012

Orchard House

Location: Wiltshire, southwest England

Design: Studio Octopi Architects

Orchard House Wiltshire home
images from architects practice

Contemporary House in Wiltshire

Orchard House was commissioned by the Client as a place in which to live, work and pursue various hobbies. The Client specifically wanted to create a lasting piece of responsive architecture that was not defined by her use of a wheelchair and where the building interacted effortlessly with the landscape. The house has been designed to Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Orchard House Wiltshire England

Located on the site of a former walled kitchen garden and orchard, landlocked and accessed only by a track from the main road, the house and gardens form a sequence of enclosures that unfold revealing a private interior world reminiscent of the secret garden.

Orchard House Wiltshire residence

The design and materials reference the style of traditional agricultural buildings preserving the original character of the site: the lower storey is rendered and the upper clad in loosely spaced timber slats. An historical ‘boundary’ wall was reinstated, intersecting the house, formed from local limestone.

Orchard House Wiltshire property

A simple free flowing plan wraps around a glazed central courtyard filling the house with natural light. The shallow plan, careful alignment of windows and a double height gallery allow views to cut across the building to the various gardens enabling multiple readings of the space.

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images from architect

Two large sliding doors can be drawn to close down the open plan, shutting off the entrance hall, or library and master bedroom. The upper storey provides an office and second bedroom with screened windows that look out over the historic houses of Calne.

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images from architect

A studio was included to the north of the house looking over the orchard garden allowing the client to practise various arts and crafts both inside and out. In the garden, three old fruit trees are planted in an arrangement that suggests a fourth once stood between them. We replaced the missing tree, forming the focal point of the central courtyard.

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images from architect

Orchard House Wiltshire – Building Information

Client: Private
Architect: Studio Octopi
Structural engineer: Milk Structures
Builder: Nigel Lloyd

Orchard House images / information from Studio Octopi

studio octopi Architects

Location: Wiltshire, England, UK

English Architecture

English Architecture Design – chronological list

A recent Wiltshire home on e-architect:

Kite House, near Salisbury
Design: AR Design Studio Architects
Kite House on River Avon by AR Design Studio
rendering : Nu.Ma
Kite House on the River Avon

English Houses – Selection

Watson House, New Forest National Park, Hampshire
Design: John Pardey Architects
New Forest House
photo © James Morris
New Forest House

Dungeness Beach House, Kent
Design: Simon Conder Associates
Beach House England
photo © Stephen Ambrose 07866 602627
Black Rubber Beach House

The Salt House
Design: Alison Brooks Architects
English house
photo : Cristobal Palma
Salt House

Black House, Cambridgeshire
Design: Mole Architects
Black House England
photo : John Donat
Black House

Wiltshire Buildings

Marlborough College Memorial Hall Building Refurbishment
Design: Diamond Schmitt Architects & Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt
Marlborough College Memorial Hall building interior
photo : Andy Matthews
Marlborough College Memorial Hall

English Architect

Comments / photos for the Orchard HouseWiltshire Property page welcome

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