The Glass House is a new build house in rural Kent which sits in the grounds of a former country estate which in some point in the past was sub-divided into building plots. It replaces a previous poorly designed and built house that was sited in way that crashed through an existing historic garden wall that used from part of the boundary of the country estate.
The Glass House is designed to embed itself in the historic brick garden wall to anchor it in the site and repair the houses relationship to it. New extensions of the brick walls hold the gable ends of the building. The house is orientated to maximise the southern aspect and address the garden to the south, whilst maintaining views towards the north paddocks and fields.
The house references the forms and materiality of the surrounding agricultural buildings and is clad in black zinc with vertical timber battens adding richness and warmth to the elevation. The north facing up and over glazed entrance brings in lots of natural light to the triple height entrance hall without leading to overheating.
The building embraces modern methods of construction, with the primary structure being formed of Insulated Concrete Formwork giving a super insulated and air-tight enclosure. The highly sustainable building also benefits from the use of photo-voltaic panels, an air source heat pump and a MVHR system.
Materials used:
- VM Zinc – Roof and wall cladding - Anthrazinc
- Lauder Perea - Timber Cladding
- Carribena Blinds – Autometed louvre system
