Water farm is a modern off-grid family home by Studio Bark for London leavers moving back to the family farm. The Paragraph 84 house was designed to nurture the needs of a young family of five, with strong historic ties to the site and off-grid living. The result is a unique and functional five bedroom off-grid home. The home is on the edge of Dedham Vale National Landscape, and has been designed with sensitivity to local character. Many of the key design features were informed by traditional farmsteads and traditional timber frame buildings. Integrity is achieved using traditional, natural materials, and the form is logically inspired by the surrounding landscape. A heavy weight plinth defines the ground floor, contrasting with the sculptural timber clad roof.

The client wanted spaces to be connected and feel open whilst remaining separate from one another, and to enhance views of the beautiful surrounding landscape. Our solution is a stepped ground floor arranged around a modest central courtyard. The courtyard provides ventilation while bringing a sense of the natural world into the home. This in-between space also creates a layering of views through the house and to the landscape beyond. Each space on the ground floor also has a stepped threshold, giving hierarchy to the living spaces and also responding to the sloping site topography.

Water Farm was built under Paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Known as ‘The Country House Clause’, Paragraph 84 relates to the building of new homes in the open countryside, typically on isolated sites.