Girton Road, Girton

We were commissioned by a private client to design a sustainable and unique family home on a backland site. Our client’s brief was to design a modern, warm and environmentally friendly property that suited the needs of modern family living whilst respecting the character of the area.

Although contemporary in form, the proposal takes on a sensitive approach in order to respect the historic character of the area. By designing a 2 storey flat roofed building to minimise the height of the proposal, we ensured that overlooking and impact to the surrounding neighbours were negated. The form is set in the middle of site with an entrance frontage facing the highway that provides a presence upon arrival. Window apertures have been designed to look into the designated site area rather than at surrounding buildings.

The use of high quality locally sourced products was a necessity. For the brickwork we proposed the use of handmade stock red brick, laid in a lime mortar with a pale-coloured gritty sand obtained from the local pit. The smaller upper floor element is clad in a durable timber left natural and allowed to weather to a silver-grey colour.

In addition, high quality glass is proposed to sit alongside the other materials and compliment the building, whilst introducing natural light to the property. This simple palette of materials lends itself to a unique, elegant and defined building.