Located on a stunning 12 acre site in a very secluded valley on the southern side of the River Blackwater catchment, this project followed detailed discussions with the Planning Authority where the principle of one dwelling only on the site was accepted. The brief looked for a house of high quality, using natural materials on the exterior and that the siting, massing and integration of the building into the site would be handled with extreme care. Specifically, the aspect of the house to the public roadway would need to be predominantly single storey, removal of trees be kept to an absolute minimum and existing site topography would need to be maintained with a 'cut and fill' approach not being an option.
The final design has been carefully considered to reflect these parameters with the building placed against the slope using a minimum cut into the hillside. The house presents a very small elevation to the roadway and is accessed from an intermediate floor at road level. The house then descends the hillside and is structurally tied back into the hill. Main living areas and main bedroom are located at the top of the building with the remaining bedrooms, bathrooms, utility areas, gym space and stores located at the lower levels. Externally, the house is finished in two materials only - Liscannor stone and stained cedar cladding. There are no other external finishes and all balcony balustrading is frameless glass in order to minimise external finish palette.
