Conceptually, this is a house built within a picturesque ruin, the formal expression is composed of fragments of masonry which recall industrial uses and which obscure conventional domestic tropes. Our architectural approach illustrates the trajectory of the site – it is an adaptive re-use which clarifies and intensifies the perception of its change of use.
The somewhat conventional program is expressed as a complex of forms and elements in a garden and privileges the experience of the user. Particular attention is paid to the arrangement of space in a spiralling organisation. Specifically this is to add richness and complexity to the singular volume, to unfold internal and external space in a controlled narrative and to expand the experience of vertical circulation theatrically – heightening anticipation as each new space and volume appears. The climax is reached in the principal living area on the top floor where the views then expand out to the distance.