Jura

Virginia Water, United Kingdom

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Jura

Virginia Water, United Kingdom

Firm

Lewandowski Architects

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2016

SIZE

10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft

BUDGET

Undisclosed

Jura is a fine example of contemporary architecture that breaks the mould in an almost entirely traditional architectural context. The Wentworth Estate, home to the world famous Wentworth Golf Club, was originally conceived in the 1920’s by renowned builder and developer W.G Tarrant and comprises architecture ranging in style from Arts and Crafts to neo-Georgian. Most newly constructed properties on the Estate, be they privately commissioned or developments, are designed in a traditional pastiche. This is largely due to fear of the unknown and risk of jeopardising future values. Jura looks to set a precedent on the Estate of how good quality, contemporary architecture can maximise the opportunities of a site in both design approach and planning terms.

The design vision for the house was to create a series of moments capturing vistas both inside and outside, offering a textural and inspiring journey through the building. As you approach the building you are greeted with a natural stone façade, replicating the craftsmanship and grandeur of its more traditional peers on the estate, whilst the crisp clean lines and glimpses of what happens behind begin to reveal its true identity. The sound of falling water and ability to touch and feel the natural stone as you arrive at the entrance encourages and stimulates the experience.

The plan consists of two wings of accommodation that are connected across all three floors via a central link/bridge. This link provides not only a functional and physical connection between spaces but allows the users to always feel connected to one another by sound and sight; this connectivity of the senses can often be missing in larger properties but was key to creating a building that could function as a home.

The property offers three floors of living accommodation; two floors above ground and a substantial lower ground floor which is flooded with natural light, measuring approximately 2000sqm in total. The site offers just over 5 acres of land which is again unique for the location.

A large challenge with this project, which has been built to the highest specification, was to design not only the external appearance but also the interior spaces with a very discerning ‘virtual client’ in mind. As such all spaces were consciously designed to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, while remaining honest to the contemporary roots of the architecture.
The clean and contemporary lines, enhanced by the natural limestone walls and full height glazing, offer a perfect complement to the soft natural wooded surroundings. The stone walls are accompanied by areas of Iroko cladding, a hardwood that will offer durability and elegance, while providing a finish that matures and mellows as the building settles into its new surroundings. High performance and ultra slim profile glass sliding doors are used extensively throughout to maximise natural light and offer panoramic views over the surrounding grounds.

The result is an elegant and modern home, carefully conceived and crafted to respond to the site’s individual features and the potential end user.