Larch House

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Larch House

Firm

Architecturall

Type

Residential › Private House

Larch House by Architecturall
Architecturall in collaboration with View Glazing have completed the Larch House, in Surrey, England.

Built out of a desire to explore the notion of the simple ‘timber box’, the Larch House is a modest and understated example of form following function. Derived from a loose but pragmatic client brief, the architecturally led design and build practice set about piecing together the jig-saw presented by the client. The site housed an exhausted bungalow which had seen very little upkeep across its 80 year lifespan. The bungalow was internally very dark and generally uninspiring. Being in an area of Greenbelt, the challenge was very difficult; to introduce a contemporary and modern new build within the middle of the Surrey heath and woodland.
Like every good design, the Client’s input was invaluable, and in this instance, daylight was at the top of the client’s wish-list. Architecturall’s solution was a large, frameless glass roof structure at the heart of the plan. Used to orientate the arrangement of spaces and circulation patterns within the house, the frameless roof structure offers the wow factor. Simple in its design, the architectural ‘void’ establishes the feeling of outdoors – a slightly disorientated feeling when you are standing at the centre of the plan.
With this house, less is certainly more, and this is reflected throughout the building’s simplified and minimal detailing. Internal coving has been lost, skirting boards and architraves have been replaced with pencil sharp shadow gaps, internal doors are frameless and pivot hung, simple larch timber clads the exterior and concealed window frames and external doors are just a selection of design tools the architects used to reduce the house to an ‘art gallery’ feel. However, in this instance, the art is not hung from the walls but formed from the large, frameless picture-windows capturing the beauty of the property’s surrounding.
The fascinating aspect of the house though is not the architecture alone but by how the house was procured. Architecturall are a bespoke, design and build practice, concentrating on high-quality private houses. Their goal is to produce good architecture, at an affordable price and within a super-fast time line. Amazingly, from start to finish the house only took 14 weeks to complete. If you consider this to include the landscaping and the demolition of the existing bungalow, then the realism of their ability becomes clear.
The success lies with the collaboration of an architect and contract manager at the centre of the company. With their skills combined at every step of the process, the company can realise a house design within a fraction of time and at a significantly reduced cost for the Client. Architecturall have successfully delivered several new-builds via this approach and the feedback has been more than just words – clients are returning to tackle their next venture through the company. As Julian Cotet of Architecturall states, ‘our wish is simple, to create good architecture, and for the clients to enjoy the experience’.
The Larch House certainly demonstrates this success, both architecturally and in its construction approach. To further sell the company’s ability, the Larch House incorporates many environmental aspects such as the latest air source heat pump, low energy clay-block masonry wall construction, thick insulation, a sedum roof and many other green features.
The house demonstrates that when the architect and contractor work as a single team, the results form a strong conceptual design, with carefully considered detailing and a finish to an extraordinary standard. If you wish to read more about this project, or Architecturall’s methodology, then please visit their website at
www.architecturall.co.uk
www.viewglazing.co.uk

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Larch House

Other Projects by Architecturall

Regents Drive

Gratton Street

Barnfield Wood Close

Larch House

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Team

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Larch House

Other Projects by Architecturall

Regents Drive

Gratton Street

Barnfield Wood Close

Larch House

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team