Project: Stour House
Architects: Facit Homes
Location: London, United Kingdom
Area: 4,520 sf
Year: 2019
Photographs by: Martin Gardner
Nestled in an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,’ this contemporary architectural gem embodies sensitivity and innovation. Facit Homes deployed the Facit MicroFactory™ on-site, crafting an engineered wood chassis with precision. Wrapped in Western red cedar cladding and powder-coated aluminum panels, the home harmoniously merges with its surroundings. Expansive glazing floods the ground floor with natural light, offering breathtaking river views. Carefully articulated massing and a polished micro-cement ground floor create a united, spacious interior. The masterfully designed staircase, crafted from laser-cut steel and cedar-clad balustrades, adds warmth and texture to this exemplary residence.
As the site is set within an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, it was clear that the new home would need to be an exemplary piece of contemporary architecture that was sensitive and responsive to its location to secure planning approval. As a practice that designs & builds – Facit Homes uses Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Deploying their unique Facit MicroFactory™ directly onto the site to fabricate and assemble the engineered wood components that form the integral high-performance chassis of the home.
Western red cedar was selected for the final cladding finish, which will age beautifully and help blend the building into the area, complemented with powder-coated aluminum panels and window reveals. Large swathes of glazing on the ground floor of the southern elevation flood the house with natural light and allow stunning views out to the river, and deep window reveals on the first floor, which splays out at angles, help frame picture-perfect scenes.
Great care was taken to break up the massing and articulate the elevations by visually separating the ground and first floors. Internally, a large open-plan ground floor gives the family lots of space to hang out and entertain, with a central void above the dining area adding drama. Upstairs, the principal spaces all enjoy incredible views to the south, framed by the splayed window reveals, with the master suite also having a private balcony.
The ground floor is entirely covered in a polished micro-cement, giving a solid, smooth and united feel to the space. A carefully designed main staircase was fabricated from laser-cut steel, softened with a cedar-clad balustrade, a material which is again used on the ceiling of the living space to add warmth and texture.
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