Location: Coln Park. Claydon Pike. London Road, Lechlade, United Kingdom
Size: 600 m2
Year: 2018
Programme: 600 m2 three-storey house with one level below water with cinema, games/bar area, wellness/spa area, 80 m2 roof terrace and 176 m2 ground floor terrace
Architects: Mecanoo Architects
Design Team: Mecanoo, Arquitectura y Ordenación Urbana S.L. AOU SL, Boheme Development S.L.
Photography: mariashot.photo, Blue Sky Images
The guiding design principle was to create a house that combines transparency with sustainability, forging a strong relationship between the villa and the landscape. The harmony between landscape and interior, architecture and nature, was a key design determinant, particularly regarding sight lines, materials, colours, and lighting.
The house is designed from inside out, creating uninterrupted views to the surrounding nature while providing shelter and intimacy. All these aspects work together to ensure the house’s sense of timelessness. The villa is situated in a green oasis of trees and plants that hide the house from view.
Water plants along the water line alternate with stepping stones that lead to other parts of the garden. On the water side, the villa has an optimal view over the lake. Terraces on two different levels connect the villa to both the land and the water, anchoring the house in nature and giving it a welcoming presence.
Glass corner windows in the living room, kitchen and other rooms, make the residents feel like they live on the water. Between the house and the adjacent plot, a hilly finger of land with tall trees ensures privacy. By curving the bridge that connects the villa to the main road, the row of trees remains intact. This further increases the sense of privacy and blocks disturbing lights from the traffic.
Interior elements such as the fireplace and storage cupboards, divide the house into different places, creating more intimate and private areas within the large transparent volume. In the heart of the house, a full-height void connects all levels and creates another series of diagonal and vertical sight lines.
The staircase sews all the rooms together into one interior space. The central atrium brings abundant daylight into the sunken basement and connects the interior to the roof terrace. From the roof terrace, one can enjoy panoramic views as if floating quietly over the expanse of the lake.
Mecanoo Architects
All images courtesy of Mecanoo Architects
Mecanoo Architects
Mecanoo architecten, officially founded in Delft in 1984, is made up of a highly multidisciplinary staff of creative professionals from 25 countries. The team includes architects, engineers, interior designers, urban planners, landscape architects and architectural technicians. The company is led by creative director/founding partner, Francine Houben, design and research director/partner Dick van Gameren, technical director Friso van der Steen, and financial director Peter Haasbroek. The extensive collective experience, gained over three decades, results in designs that are realised with technical expertise and great attention to detail. Mecanoo’s projects range from single houses to complete neighbourhoods and skyscrapers, cities and polders, schools, theatres and libraries, hotels, museums, and even a chapel. more
CONTACT
Mecanoo HQ
Oude Delft 203, 2611 HD Delft, The Netherlands
Postbus 3277, 2601 DG Delft, The Netherlands
+31 15 2798100
info@mecanoo.nl
Mecanoo New York office
120 Broadway, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10271, United States
+1 917 979 6442
Mecanoo Asia office
Warehouse 292, No.449-1, Nanjing Rd., Fengshan Dist., Kaohsiung City 83079, Taiwan, 83079高雄市鳳山區南京路449之1號292棟
+886 7 7635763 ext. 323
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