The Design
We started with an extraordinary location, a truly unique and challenging site. A hidden valley in the middle of the South Downs National Park, with an old ruined farmhouse and an undiscovered well. We knew that the location needed natural materials, it deserved interesting organic shapes. We knew it wasn't traditional, but we didn't want sugar cube harsh modernism either. We wanted the house to flow, to not be obvious. So, with a very open brief we ran an informal design competition with 6 recommendations from the RIBA and one personal recommendation.
Suffice to say that we were particularly challenged with the thought train that Birds Portchmouth Russum put in motion. Their storybook was an illuminating way of communicating their concept. We knew a door had been opened, and we knew we had to follow.
This is an early sketch design for the house. Although much changed over the course of the design, it's interesting to see some elements that ended up in the final blueprint. For example the use of large floor to ceiling windows to maximise the views of the rural countryside, and the drive-way circle.
In the early design, the central section shows a swimming pool dividing the house into two wings. The site is also sloped due to the valley, and this design attempts to incorporate some of that elevation.
After some deliberation, we decided that the pool wasn't a necessity and we sent Birds Portchmouth Russum back to the drawing board on how to connect to the two wings. They delved into some of our family history and discovered our backgrounds in the wine business. Taking a giant leap of inspiration, the design for the foudre (wine barrel hall) came to life.
One of the biggest decisions regarding design was what to do with the stone wall remains of the old farmhouse.
Some architects drew the wall into the new house design, some posed to knock it down completely. We ended up liking Birds Portchmouth Russum's idea of keeping the wall and using it as a historic feature in the landscape. They suggested strengthening the structure with some additional stone masonry, and then to use it as a dynamic landscaping 'sculpture'. With this in mind the final plans were drawn up.
