New Build Family Home County Down

The Brief:

To design a new build detached family home that copes with the demands of busy and often noisy family life! The site is located in the countryside, and it was therefore necessary to address the particular requirements of planning policy in the countryside, principally Planning Policy Statement 21 ‘Sustainable Development in the Countryside’ and associated planning legislation.

The Solution:

The new dwelling splits the accommodation into two single-storey areas, one for living and the other for sleeping. A link between acts as an arrival space and home office/utility functions. With the two separate blocks single storey, the limited ridge heights (dictated by planning restrictions) can be fully utilised to maximise the spacious feeling of the interior. Careful orientation of the buildings on the site takes advantage of a southerly aspect for the future installation of PV cells, with initial sustainable investment in the form of air source heat pumps. A contemporary modern aesthetic is achieved through a limited palette of materials that also suit the rural location of this family home.