Oxted House is a new build 3 bedroom home in the Tandridge district of Surrey. This property is to be situated on the disused tennis courts to the rear of the Clients’ existing dwelling on the site. The design works sympathetically with the site levels and existing tree line to establish the new home into its setting.
The brief from the clients was for a new, energy efficient and light filled home. The Clients enjoy spending time in their garden and it was important to connect the new home with the garden space, harnessing key views out and using the orientation to connect interior and exterior spaces.
Our design process utilised orientation, views and materiality to inform the design of the new home. The orientation has been set to allow summer and winter sun to fall on the southern facing terraced patio, brise soleil have been incorporated to ensure the living space does not over heat in the summer. The orientation floods the master suite with sunshine throughout the morning and evening, providing double aspect views to enjoy throughout the day.
The roof pitch is set low to a storey and a half in order to nestle the property within the site context and allow key views to be framed. The kitchen has horizontal slot windows and the staircase has a double height window looking out towards the woodland beyond. The open plan living area opens out to the external terrace forming a seamless connection with the garden.
The building is designed using a fabric first approach and the wall, floor and roof build ups are detailed with low u-values and high levels of air tightness in mind. The dwelling’s heating and hot water needs will be met by an air source heat pump, with under floor heating throughout. A MVHR (mechanical ventilation heat recovery) system will provide the necessary ventilation to the air tight property. During the detailed design stage, all key junctions are drawn and developed to eliminate thermal bridges and form an energy efficient home.
SW architects worked on stages 0-5. During stage 4 we work alongside the consultant team to produce a detailed design package with full national building specification (nbs). At this stage, all key junctions are drawn and developed to prevent thermal bridges and form an energy efficient home. For stage 5 were novated to the contractor to support in bringing the design to fruition.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL:
“When we embarked on building a new house in Oxted we retained the services of a project manager to guide us through the process. At our request he sought two architects who came and presented their ideas around our specifications. We were immediately impressed with SW who concentrated on the aspect of the new house in its surroundings, considering how the light would shine through the house during the day and though the annual cycle of the seasons. They were able to incorporate all the design nuances we came up with, for example roof lights shining through the first floor void to illuminate the dining area on the ground floor.”
“A sedum roof on the garage which stands in front of the main house shielding it from neighbouring properties is also a nice touch. The interaction between ourselves as clients, SW and the project manager have been seamless thanks to Anna’s good natured approach to solving technical issues. SW are well versed in state-of-the-art building processes so we have lots of modern elements including heat pump, very comprehensive insulation and mechanical ventilation. We look forward to moving in soon and enjoying the economic advantages of a beautiful modern house in a charming environment. Thank you SW”
