LAKE HOUSE
A new house on a beautiful Surrey lake
Inspired by local architecture, Lake House gives new expression to the Surrey Hills vernacular.
Its construction forms part of a wider programme of remediation and regeneration to restore the site’s natural habitats and its history.
By breaking the house into two distinct blocks, each with its own pitched roof, we have ensured the house feels in keeping with vernacular farm buildings in its scale and proportion.
The roof of the western volume is supported by a row of oak columns on the lake side. Here, large amounts of glazing, offering wonderful views, has been set well back so as to be almost invisible from the outside.
Wanting the house to speak to its surroundings, we have chosen natural vernacular materials directly informed by nearby farm buildings.
The roof, designed with a steep pitch and overhanging eaves to throw off rainwater, is made of clay tiles, while oak weatherboarding – used in conjunction with large oak-framed windows – links the house to the wooded landscape in which it sits. The robust sandstone base speaks to the area’s natural sedimentary outcrops.
The house has been conceived as a shelter from which to observe the world around it, and as a familiar object within the landscape.
By adopting the architectural language of its environs and blending them with contemporary developments, we have designed a sensitive, sustainable home for the 21st century.
Images by Kin Creatives