We worked alongside Adam Richard Architects to design his family home on a secluded site in the South Downs National Park.

The structural approach to this building is one of simplicity and robustness. An internally exposed concrete core is founded on strip footings and provides all the major structural functions of transferring vertical and horizontal loads to ground and providing support to the external brickwork cladding.

The high carbon content associated with reinforced concrete construction was mitigated by using 50% GGBS as a cement substitute, by re-using formwork and specifying re-cycled aggregate, and ultimately by avoiding the need for additional internal finishes.The brickwork detailing employs thick mortar joints, round arches and a stepped elevation and section and the brief called for an absence of horizontal movement joints, which would normally be used to address the potential for masonry cracking following drying shrinkage or thermal expansion and contraction. To achieve this, a combination of a traditional lime mortar, stainless steel bed-joint reinforcement and horizontal slip planes at the masonry steps was used, enabling the spacing of movement joints to be more than doubled / avoided altogether.

RIBA South East Building of the Year Award 2019

RIBA National Award 2019

Shortlisted for the RIBA House of the Year and the Manser Medal