A house of wood shingle

A house of wood shingle is a unique project located in the outskirts of Bath, UK with views and aspect directly over the city to Bristol, the river seven estuary and beyond to Monmouthshire.

Located on a private wooded hill side road, our clients challenged us with facelifting and dramatically reconfiguring the existing 1950’s chalet style bungalow which inhabited the site and barely touch for the last 60 years. Thermally poor and with drastically underwhelming fenestration, a house of huge footprint and vast roof slopes, the existing property provided a solid backdrop for a considered re-working as opposed to the ever adopted new build route.

Our response to the brief takes the form of a rationalise series of peaking roof volumes which gesture towards the North Western valley enclosing newly protruding framed views and controlled vistas. The design unifies the existing house form under a new “thermally cloaked” blanked of blue label cedar shingles, helping it nestle into its sharp topography and wooded backdrop.

Our client with a strong sustainable and renewable energy agenda worked with us to develop a house with a reduced embodied carbon construction footprint, opting for timber framed alterations on raised footings the project seeks to limit the use of concrete and steel where possible. The project also pushes renewable technologies via a system of air source heat pumps, solar PV and rainwater harvesting. It maximises internally daylighting through a series of carefully considered reconfigured windows and roof lights.

Granted planning permission in October 2021 within the strict guidelines of the local conservation, the project is moving forward onsite through 2022.

A house of wood shingle

Visuals by HAZE & Forgeworks Studio