COURTYARD HOUSE
Hinchley Wood | Surrey

Courtyard House is situated to the northern aspect of a significant wooded site. As long term guardians of the site, our client’s new home - a black clad charred timber structure - sits seamlessly with the landscape. Set over a single storey, expansive views and vistas are created within the architecture of the setting beyond.

In plan, the home is a perfect square, with cutouts to the northern, southern and eastern adjacencies forming exterior covered terraces. A central planted courtyard garden pulls light deep into the plan and creates a focal point around which all internal spaces function and interact. Associated to this courtyard space are the open plan living, kitchen and dining rooms, characterised by an expansive polished concrete floor and eight metre long glulam beams above. Designed to be the ‘forever home’ for our clients, one wing contains a series of dual aspect bedroom suites, whilst the other wing houses a snug, study and guest room.

Sustainability is woven into the aspirations of the build with a series of passivehaus techniques and construction principles implemented. The structural timber frame is highly insulated, utilises triple glazing, an air source heat pump and an array of solar panels. A sedum roof covering seeks to further encourage biodiversity across the site whilst providing a a very stable thermal blanket to the home. Cross ventilation is inherent in the architectural layout whilst an MVHR system ensures a healthy internal environment can be maintained mechanically all year round.