Congratulations to Gregory Phillips Architects shortlisted for Luxury Residence – Europe Award in The International Design & Architecture Awards 2018

design et al are delighted to announce that Gregory Phillips Architects have been shortlisted for Luxury Residence – Europe Award within The International Design and Architecture Awards 2018.

Gregory Phillips Architects was approached to design this six-bedroom, modernist home in a spectacular rural setting in Shropshire. It replaces an existing dwelling that had been altered and extended over the years and did not do justice to the site or surroundings. The client’s main requirements were for an outstanding residence which would integrate well with its immediate and far reaching surroundings. The brief was to create a family home incorporating several internal and external recreational spaces and facilities. The project incorporates a gym, swimming pool, steam room, cinema and playroom, external tennis court, 5-a-side pitch plus external landscaping.

Gregory Phillips Architects

In addition to the lifestyle requirements of the client, the other major factor influencing the design was the site. The orientation, contours, views, and existing vegetation all informed the new building. The location of the previous house was rejected as a site for the new home and instead the house has been positioned further up the hillside and away from the road, this also allowed the existing house to be retained, pared back to its original footprint, restored, and used for ancillary accommodation. Architecturally the aim was to create a strong connection to the natural landscape, blurring boundaries between inside and out, rooting the building into its surroundings.

Gregory Phillips Architects

The relationship between internal and external spaces was paramount resulting in 3-metre-high panes of glass linking the internal spaces with the immediate external landscaping. Spaces were designed to enjoy both the views and changing weather, internal areas including several bedrooms have associated external balconies or terraces where the interior can extend beyond the external facade. The second design concept was for the use of a sophisticated and limited palette of luxurious natural materials, throughout the house the palette is repeated with different variations in different spaces.

Gregory Phillips Architects

Upon entry the central hall boasts views in all four directions, providing tantalising views into the grounds plus security back towards the garage area. The space is also flooded with light from the large circular roof-light providing dramatic views of the sky. The main spaces have been positioned upon the corners to almost become part of the surroundings, projecting from the main body of the house like fingers into the landscape, these also open out onto the gardens to provide an inside-outside living style to promote al fresco dining and enjoying the swimming pool whilst in the garden. The concept of the house was to enjoy its positioning and the changing weather whilst going about daily life, with views that did not rely upon ‘looking out of the window’ but became an integral part of the internal spaces.

Gregory Phillips Architects