Congratulations to Dyer Grimes Architects, winner of Residential Architectural Property Award in The International Design & Architectural Awards 2013

To find out more about the awards, visit: http://design-et-al.co.uk/

To enter the awards, email: awards@design-et-al.co.uk

DGAWhite Lodge, by Dyer Grimes Architects, has successfully won the Residential Architectural Property Award 2013. The dream behind the project was to build an ultra-contemporary, sustainable home in the heart of leafy Surrey – a bold design statement, far removed from the pitched roof architecture of the area.

The brief was to create a stunning, white-rendered modernist villa on the secluded site of an existing pre-fab bungalow with vast open living spaces and extensive glazing to maximise views of mature grounds and a feature swimming pool. Having sold their listed manor house a few miles away, the build would mark a new chapter in the owners’ life, exchanging traditional grandeur for a highly sustainable contemporary home designed for easy living and entertaining.

Tandridge Council had a long standing planning policy that new builds should match the traditional vernacular of the area. The clients did not want planning restrictions to preclude them pushing the boundaries of contemporary design to create an iconic home they could be proud of.

Another challenge was the sloping topography of the site which threatened to limit the overall footprint of the house and surrounding landscapes. Designs would need to overcome the confines of the site incorporating 480m2 of living space whilst making the most of its setting and the Surrey Downs beyond.

Furthermore, the house was to be both easy and cost effective to maintain with careful attention to renewable energy sources and sustainable materials.

 

The design succeeds on three levels:

 

It is a champion of modern architecture in a green belt area – pushing the boundaries of new build properties.

It won approval of the planners by incorporating a three-tiered structure within the sloping topography of the site and maximizing the privacy afforded by surrounding trees.

It also answers the full brief of the client who first and foremost wanted a house to entertain in. Arranged around a generous entrance hall, the main living spaces comprise of large sliding walls which disappear into pockets to allow the living, dining and reception rooms to become one open plan space perfect for hosting parties.

The clever structural design and innovative construction methods incorporate slender steel columns, high performance glazing and an advanced insulated render system.

It is enhanced by intricate detailing including a shadow gap wrapping around the building between ground and first floor levels, stained hardwood panels to complement the crisp white render, and a feature glass and timber stair.

Sustainability and low maintenance was integral to the brief. White Lodge provides 12% of its energy usage from renewable sources. With a thermally efficient envelope, the under-floor heating system is powered by the combination of an air source heat pump, solar hot water panels and super efficient gas boiler. The result – White Lodge costs our clients a fifth of the running costs of their former 4 acre listed country estate.

 

To view more of Dyer Grimes Architects’ work, visit: http://www.dyergrimesarchitects.com/