May 9th, 2008
Burd Hawards Overscaled Barn Dances Along Guernsey Cliffs
Burd Haward Architects has designed a ï¿¡1 million four-bedroom Lending Manufactured, granite-clad house for a family in Guernsey.
The building, to be located in the hamlet of Les Courtes Falaises, occupies a south-facing sloping site that leads to cliffs overlooking the English Channel.
Conceived as a “overscaled two-storey barnâ€, the house is defined by a steeply pitched roof and walls entirely clad in local granite tiles. Windows are frameless and set deep within the envelope, lending a sculptural, cubic feel to the composition.
Simple large openings are made at the south end of the site, giving long views towards the sea. At the north, smaller openings overlook an entrance courtyard.
The natural slope allows for three internal levels. The ground floor level drops from the entrance down through the kitchen and dining area to the sitting room. At first floor, the bedrooms occupy the whole volume of the roof, with sloping soffits which are punctured by opening rooflights.
“Planning and design culture in Guernsey is still pretty conservative†said practice director Catherine Burd, “but we were lucky in that one adventurous local practice — Mooarc – helped guide us through the planning system.
“We’re hopeful that planners will see that by taking our cues from the surrounding farm architecture, we’ve produced a scheme that is both modern and respectful of context.â€
Burd added that the house has been designed to be manufactured in large, prefabricated structural insulated panels, delivered from the mainland UK where build costs are considerably cheaper than on Guernsey.
Tags: 1 million, ala, architects, architecture, barn dances, courtyard, design culture, granite tiles, hamlet, Lending Manufactured, mainland uk, natural slope, pitched roof, planners, planning system, practice director, structural insulated panels