Our eco-house project was completed in partnership with a builder client and sold off plan, shattering all market records for the area. The house is a modest family home, tucked away in a discreet location with a courtyard style garden. The form of the house was derived to overcome planning restrictions with a semi submerged lower ground floor and a first foor partially set in a loft space. The two floors are linked via a vaulted open kitchen space that sits on an intermediary level. A galleried staircase links the spaces and provides a moment of impact, wehere the building opens up across three floors. The house combines rough sawn larch cladding with an attractive brick. Vaulted ceilings are supported by painted softwood flitch beam trusses, and top light is plentiful, creating a calm scandinavian feel to the interiors. Heating is via air source heat pumps and underfloor heating. Other renewables include heat recovery, photovoltaics and rain water harvesting. The end user clients love the property so much they have asked us to design a second home near the coast!