The clients wanted utmost sustainability and a glamorous contemporary design to complement the surroundings in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) within the leafy Surrey Hills’ Green Belt. They were clear from the outset - they did not want a series of rectilinear glass boxes. In response, the design is a flowing concrete structure with a curving geometry that suggests an on-site moulded process. The house and landscape represents a series of interlocking and intertwining elements, inspired by the natural environment. The building creates flowing contours on the site generating a fluidity between it and the landscape, with the glazed areas reflecting the natural setting. The plan takes inspiration from the forms of the local yew trees melding the house seamlessly within its spectacular rural landscape. The house incorporates sustainable technologies including a biomass boiler, fed by the estate’s 15-acre copse providing energy generation; solar hot water; photovoltaic and ground source heat pumps. The building’s facade will be constructed in GGBS concrete (ground granular blast furnace slag – a waste product from the iron-making industry), tinted to replicate the natural sandstone of the neighbouring listed property. GGBS reduces the overall environmental burden by 30-40% compared to regular concrete. It achieves a lighter colour finish and produces a smoother, more defect free surface due to the fineness of the GGBS particles. Throughout the build innovative technologies are employed including: a sophisticated building management system controlling individually zoned rooms and array of energy sources working in conjunction with the basement swimming pool that acts as a heat buffer; piled foundations will incorporate ground source heat pump coils, precluding the need for separate bore holes; the indoor pool will serve as a heat reservoir for storing solar hot water and solar gain, which can then be used as a source of under floor heating; the central entrance atrium will act as thermal buffer to temper the air of surrounding living spaces; a 12v DC lighting and small power circuit will reduce the energy loss that occurs when converting DC power to AC when feeding power generated by PV into the grid. 12v batteries will store any excess for use after daylight hours; a bespoke hydroponics installation in the family kitchen will provide a bi-weekly yield of fruit and vegetables. Conceived as an integral part of the building design, it will be monitored over five years by a research unit promoting indoor farming. When dealing with a site of such a high land designation, the challenge - under the requisites of Paragraph 55 - is to significantly enhance the immediate setting. This challenge was embraced wholeheartedly as the already verdant site possesses glorious panoramic views over the Weald and South Downs, nestled in the mature parkland setting of the existing estate. This consideration was ever-present during the genesis of the building design, but additional landscaping features were necessary to demonstrate this and the further criteria that the exceptional scheme ‘be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area.’