Treetops was built as a modern house in 1964 inspired by a hunting lodge and elevated in a beautiful woodland setting. The original house was south facing with a cantilevered terrace and overhanging roof. A large first floor sun terrace over the garage gave a false impression of size. The open plan house was split level across both ground and first floor. The house had been ‘modernised, in the 1980’s with a pitched roof and metal columns added to the cantilevered balconies’. A series of inappropriate extensions had destroyed the original composition and scale resulting in an anonymous home The project brief was to create a modern house for a family needs in the 21st Century. The fundamental approach of the design was to • Use the inspiration of the original design. • Enlarge the living areas from the original and create a modern accommodation • Reduce the steepness to the driveway and bury the garage under the building, thus hiding the parking area • Achieve high Environmental standards of thermal insulation • Achieve a Code 5 house with a zero energy generation • When completed all the elements combine to create one unique house • Reinstate the landscape into a pasture garden using seeds from the adjacent wildflower meadow We retuned the house to a dual monopitch roof using the original structural slabs. They are now overlaid with insulation and zinc roof. The original clear storey windows have been reopened up. The return of natural light at high level is dramatic and shows off the original composition to its maximum. The high level windows also provide a natural stack ventilation in peak summer months. The orientation of the original house and the use of solar glass systems allow natural light to assist in the heating from low winter sun. The original overhanging roof provides shelter from the summer sun. The original brick has been covered in an insulation and render with a huge increase in thermal performance to the whole fabric and structure. The over cladding allowed original openings to be dramatically increased in size without having to worry over the damage to the brickwork. The small windows to the north have been increased in depth, aided by the increased thermal performance of modern windows. Huge openings to the south look out onto the beautiful landscape to the south. The character of the building and the extensions applied now look like one building, rather than a series of latter extensions. The building achieves in excess of Code 5 for sustainable homes. The orientation and large windows allow winter sun to heat the internal fabric maintaining 18 degrees without heating. The power for heating and hot water comes from a GSHP system fed by 760m of pipes laid in the garden. The pipes power the 18kw system. PV panels to be fitted to the roof will provide the electricity (one unit is required for each of the four taken from the ground), the house will become completely off grid. The design externally marries render and cedar panelling. The creation of a new unique window panel whereby the glazed panels are fixed and the insulated cedar cladding hide secret openings thus creating a clean architectural aesthetic appearance. The design has been well received, this is best illustrated when the son of the original Architect (William Maddison) knocked at the door and said his father would have been proud of the work completed. You can’t get a better compliment! We also sought to show that mid-century buildings are worthy of retention and can be brought up to todays (and tomorrow) level of environmental and design standards. The house is a perfect example on how to achieve modern levels of Continental environmental standards when using an old building. The client is delighted with the new building and how it sits in its setting. The original structure, roof and facades were retained. The original oak flooring (discovered under the carpets and lino) was removed, planned and reinstated adding texture and patina to the materials used. There were a number of technical challenges to overcome in the project. The building was built on secure foundations. However when excavating for the basement garage, a succession of underground water beds running through soil / sand beds led to significant underpinning of the remaining gable structure. The drainage runs now connect into the pond providing a natural feature to the garden Future maintenance has been designed into the building. The render, cedar and cement boards along with the zinc metal require no painting. The building now has a future and will last with little maintenance required. It demonstrates the quality of post war buildings and the potential that lies within them. Internally the palate of slate, oak and white walls are simple and easy to maintain. The building owner is a family who have built the house to live in for many years to come. The heating, lighting and design have all contributed to the joy of the project. A group of visitors from the RICS were kind in their compliments, ‘‘the Creative thinking, attention to detail, innovation and beauty of Treetops left the judges full of admiration, impressed and frankly, envious. Treetops is a true `Grand Design’