The Brief Our clients bought a rare plot in a popular Derbyshire village with rolling countryside views. Their brief was to design a home for a family with grown children who all live busy lives and want a space they can enjoy together, while also providing a level of flexibility and space. The family also own a company that specialises in industrial buildings and wanted to put this expertise to use by building by using a steel framed building. Our Solution Working within the context of a rural village we designed a series of buildings that step down into the landscape, following the topography of the land. We designed a shallow plan building, which lends itself to steel framed construction. Aesthetically this design is reminiscent of traditional, brick built agricultural buildings found in this area. Although the house is, in essence large, the design of ‘a collection of buildings’ conceals the scale within the streetscene and provides plenty of living space that frames the amazing views. Architecture with a Sense of Place Our Concept: A Collection of Rural Buildings We always try to deliver quality architecture with a design that suits a building surroundings. Having made sure we reviewed the landscape, topology and neighbouring architecture we came up with this design of a collection of rural buildings. This design offers plenty of space for a large family but from the road it looks like a series of smaller homes. The main glass entrance forms a link between buildings at the same time as offering a glimpse of rural countryside views as arrive. The amount of glazing also floods the main circulation with light, without making it a greenhouse in summer. Working in a Rural Area Swain architecture are experienced at working within rural areas. We liaised with South Derbyshire District Council Planning Authority and ensured that our designs work within the picturesque village and streetscene of the property.