The project is an elegant ecological extension to a Georgian manor house. The design harmonises natural materials and low energy design within the challenges of a listed building. The brief was for a new entry sequence to the main house, inclusive of a new kitchen, dining room, garden room and utility spaces. The historical approach to the building had become obscured following the sale of land in the ‘90s, resulting in an oblique and unsatisfactory approach via a modern and utilitarian lean-to. The new design redefines the entry sequence with a new axis linking the formal front garden and the rear kitchen garden. The blade-like roof was designed almost impossibly thin, with stressed skin panels and a concealed gutter, to create a sense of lightness against the existing building. The slender new roofline subtly appears as a continuation of the existing string course. The construction also confounds the idea that super-insulated natural construction results in cumbersome architecture. The natural materials: reclaimed brick and oak, lime plasters, spruce, and polished concrete were left unadorned creating a contrasting balance of textures.