Community

Housing

Design Approach

The brief called for four new social housing homes that would deliver genuinely affordable accommodation for the local community whilst demonstrating exemplary sustainability credentials. The site’s location demanded sensitivity—situated within a designated green belt area subject to strict policies preventing countryside development, the proposals faced considerable planning constraints and initial resident objections.

The steeply sloping topography became the foundation for an innovative architectural solution. Rather than viewing the gradient as an obstacle, the design exploits it to minimise visual impact on the surrounding landscape. The homes nestle into the hillside, appearing as single-storey structures from the approach whilst revealing their full two-storey height at the rear, where the fall of the land allows the buildings to open up completely towards the stunning woodland panorama of the Stourhead Estate.

Materials and Construction

Sustainability principles informed every aspect of material selection and construction methodology. Clad entirely in western red cedar sourced directly from the Stourhead Western Estate’s own forestry operations, the homes demonstrate a genuine commitment to local supply chains and minimal transport emissions. This decision delivered multiple benefits: reduced construction costs through eliminated haulage, employment creation within the local community, and a dramatically reduced carbon footprint compared to conventional housing construction.

The warm, natural timber cladding allows the buildings to sit comfortably within their wooded setting, weathering gradually over time to blend ever more seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The choice of local timber wasn’t merely aesthetic—it represented a philosophical alignment between the architectural approach and the community-focused ethos of the project itself.

Technical Innovation

Constructing timber-frame buildings on steeply sloping sites presents significant structural challenges, particularly when portions of the structure must sit below ground level where moisture ingress becomes a critical concern. The solution required careful integration of construction systems: ground floor levels are built using solid masonry construction with comprehensive tanking and waterproof membranes to create an impermeable barrier against groundwater penetration. The timber-frame structure is then erected above this stabilised masonry base at first-floor level, combining the moisture resistance of traditional construction with the sustainability and efficiency of modern timber engineering.

This hybrid approach resolved the technical constraints whilst maintaining the project’s sustainability objectives, proving that innovative design can successfully reconcile environmental ambition with practical engineering requirements.

Planning and Community

Securing planning approval required demonstrating that the proposals, whilst technically contrary to policies preventing countryside development, delivered substantial community benefits that outweighed policy concerns. The case focused on evidencing genuine local housing need and the exemplary sustainability credentials that would set a benchmark for rural development in sensitive locations.

The approval represented recognition that sustainable, well-designed social housing can enhance rather than diminish treasured landscapes, particularly when projects deliver measurable environmental benefits including high biodiversity net gain alongside carbon reduction.

Key Features

Sustainable design prioritising low carbon footprint and environmental performance; locally sourced western red cedar from Stourhead Western Estate forestry; hybrid construction combining masonry ground floors with timber-frame upper levels; high biodiversity net gain contributing to landscape enhancement; affordable community housing within a protected rural setting; southern-facing elevations maximising natural light and woodland views.