Houzz Tour: An Award-winning Contemporary Forest Home
As well as being an area of protected ancient woodland, this is also working land, so in many ways this steel-clad structure is more authentic than a romantic building crafted from solid oak. ‘This isn’t a squeaky clean version of the English countryside. And we wanted a house that fitted into the landscape that surrounds it,’ says Piers.
Piers’ clients had bought the site four years earlier hoping to fulfil a dream of building their own house. And while the internal area of 3,700 sq ft may be enough to make many city dwellers weep, this was a remarkably modest project. ‘The owners aren’t the kind of people who say “it has to have seven bedrooms”, they were more concerned about what they would use it for,’ says Piers.
Originally planned as a weekend house – at least until the children left home – the extraordinary finished project convinced its owners to leave London and move here permanently. It’s a seal of approval that’s been echoed by RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), which recently awarded the house a 2014 National Award.
Who lives here A family of six
Location Ashdown Forest, East Sussex
Year built 2013
Size 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Architect Piers Smerin
Budget £975,000
That’s interesting The house is built on the site of a 1920s summerhouse complete with an established suburban garden
The house is built into a bank with an entrance via a metal bridge. ‘I wanted the entrance to take you into the middle of the house. From there you can go up or down.’ Originally, this side of the building was going to be covered in sweet chestnut wood from the local forest, but it proved too difficult to harvest and dry it in sufficient quantities. Instead, Piers used Scandinavian Thermowood – a softwood that behaves like cedar and doesn’t rot when it’s exposed to the elements.
The poured polished concrete floor contains underfloor heating. Long lines emphasise the scale of the space, while coloured cabinets lift the pared-back interior. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors lead out onto the large veranda. These can be pushed back into the wall, removing the boundary between inside and out.Glazing, IQ Glass. Flooring, Lazenby. Joinery, Joe Mellows Furniture.Explore more ways with polished concrete
Another informal seating area makes this a flexible house for a growing family. The lime-green sofa and purple sideboard add pops of colour, contrasting with the concrete walls and floor. With the glass doors pushed back, the forest seems to come right up into the house, casting leafy shadows indoors. ‘The house is orientated to make the most of the low-angle sun in the winter months – there’s plenty of glazing looking towards the west,’ says Piers.
The cantilevered terrace is a practical space, with its overhanging roof providing shade and protection from showers. ‘We did consider stairs between here and the lower level, but the owners decided there were benefits to being separate from ground level,’ says Piers. ‘Apart from anything else, it keeps out the local wildlife.’
The ground floor has a utility room next to the pool. The apparently floating stairs keep the space open. They are made from chunks of oak from the surrounding woodland. The walls are clad in concrete cast against timber boards. ‘They add a nice texture and are much more forgiving to use than plain concrete.’
On the top floor, barely visible wires create an unobtrusive safety barrier. The window seats have storage lockers underneath. ‘This was designed as a play space for wet days, with a window seat for each child. That was when there were three kids, but now there are four!’ Skylights illuminate the space.
Situated in a woodland glade, the house has echoes of a modern farm building. ‘There’s no reason something has to look as if it’s been there for 100 years,’ says Piers. The exterior is clad in Corten steel, which rusts to match the autumnal colour of the surrounding beech trees.
Q