Situated in the Cotswolds and designated 'Area of Outstanding

Natural Beauty' this new house in Charlbury was approved at

the West Oxfordshire Uplands Planning Subcommittee meeting.

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Extensive pre-application discussions took place with WODC prior

to the application being submitted. The awkward shaped sloping

plot and dominance of a 150 year old oak tree posed interesting

challenges in the initial design stages. The tree was to be respected

and the resulting form of the dwelling is a direct response to the

shape and topography of the plot.

 

The lower entrance level cuts into the bank and supports a second

level only at the higher part of the site. Two building elements are

separated from each other and have mono-pitched roofs following

the slope of the terrain. Each structure follows the orientation of the nearest boundary and is then linked by a single storey flat roofed

entrance hall. The hall also functions as a transition between the two

angled mono-pitched structures and is timber clad and largely glazed

to distinguish it from the heavier natural stone structures.

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