HILL TOP HOUSE
Hill Top House was borne out of a desire to create a distinctive and profound piece of architecture that directly responded to its idyllic countryside setting whilst facilitating a way of living tailored to the needs of our environmentally conscious clients. The site lies within the Crimple Valley of West Harrogate, a location classified as an Area of Special Landscape.
Our proposal is for a new, fully sustainable, off-grid dwelling that respects both the landscape in which it sits and the settlement and style of the local historic architecture. In reference to the neighbouring early 20th Century farmhouse the proposal reflects the traditional relationship between farmhouse and ancillary buildings. The proposal rightly takes on the subordinate role between the two, in siting, height and materiality. Comprised of five structures, the form takes its cues from that of traditional agricultural barns, yet its detailing displays the highest standard in modern, purist design – each barn is free from ornamentation and embellishments, limiting every detail to display only that which is essential in order to display true beauty that is found only through the elegant simplicity of the design.
Given its countryside location this project falls under the planning category of ‘Paragraph 80’ (previously Paragraph 79), relating to new homes within the countryside. Paragraph 80 projects come with very stringent planning constraints requiring the proposal to be ‘innovative’ and of ‘outstanding architectural quality’. This project has been presented to the local borough council as a piece of architecture that pioneers the use of the highest standard of sustainable systems (harnessing energy from the sun and natural heat from the earth, and implementing on-site waste breakdown through natural biological processes) to set a precedent in the borough for isolated houses to become energy ‘creators’ rather than energy ‘consumers’, thus alleviating their reliance on the already over-worked central energy supply. Furthermore, the building’s primary structure is formed from an innovative 3D-printed, insulative material made up of recycled glass.
An integral landscaping proposal blends the new dwelling into its wider setting, enhancing the existing natural environment, through the considered design of sustainable, architectural features (natural swimming pond/ reed bed infiltration system etc) and the surrounding habitat – including a blossom orchard, wildlife corridors, edible flower gardens and architecturally integrated roost boxes.