Designscape Architects - Springfield Farm

Designscape Architects

• 2014

Springfield Farm replaces an undistinguished 1950s bungalow with a contemporary and innovative two-storey house. The site lies within the Bath and Bristol Green Belt on the edge of the scattered settlement of Stoney Littleton.

The building sits more or less on the footprint of the earlier building, and incorporates living accommodation on the ground floor with two en-suite bedrooms on the first floor. The open plan kitchen and dining area features large full height glazing overlooking the terrace to the fields and views beyond. Solar gain is carefully controlled with heat mirror glazing technology and external blinds so that room temperatures are comfortable throughout the year with minimal heating costs. Multiple floor levels break up the living space and create a sense of different zones within the plan. To the east of the building a book-lined snug is tucked away to one side. To the west lies a single-storey studio filled with light from full height glazing, and a bathroom and utility room. Adjacent to the house and its garden is a wild flower meadow.

The design of the building attempts to keep the house as low as possible on the sloping site, while at the same time taking advantage of the attractive views across the Wellow Brook valley. 

Care has been taken to select natural and sustainable materials that complement the colours of buildings in the area and the rural surroundings. The timber frame of the house supports Frake hardwood cladding, which has turned silver grey as it has aged and weathered, complementing the grey colours of local lias limestone. Trespa Mateon cladding panels have been used on the stair tower and within the recesses to express the articulation of the plan, whilst a pale grey Parex render has been used for the studio walls.

The aluminium window frames are a satin finish and coloured to blend with and complement the cladding and grey render.  An extensive green roof on the studio is linked to the wild flower meadow by a raised bank. The banks are planted to blend with the adjacent meadow.

Springfield Farm was a joint project by Andrew Wood Associates, who prepared initial plans and secured planning consent for the project, and Designscape Architects who developed the design through the detailed design and construction phases.