Cobtun House
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Martine Hamilton Knight (website) Download Original
Private house in a conservation area, overlooking the River Severn made from local oak and glass and a wall of red earth
The house is made from local oak and glass abutting an unusual wall of red earth. Against this encircling wall and buffer spaces to the north, a south-facing open-plan layout opens out to a terrace and a grass meadow with distant views beyond. The vertical volumes of chimney stack and principal bathroom are finished in render using sand from the site itself.
Low environmental impact materials and construction are used throughout, including recycled cellulose, timber, and the site earth. Energy conservation measures include solar panels, rainwater reclamation and a passive solar strategy with vines giving seasonal shading.
Data
- Begun: Jul 2000
- Completed: 2003
- Floor area: 219m2
- Sector: House
- Total cost: £350,000
- Tender date: Apr 2000
- Procurement: Two-stage tender JCT
- Address: Northwick Close, Northwick, Worcester, WR3 7EF, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Associated Architects
- Client: Nicholas Worsley
- Environmental biologist: Christopher Betts
- Main contractor: GF Hill (Malvern)
- Structural engineer: Shire Consulting
- Services engineer: Leeds Environmental Design Associates
- Ecologist: Christopher Betts
Suppliers
- Cob earth walling, internal earth: Kevin McCabe
- Recycled plastics drainage: Ecochannel
- Underfloor heating: Rettig
- Environmental Control System: E-Squared
