Dune at the Mowings
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Walter Menteth Architects Download Original
Studio in the garden of the Mowings house, built directly above an existing garage
The studio is enclosed under a monopitch roof rising to the eastern corner with a clerestory at its apex. The undulating, freeform roof is planted with coastal grasses.
Projecting south-east from this central room and served by a shallow flight of stairs, there is a top-lit washroom ‘tower’ nestling into woodland.
Between the tower and the main room there is a small balcony, a secluded external reading and painting space linked to the studio. To the south, and at a lower level, a ‘linear conservatory’ provides a wind lobby, potting shed and greenhouse for the garden.
The studio is constructed entirely of solid timber, with fine grain timber cladding, super insulated with wood fibre and with heat mirror triple glazing. Internally the exposed structure provides the finish.
Specifications including air tightness are to the Passiv-haus standards, with all high hot water and heating exclusively supplied by solar energy and a wood burning stove/back boiler with heat recovery ventilation.
Data
- Begun: Jun 2009
- Completed: 2011
- Floor area: 171m2
- Sector: House
- Address: Movrons Lane, Brightlingsea, near Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Walter Menteth Architects
- Client: Private
- Site engineer: Richard F Gill & Associates
- Main contractor: Colne Valley Properties
Suppliers
- Doors and windows: Fineline Aluminium
- Insulating glass: IQ Glass
- Louvre Window System: Ruskin Air Management
- Roofing system: Protan
- Roof landscaping: BBS Green Roofing
- Woodfibre insulation: Natural Building Technologies
- Sanitaryware: Ideal Standard
- Ironmongery: Hillaldam Coburn Ltd
- Exterior wood treatment: Falun paint
- Wood burning stove: Hwam
- Solar heating: Kingspan