Garden Room
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View from the garden
Henry Posner (website) Download Original
A hand-built cabin constructed from timber, providing a lounge, space to work and a private walled garden
The aim for the building is to balance the functionality of a room in the home whilst also maximising its location in the garden. It achieves this by utilising large areas of glazing to provide a backdrop of the garden's unique features. The orientation of the form is such that the trees are framed by the glazing when viewed through the building from the house. Located along the north wall of the garden in order to exploit these views, the completed form mitigates the adverse affects of direct sunlight from the south by using shading features and the surrounding trees.
The internal space is generous to allow for a greater number of users when entertaining. The apertures are mobile, sliding or opening in order to accommodate the range of uses throughout the year. A decked space enclosed on three sides behind the building forms a private walled garden. This exterior space is connected to the building interior by a large sash window, allowing views, sound and drinks to pass between.
The project was undertaken over the summer of 2011 by two undergraduate students of architecture and engineering. The scale of the project provided an opportunity for students to acheive an architectural design whilst also fulfilling the demands of the brief for the client. This form of patronage is an invaluable learning experience, as well as a flexible form of collaboration, where client and designer can remain in constant dialogue on site.
Data
- Begun: Jul 2011
- Completed: Nov 2011
- Floor area: 13m2
- Sector: Residential
- Total cost: £13,500
- Tender date: Jul 2011
- Address: 30 Ray Lea Rd, Maidenhead, SL4 8QE, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: Henry Posner
- Client: Mr & Mrs Bampfield
- Structural engineer: James Bird
- Builder: Henry Posner, James Bird, Sebastian Posner
Suppliers
- Doors, Timber Cladding, Decking, Internal Oak Pane: Vastern Timber
- Larch cladding and posts: Beaumont Forest Products
- Flat roof membrane: Ithaca Roofing