Willow Lodge

The house had a large and well kept rear garden but it was somewhat remote from the house – separated by a slightly sunken and dark, north facing patio with a cold and inadequate rear extension in it. The Client’s brief was simply to make the most of a challenging site and they were not afraid of a striking and contemporary design in this sensitive location. There was only pedestrian access to the rear garden. The replacement rear extension has been designed to better connect the house with the garden, completely filling the old patio area, moderating between the levels of the house and the garden. The form was derived from a plan which incorporates the existing boundary walls and a section which preserves views of the garden from upstairs windows. Although the extension is on the north side of the house, the orientation of the openings provides south and east as well as north facing glazing and privacy from a rather overbearing neighbour. The east facing glazing provides a miniature courtyard to the east to take advantage of morning sunshine. The complex form was made by constructing a series of plywood portal frames which were accurately modelled (and optimised structurally) using a parametric Rhino / Grasshopper model, which was then turned into a cutting pattern file for all the elements to be simply cut out using a cnc router. The pieces were numbered and delivered to site, where they were assembled using low tech screw and glue technology. The contractor was able to access the 3d working drawings using a free application, and they found this to be extremely useful - getting a better understanding of the complex geometry.