The design brief was to create a modest addition to a cluster of existing buildings at Alton Nether farm, situated on the outskirts of the civil parish of Kirk Ireton in Derbyshire.

Made up of a few simple elements, the design takes it’s cues from the neighbouring traditional stone and steel farm buildings, while featuring more contemporary detailing and featuring clean finishes throughout. The main elements of the new house are the two pitched volumes, one clad in timber and the other built out of stone - both feature elevated Southern gable-ends thanks to the natural sloping topography of the site. The two parallel elements are linked by a central spine providing the internal circulation. In addition, the new ancillary agricultural shed is a simple, low pitched building clad in dark grey profiled steel. The external layout had been carefully thought about, orientated in such a way as to continue the crescent arrangement of the existing buildings cutting across the contours of the site. The internal layout evolved in response to the views over the landscape, using the two elements to define the spatial uses.

The timber block contains all the living spaces - well glazed for maximum daylighting and visual connection to the surroundings. It also features a covered external walkway wraps around the corner, providing solar control and linking the dining area to the terrace. The construction is lightweight, consisting of a laminated timber frame which rests on a drystone plinth. Internally, the trusses are exposed, demarking zones along the open plan living areas. The Northern block is denser and constructed of stone, snugly set into the landscape. This block features much more modest fenestration and houses the more private spaces, including the bedrooms, bathrooms and guestroom.

At the heart of the beautiful Matlock Conservation Area and adjacent to the town’s landmark Olde Englishe Hotel, Parkside is a mixed-use development consisting of 10 high quality residential apartments over 4 ground floor retail units. The internal configuration is manipulated to maximise openings to the south and views over the park and each unit benefits from either a South-facing rooftop terrace or a deep, sheltered balcony. Considerable effort was made to ensure details were robust alongside those of the surrounding historical buildings, and present a sense of suitable solidity and quality. The penthouse storey and Oriel windows are clad in copper, with traditional standing seams. Installed bright mill finished, then allowed to settle over time into a darkened matt surface, the natural tawny patina now compliments the tones of red plain clay tiles of the adjacent hotel and of nearby trees.

High Edge is a new family dwelling built on a very steep hill site overlooking Matlock Bath and the River Derwent. The project is an excellent example of how knowledge of local history can influence design and lead to inspiring architecture - the area was promoted as ‘Little Switzerland’ over a century ago and the idea of a contemporary Swiss chalet became the architectural ‘Leitmotif’ for the scheme. The Alpine concept results in an outward-facing gable under a prominent roof; the sloping ceiling can be experienced everywhere on the upper floor and provides an uplifting variety of individual, well-proportioned spaces. The house sits comfortably in its surroundings and demonstrates a range of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship. The design overcame numerous constraints during the planning and construction phases and yet all aspects of the project feel well considered and neither laboured nor compromised.

The clients, a local family, wanted to build an environmentally sensitive house to replace a straggling 1960's bungalow. The site sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is built with natural local materials to sensitively blend into its hillside location while being clearly 'of its time', and taking maximum advantage of its spectacular setting. The stunning view towards the sea is first glimpsed on arrival, before being gradually revealed as one moves through the house. 

'We wanted to put on record our gratitude to the skill. dedication and effort you have put in. We couldn't be happier with the end product.' 
Andrew Alderson, Client

We were approached with the brief of creating a contemporary and more user-friendly home as the owners aged. The site was a long thin grassy slope that takes in the views across the valley. It held an existing outline planning permission for a 3-bed house that was constrained to the top corner of the site, to avoid an existing sewer that crossed the site. To make the most of the view and utilize the slope of the land the existing sewer was diverted. The new home took a simple clean form, being split into the 'living' and 'sleeping' areas. The house is entered via the lower floor with stairs leading up to the living block. The sleeping area is separated from the living area by an enclosed sunroom and sits as a single storey on higher ground to the rear of the site.

This house grew out of a dilapidated barn on a hillside in the west Pennines. The farrnhouse is replaced with a new wing of accommodation behind a wall that is sculpted into the landscape with copper roof and stone walls. The wing is joined to the convened barn by a glazed link with a timber bridge. A 3 metre square glass bay cantilevers from the gable end of the barn providing breathtaking views and flooding the barn with natural light. 

'It is a complete reinterpretation, a new house for the 21st century. Yet the old barn remains as the dominant accent, providing a memory of what once was.' 
Peter Blundell Jones, Architects Journal - February 2008