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Folding House by River Avon

River Avon Residential Development – by AR Design Studio

5 Sep 2013

Folding House in Southern England

Design: AR Design Studio

Location: by the River Avon, southern England

Folding House

Hampshire based modern architects, AR Design Studio have designed a highly contemporary dream home for a retired client and his son. Showcasing stunning river views from all three levels, the folding design incorporates a blend of indoor and outdoor living spaces that extend out into the landscape and beyond.

image : AR Design Studio

Inspired by the site context and defining character, the intention is to minimise the impact on the location and surrounding scenery by embedding the structure in its setting. The house takes on an extension of the undulating landscape, creating a folding mass that is then occupied by a habitable form.

image : AR Design Studio

The concept begins by tracing the existing landform and pathway, which is then continued upwards creating an extension to the landscape.

image : AR Design Studio

The raw form created is rationalised to function as a habitable structure, with solid elements inserted in all three spaces, offsetting the open plan nature and providing private and sheltered spaces.

image : AR Design Studio

The accommodation is split over three floors with only one floor is situated above ground. The other two floors stagger down the site according to the gradient of the landscape.

image : AR Design Studio

The ground floor layout contains most of the required living accommodation in an open-plan environment with views of the River Avon across the spaces. The lower ground floor constitutes largely of bedroom accommodation and is connected to the ground floor via a lift service. The garden level floor comprises a mixture of bedroom and living accommodation.

image : AR Design Studio

The folding form will be clad in a long thin grey tile with all horizontal and vertical planes using the same material. This anchors the building to the landscape, and emphasizes its dynamic relationship between its context. The inserted timber elements offer a more private and sheltered experience, aiming to imitate objects such as trees and other land obstacles along the pathway.

sketches : AR Design Studio