The client for this project had a background in the audio visual industry and therefore naturally wanted a home with a high-quality whole home audio system and the latest smart home automation technology. This was a hugely exciting opportunity for us and we had previously spent time researching the benefits of smart home systems, but had not yet had a chance to specify one. The client also wanted a home with a contemporary aesthetic but was aware that the site was in a borough where the local authority planning department favoured applications with a traditional aesthetic to be in keeping with the existing building stock. This was a issue that we had overcome on numerous occasions previously and therefore we were up for the challenge. Furthermore, there were also other site constraints including the relationship to the adjacent dwelling and the orientation of the site. There was an existing 1970s chalet bungalow on the site, and while we did carry out a feasibility study to consider a refurbishment, the client’s aspirations pointed to a new build scheme instead.

The design we developed to overcome the site constraints is quite radical, featuring a unique layout with two wings and a connecting glazed link. The single-storey front wing, which faces the street, is sensitively designed to sit comfortably alongside the neighbouring dwelling in terms of scale and form, whilst being unashamedly modern with different materials and contemporary detailing. The two-storey rear wing, sited at the back of the property, houses most of the accommodation, and yet, with its flat roof will be lower than the front wing, thereby minimising impact. The siting of the rear wing on the northern side of the plot is central to the design as it will open up to a private garden on the south side with lots of south facing glazing to receive sunlight and benefit from passive solar heating. If the dwelling were sited further south within the plot, the result would be the opposite, south-facing windows would be shaded by trees along the southern boundary of the plot and the private garden, being located north of the dwelling, would be shaded by the dwelling itself. The two wings are connected by a glazed link, a unique feature which will produce real drama and delight within the double-height entrance hall that will greet you as you enter through the front door and as you move between wings or up and down the open-tread staircase.

The project obtained planning permission in 2021 and is now at the tendering stage, but we hope to provide updates once construction has started. After further research and in close collaboration with client, we ended up specifying a professional, fully-integrated, cloud-free LOXONE smart home system.

The aspiration for this project was high from start. Not only did the client want an exemplar high-performance low-carbon eco home designed and certified in accordance with the Passivhaus Building Standard, but the client also wanted a healthy home, a smart home, and a home that facilitated working from home. On top of that, the site came with its own challenging constraints, being located within the Green Belt, within a Conservation Area, and adjacent to a Grade II listed building.

The design we developed is a direct response to the site’s historic and archaeological context with the scale, form, and layout of the proposed dwelling literally mirroring that of the adjacent Grade II listed house with a larger two-storey pitched roof front wing [to house most of the living accommodation], a smaller single-storey pitched roof rear wing [to function as a home office], and shared entrance lobby that connects the two wings. The key difference between the new and old is that the new dwelling does not attempt to be a pastiche of the existing heritage asset, instead it is purposely contemporary in appearance, materiality, and detailing in order to ensure a clear distinction between old and new, the most respectful approach as endorsed by Historic England. The result we believe will be a building that is of an aspirational quality, such that it could be considered “ a listed building of tomorrow ”, and sitting alongside an existing Grade II listed building will create a pair of complementary dwellings, albeit belonging to different centuries.

The project is still at the planning stage but we hope to provide updates regarding its progress in due course.

Having spent a number of years working on projects in the domestic market, designing home extensions and refurbishments, we have found that these projects were all about fixing homes that didn’t work for their owners. For one reason or another these homes didn’t perform well and were not fit for life in the 21st century. Life under lockdown during the pandemic exposed many more homes as being no longer fit for purpose, with many of us discovering that our homes weren’t large or flexible enough to accommodate working for home, homeschooling, and all the other activities which normally take place in homes. This project is case study in how a home that doesn’t work can be fixed and how the outcomes can be transformational.

When we first visited this property we found a large and pleasant home, but one with an awkward layout which resulted in an incoherent and disjointed living experience. It was evident that the house had previously been extended and refurbished over time, but that none of these former interventions had been approached in a holistic manner and therefore there was no clear organisation or hierarchy to the interior spaces, and with no dedicated circulation one had to walk through multiple rooms to get to other rooms. Furthermore, the house had a swimming pool and large garden beyond but there was little visual connection between the interior spaces and the outdoors, and the client wished for a more “Californian-style” indoor and outdoor living experience.

Our approach to these design problems was to look at the house in a holistic manner and re-imagine how the house could be reconfigured to facilitate our client’s aspirations. The design we developed involved the addition to a large contemporary timber and glass extension [shaded in light blue] and significant internal refurbishment works to improve circulation [shaded in grey]. The key design intervention was the insertion of 23-long structural glass rooflight between the existing house and the extension in order to create a bright naturally lit circulation spine that connects and unites virtually all spaces within the home. The design also features a huge set of slim-framed glazed sliding doors that which disappear into a pocket in the wall and a skeleton-like structure supporting a structural glass canopy to maximise the experience of indoor-outdoor living.

The project was recently completed and we look forward to being able to share photographs of the finished project soon.

This project is an example of what we call “house re-branding”. The way a business is branded defines how that business is perceived by customers, and in the same way our homes can be an expression of who we are. When our client for this project approached us, their existing 1970s identikit developer-build home, with its red brick, while plastic cladding, white uPVC windows, and concrete roof tiles, the house was tired and unattractive, and didn’t properly reflect them and their tastes. Look to the properties to the left of the house in the photographs to see what the house looked like previously.

Based on our design, a front and side extension was added and the house was completely re-branded to dramatically improve its curb appeal. The extension and existing dormer window were clad in RUSSWOOD Siberian-Larch vertical open-boarded square-edge timber cladding with a SiOO:X coating to provide a clean and contemporary aesthetic. The existing red brick walls were rendered with a STO white Silicone resin render finish. The existing concrete roof tiles were replaced with CEDRAL blue-black fibre cement slates. And all existing windows were replaced with ORIGIN aluminium framed windows.

The project is built and we are really pleased with the finished result. We were also delighted to receive the below feedback from our clients. We are really happy with how the house has finished up looking. All the suggestions were really effective: the vertical timber cladding, the tall window into the porch, the outdoor storm porch, and the high-level slot window to the garage. We love it, and have had literally hundreds of positive comments from neighbours and passers-by. Thank you so much.

When we first met the clients for this project, they had outgrown their existing home and were in need of more space. They were wondering whether they should move or whether an extension would be feasible to provide additional space, especially given the size of their fairly modest garden.

The initial challenge was to find a way to secure approval for an extension that was larger than generally accepted by planning, but we manged to obtain permission by using a lesser-known planning route known as The Larger Home Extensions Neighbour Consultation Scheme, which allowed for extensions larger than would normally be possible under Permitted Development Rights. In terms of the design, we wanted to give our client not only a beautiful new kitchen and dining area but one that took full advantage of the restricted rear garden to create an airy and open atmosphere within the living space. To do this, we created a simple minimalist design that extended the full width of the existing house boundaries. We made the most of natural light and the garden behind by incorporating various bespoke glazing elements, including wrapped down rooflights, to provide diverse light sources and allow the light to play around the main kitchen space throughout the day. One of our favourite features is the kitchen counter level slot window which was positioned at the perfect height to frame a lovely view of the redesigned outdoor area when sitting at the breakfast bar in the middle of the space.

The project is built and we were delighted to received the below feedback from our clients. We are absolutely delighted with our home and it is exactly as we imagined it to be. It was a pleasure working with Oliver. Communication was smooth throughout the whole project, always available to respond to all queries by phone, email and in person.

protaHOMES | Cambridge based Architect and Self Build Coach

About

Cambridge-based Architect and Self Build Coach

We specialise in working with self builders who want to build beautiful, high-performance, contemporary homes, and we provide self build coaching alongside our architectural services to help our clients progress through their self build journeys with clarity and confidence.

How we can help you:

We help you get started

With our Self Build Primer and our Getting Started Consultation, we help you figure out whether self build is for you and provide guidance regarding your next steps.
We map out your self build journey

We know embarking on a self build can be daunting and confusing, but with our Clarity Review, we help aspiring self builders define where there are going and how to get there, before they set out on their journey.
We provide self build coaching

By offering self build coaching alongside our architectural services, we make the process of building your own home easier.
We design high-performance homes

We specialise in the design of beautiful, high-performance, contemporary, self build homes

Stage 0

Getting Started Resources

Whether you are just researching or actively planning a self build, we have put together a package of FREE Getting Started Resources to help you figure out whether self build is for you and advise you regarding your next steps.

For those who are just researching:

For those who are ready to start planning their self build:

Stage 1

Clarity Review

At the start of your self build journey, it is fairly likely that; you have never been on this journey before; you only have a vague idea of your destination; you are unsure how to get there or which mode of transport to use; you don’t know how much it will cost or how long the journey will take; and you are feeling a little daunted and confused. While this is entirely understandable, it is also not ideal, and so we developed our Clarity Review We developed our Clarity Review to help you make some preparations, to clearly define where you are going and how to get there, before you set out on your journey.

Our Clarity Review will help you clarify:

Your project brief and goals

i.e. your destination
The process of building your own home

i.e. the journey to your destination
Your team

i.e. the consultants you will require to help get you there
The constraints and opportunities of your site

i.e. potential roadblocks or shortcuts
Timescales and costs

i.e. how long it will take and how much it will cost to get to your destination

Stages 2-5

Full Service

We offer a full service to help our clients progress from making a start on a concept design at the beginning stage 2 through to completion of construction at the end of stage 5. While some architects offer a partial service, typically up to obtaining building regulations plans approval, we prefer to work with clients who at least have the intent of engaging our services through to the end of the build. We pride ourselves in producing quality designs and we want to see that translate into quality builds, however if we are not involved in the later stage of a project, the end result can often be compromised.

Before After

BBP-02-protaHOMES-architects-cambridge-new-build-passivhaus-after-image

Our full service could be right for you if the following apply to you:

You have a suitable plot of land and are planning a self build project with a build cost between £250k and £2m
You want a full service and intend to proceed with our services through to the completion of your project
You want to build a high-performance contemporary home utilising panelised forms of offsite-construction
You are willing to follow our process and timescales
You are willing provide feedback and testimonials at each stage of the process

Projects

We specialise in the design of beautiful, high-performance, contemporary, self build homes.

PSH-01-protaHOMES-architects-cambridge-contemporary-new-build-smart-home-night-shot

Pheasant Smart Home

We design:

Beautiful

By 'beautiful', we mean that we seek to design homes that are not only functional, but also provide moments of delight.
High-performance

By 'high-performance', we mean homes that are designed and specified to meet the rigorous performance criteria of the Passivhaus Building Standard, and deliver high standards of comfort and health for their inhabitants, whilst also being good for the environment.
Contemporary

By 'contemporary', we mean homes that are of the 21st Century, belonging to the present, and not only with respect to their appearance, but also in terms of the materiality, detailing, and use of modern methods of construction.
Self build homes

By 'self build homes', we mean that we work with people who want to commission the design and construction of their own home, and who are therefore inherently interested and invested in creating a beautiful and high-performance home.

Brief Development Form + Workshop

questionnaire for you to fill out in your own time, followed by a Physical Meeting ideally at your own home to discuss your brief in more detail.

Clarity Report

A detailed report including; a Detailed Project Brief based on the Brief Form and Workshop; our observations from our Site Visit including photos and a site plan; a desktop study documenting any planning history, relevant planning policies, and the main constraints and opportunities presented by The Site; and a stage-by-stage Project Roadmap providing project-specific guidance relating to; architectural services, other client appointments, and estimated timescales and costs.

Full Service

Stage 2 - Concept Design

The goal of this initial conceptual stage is to respond to the client’s requirements and aspirations, and the constraints and opportunities presented by The Site, and to translate these and other sources of inspiration into a concept design. This is a collaborative process, and we use various tools to facilitate client input and engagement. A number of sketch schemes may be developed before one solidifies and becomes The Design to be developed and detailed during later stages.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cambridge-based Architect and Self Build Coach

How we can help you:

Getting Started Resources

For those who are just researching:

For those who are ready to start planning their self build:

Clarity Review

Our Clarity Review will help you clarify:

Full Service

Our full service could be right for you if the following apply to you:

We specialise in the design of beautiful, high-performance, contemporary, self build homes.

Pheasant Smart Home

We design:

Beautiful

High-performance

Contemporary

Self build homes

Self Build Primer

Learning objectives:

Self Build Starter Pack

Here is what you get:

Getting Started Consultation

The purpose of this call is:

You will also get access to our:

Clarity Review

Here is what you get:

Brief Development Form + Workshop

Site Visit

Clarity Report

Clarity Call

Full Service

Work Stages:

Stage 2 - Concept Design

Stage 3 - Planning

Stage 4 - Building Regulations

Stage 5 - Construction

Pheasant Smart Home

Blue Boar Passivhaus

Kingsley House Extension

Deanfield House Rebranding

Skylark House Extension