Contemporary timber frame new build typically like a Sydney house or a coastal spanish contemporary beachside home
Award winning architect, Rik Hall RIBA, ARB, DipArch founded Arc8 Projects Architects in 2007, after 7 years designing homes in Sydney, Australia, he understands the importance of light and views within a home and the impact it has on well-being. Rik is the lead architect for the firm and notes ‘the site was a unique gem with breathtaking views across the entire 180-degree landscape and valley. Sunsets were mesmerizing and the air felt pure and fresh. Maximising quality of living after the pandemic was at the forefront of our design. Harnessing nature and the correlation between what we see and how that makes us feel was the most important aspect.’ The new house now sits 2m higher up the sloping site than the original dwelling and has integrated an air-sourced heat pump, house battery and 26 solar panels. ‘With the Summer we have just experienced, we were making about £8 per day from the grid. Our house battery holds the energy we produce and uses it to power our home and the octopus ‘feed in’ tariff has enabled us to optimise energy use.’ The house is centred around an internal courtyard covered in a living wall which can be seen from all angles of the house, bedrooms and as you enter through the front door. Jasmine, Clematis and an herb garden creep up the walls and fill it with perfume in Summer and constant greenery in winter. The courtyard allows light to permeate throughout the house and most notably, fills the main living space with light throughout the day.
Leatherhead overground station
