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Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects

Oakfield House

This off-grid new home in Dorset is a blend of contemporary and traditional design

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This five bedroom new house near Shaftesbury is part of a Class Q barn conversion. In an exciting first for Richmond Bell, the project is entirely off-grid, with sustainability at the core of its design.

Project Type

New Build
Contemporary
Sustainable

Location

Shaftesbury, Dorset

Project Team

Atlas Planning

JCP Engineers

Roman & Fox Construction

Local Authority

Dorset

Project Size

420sqm

Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects

Project Highlights

01 Off-Grid

The house is self-sufficient and off-grid with a solar pv array that provides all of the property's energy needs. Heating is provided by an air-source heat pump while water is supplied by a borehole in the field. The solar panels and a field shelter for their battery bank have been carefully sited to reduce visual impact on the surrounding countryside.

02 Sustainable Construction

The house was built using sustainable technologies that provide it with high levels of insulation and low levels of heat loss. Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF) enabled quick construction and provides high levels of thermal mass, which allows for heat to be retained in the winter and a natural cooling effect in the summer.

03 Class Q Barn Conversion

The house forms part of a Class Q consent, which allowed the change of use of an agricultural building into a residential home. Following the Class Q, a new planning application for a replacement dwelling was approved. Richmond Bell carefully considered its orientation and location to ensure it is less visible from the road and nearby properties.

04 Renaturing

The surrounding field will be renatured, with new woodland and a small pond to provide new habitats for wildlife. The field shelter, and owl boxes in the trees, offer opportunities for barn owl roosts. The client will also install several bat boxes. New hedging to the north will act as a boundary between the domestic curtilage and surrounding land.

Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects

A blend of traditional and contemporary architecture

The windows also reflect the blend between the two styles of architecture. Traditional box sashes are set within the stone element of the house, while a more contemporary feel is provided from a combination of aluminium and Crittal-style windows and doors.  The large frameless aluminium windows frame the views across the fields particularly well, allowing the landscape to be brought into the house.

Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects
Off Grid New Home - Richmond Bell Architects - Dorset Architects

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01722 324 835 info@richmondbellarchitects.com

20 Milford Street
Salisbury, Wiltshire
SP1 2AP