Willow House, Barnes

The brief for this property was very specific. The client wanted a discrete sanctuary far removed from the noise and bustle of city life. Noise transfer from outside and between rooms was to be minimised, and natural light was to be maximised. Views out were to be restricted to remove distractions caused by adjacent buildings and the potential for overlooking from adjoining properties. Extensive storage was needed, and the centrepiece was to be a library.

The house is primarily top-lit, with rooflights providing sunlight and ventilation throughout its depth. The property is set out to a grid. Solid masonry walls tie to a steel frame with a solid concrete roof. Each element is heavily insulated and all internal walls are solid, giving the house a very high thermal mass to maintain a constant temperature.Storage throughout the property is also used to further attenuate noise transfer, with the complexities of the ceiling articulation around the rooflights giving a high degree of acoustic absorption.

The design seeks to maintain a calmness during the day, with the sky acting as a changing backdrop to the activities within the house.

Two rainwater discharges channel water off the roof into the adjoining stream, and provide the only articulation to the street facade. The building is clad in a white marble aggregate render which shimmers in the sun. Walls that open to the interior are rendered smooth.

The entrance lobby is then clad in wenge, with a pair of thick insulated front doors leading to an internal wintergarden, a top-lit reception hall filled with plants adjacent to the study. Circulation is arranged around the library, which gives access to the bedroom suites, the entrance, ancillary and reception accommodation. The library incorporates and coordinates all further doorways through the property, with smooth tapered shelves receding against dominant tapered verticals.

Bedrooms are set to the rear, with sliding glass doors leading to a breakfast garden. The reception space runs the full width of the house, and is divided to give a fully glazed daytime area and a more enclosed evening area with a fire and entertainment system set against a low window.

External spaces form enclosed courtyards to the south, with exotic foliage offset against the dazzling marble aggregate. All floors are finished in a light grey limestone, and this extends outside to define a series of external rooms.

The brief for this property was very specific. The client wanted a discrete sanctuary far removed from the noise and bustle of city life. Noise transfer from outside and between rooms was to be minimised, and natural light was to be maximised. Views out were to be restricted to remove distractions caused by adjacent buildings and the potential for overlooking from adjoining properties. Extensive storage was needed, and the centrepiece was to be a library.

The house is primarily top-lit, with rooflights providing sunlight and ventilation throughout its depth. The property is set out to a grid. Solid masonry walls tie to a steel frame with a solid concrete roof. Each element is heavily insulated and all internal walls are solid, giving the house a very high thermal mass to maintain a constant temperature.Storage throughout the property is also used to further attenuate noise transfer, with the complexities of the ceiling articulation around the rooflights giving a high degree of acoustic absorption.

The design seeks to maintain a calmness during the day, with the sky acting as a changing backdrop to the activities within the house.

Two rainwater discharges channel water off the roof into the adjoining stream, and provide the only articulation to the street facade. The building is clad in a white marble aggregate render which shimmers in the sun. Walls that open to the interior are rendered smooth.

The entrance lobby is then clad in wenge, with a pair of thick insulated front doors leading to an internal wintergarden, a top-lit reception hall filled with plants adjacent to the study. Circulation is arranged around the library, which gives access to the bedroom suites, the entrance, ancillary and reception accommodation. The library incorporates and coordinates all further doorways through the property, with smooth tapered shelves receding against dominant tapered verticals.

Bedrooms are set to the rear, with sliding glass doors leading to a breakfast garden. The reception space runs the full width of the house, and is divided to give a fully glazed daytime area and a more enclosed evening area with a fire and entertainment system set against a low window.

External spaces form enclosed courtyards to the south, with exotic foliage offset against the dazzling marble aggregate. All floors are finished in a light grey limestone, and this extends outside to define a series of external rooms.