Golf View
Location: Sandy Lane, The Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), South Wales
Client: Private - Domestic Residential
Structural Engineer: Spark Structures
Contractor: Greens Carpentry & Building
Timber Frame: PYC Group
‘Building our house here in Gower and becoming part of this community has meant the world to us. Matt has helped us from start to finish in bringing our dream to life. Together we have created something that doesn't just feel like home but looks at home, here on Gower.' - Client
This high quality new-build house is constructed from pre-fabricated timber frame panels using Passivhaus standards as a benchmark. This results in an incredibly efficient, comfortable home with very low energy demand. Colour has been carefully incorporated throughout with green windows and a bold pink door giving it a unique character tailored to the clients.
The compact plotland development site was bought by our clients at auction. The previous chalet had to be partly demolished due to Health and Safety concerns. We worked closely with the client to create a clear brief for their new home that has enabled the Welsh speaking couple to move back to an area where they have friends and family connections. The brief set out to achieve a sustainable home using as many natural, locally sourced, high quality materials as possible, and constructed using robust long-lasting details.
Comprehensive placemaking guidance set clear guidelines for the overall scale and materiality of the replacement dwelling to help preserve the special informal character of the Sandy Lane area and many lessons were learnt from studying the existing chalets.
Upon entering you arrive into the generous double-height top-lit entrance hall with a snaking staircase to the first floor landing where you can access the master bedroom and main bathroom. On the ground floor a second bedroom-cum-home office has been created with views to the front garden. The open plan living, dining and kitchen areas accommodate the rest of the ground floor along with a utility and ground-floor bathroom.
We took a fabric first approach concentrating on the energy performance of the building envelope by using high performance materials and designing in a low heat loss form factor of 2.6. The walls and roof are insulated with Warmcel, made from recycled newspaper, the ground floor is insulated with GreenRaft with both achieving a u-value of 0.13 W/m²K. Triple glazed windows and doors achieve an average u-value of 0.7 W/m²K and robust detailing has achieved airtightness of 0.45 m3(h.m2) @ 50Pa.
The reinforced concrete raft foundation incorporates underfloor heating and has been polished and sealed to form the ground floor finish throughout. The home is completely electric, integrating an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) achieving the required heating demand and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system that increases efficiency and provides fresh filtered air.
British Larch timber cladding is sourced from well-managed woodlands in England and Wales. It has been carefully spaced to ensure whole width pieces at every junction. The corrugated galvanised steel sheet roof oversails the front of the property to provide necessary shade in the summer months. An eaves-drop system has been incorporated removing the requirement for a gutter, instead a simple metal strip diverts rain away from the front and rear door.
The landscaping strategy incorporates local mature planting to help provide both privacy and biodiversity. Both natural and artificial lighting has been carefully considered and incorporated throughout the project and the walls have been finished in lime plaster with a rich, varied texture. The result is a home that feels part of Gower, it is a welcome return from the local beach, it's warm and comfortable and envelopes you in natural materials.
