Many years of searching in the London area finally resulted in a remarkable site. Four and half acres of ancient woodland with huge mature rhododendrons overgrown in disrepair and with a house suitable for demolition. Greenbelt restrictions and a tree preservation order meant that the new house could be more no more than 250 m2 gross floor area and had to fit with the existing mature tree pattern.
Whilst the original aspiration in essence was to create a "glass box in the woods" this was expanded to include water as a major element and the desire to dematerialise the relationship between outside and inside space and to create a series of outside rooms of different experiences.
The experience starts at the main gates. As one turns the first bend of the black gravel drive the amazing vista opens up of the house at the opposite end of the linear lake. One then turns away and travels through mature woods before re-emerging over a bridge into the main entrance courtyard at the rear of the house. At the bridge one sees the "source" of the lake water, a simple black obelisk running with the aerated white water.
The entrance courtyard is part of the expression of a huge stone plinth that the house sits on. It's a perfect square with flush grey limestone paving and an inset black gravel turning circle.

The courtyard is made deliberately blank and pure to emphasise its simple form. No garage doors windows, pipes, gutters or other visual distractions: the frame-less glass entrance is easily identified but low key. The car port and entrance have red cedar (bleached silver) pergolas. The only expressed element in the courtyard is the main chimney riser element that contains all the necessary drainage, ventilation and flue pipes in one integrated unit.
The plan of the building is based on a classic pinwheel form of ultra long, 3M high walls that extend well beyond the enclosed spaces into the lake and the mature landscaping also defining the pathways. The deceivingly simple expression of the walls belies the precast concrete frames within, acting as the cantilevers and the high tech "sto" insulated render system not only providing high thermal performance and low maintenance but enables the purist architectural expression without need for copings, DPC's or vertical expansion joints.

The living spaces are created with two frame-less glass pure rectangular forms.
One 3m high facing east forms the bedroom wing. Four double bedrooms each with there own bathroom. The glazing is on a large 1.8m wide module with no opening lights. Ventilation is through the electronically operated roof lights. The corridor to the block is fully toplit. All furniture in the bedrooms is purpose designed, as are the unique bathrooms. The bedroom block forms one side of a completely enclosed walled garden, with a perfect square of lawn set in a black gravel surround.
The glass enclosure that forms the main living area is higher to express the floating steel roof slab which has a huge 14m span and long cantilevers. The main room has an amazing westerly vista down the lake to the island, which forms a focal point by day, and also at night when it is the main floodlit external element.
The lake has a crisp straight edge with mowed lawn to one side and the other on the woodland is free form where weeds are encouraged to grow. Within weeks of completion the lake started attracting an abundance of wildlife and is now stocked with fish.
The floor plate of the main room extends through the frame-less glass to virtually eliminate the distinction between inside and out. The use of under-floor heating throughout and the absence of grilles facilitates the entirely flush, seamless detailing.

The main space is a double square. Living area seating is defined by a 3.6m square of carpet set flush in the honed limestone, thematic of the inlays in the courtyard and rear garden. The unusual chimney breast design integrates TV, fireplace and log store in a continuous integrated black slot.
The kitchen/dining zone has a set of full height sliding folding partitions and two movable tables which allow a quick change from an open plan family kitchen arrangement with long linear bench to a more formal square dining table in the centre of the room with the kitchen worktop then fully screened from view.
Throughout the interior there are no visible switches, plugs or door handles. Every detail is perfectly coordinated both technically and geometrically within the 600/1800 planning grid to achieve the entirely flush appearance. Even the kitchen taps and the kettle vanish behind sliding panels when not in use.
The end result is one of elegant simplicity and complete harmony and so far has also proved to be an entirely practical even with three teenage children.