Ravine House is a unique 1960’s modernist house, set within a stunning wooded site.

CE+CA’s ambitious extension and refurbishment project won three RIBA East Midlands Awards, with the judges describing the project as an “exemplar renovation for the 21st Century”. It was also longlisted for RIBA House of the Year 2022 and shortlisted for the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2022.

The original house was detailed and built to an exceptional standard, and remained largely unchanged since its construction, a rarity for a mid century modern house in an extensive period landscape. However, the scheme lacked both central heating and insulation, and it was evident that comprehensive modernisation was required to extend the life of this important building. Taking a home that was built at the peak of cheap electricity and moving it towards a building that is almost ‘off grid’ has been a remarkable challenge, but has resulted in an innovative model for low energy conservation.

The client recalled growing up in a cold damp house and our original brief was to ‘knock it down and build it back warmer and almost identical’. Recognising what a special building it was from the outset, we took the clients along a journey to explain how ambitious the house was and how this legacy could be used to inform its refurbishment. Close collaboration with the client uncovered the unique story behind the design and construction of the original house. The expression of building materials was fundamental to the original design, and the existing palette of stone, brick, timber and copper informed the design approach throughout.

“An exemplar of how an architect can approach the brief with both respect and invention.” RIBA 2022

The brief sought to radically alter the fabric of the home but leave it looking as if nothing had happened. The resulting building is at once a detailed piece of conservation and radical refurbishment. The extension is sympathetic in material and geometry and yet makes a distinctive new addition that feels at one with the original house. In contrast, the new extension is an unapologetically contemporary addition that serves to open up the living spaces to the mature grounds, creating the clear connections between house and landscape that were previously lacking.

A three part strategy, Renovate, Restore, Reimagine, was developed to give clarity to the conservation and extension of the building to ensure that it adapted to current and future needs. The strategy responded to the cranked wings of the house. The bedroom wing was about a light touch renovation, keeping as much of the original structure as possible whilst improving the thermal performance. The central double height living space with its irreplaceable Parana pine ceiling necessitated a strategy of restoration. The ‘reimagining’ of the service wing rotated the kitchen to create an open plan, free flowing social space and created an additional garden room. The geometries and material quality of the copper-clad extension and new chimneys respond directly to the original house, creating a special social space that reaches out into and embeds itself into the garden.

One of the client’s main objectives for the project was for the building and site to be as self-sufficient as possible. Whilst the building sits on the edge of greenbelt and national park, there were very few planning limitations on the project. The resulting project pushed the renovation and extension of the house to a high performance, low energy home that matches the aspirations of the original home. The renovations included installation of triple glazing and high performance insulation to regulate temperature. Solar panels generate electricity, and a new geothermal borehole both provides potable water and serves a ground source heat pump, generating both hot water and heating.