Reserve House is a new family home set by an idyllic reservoir in South Yorkshire.
The new build replaces a small victorian cottage that had been lost amongst subsequent overscaled extensions. The resulting structure had a complex roofscape and a warren of internalised circulation routes that lack natural daylight. Viewed from afar, the building is a large white mass at odds with its surroundings, in particular the adjacent historic hamlet. CE+CA’s brief was to create a new five bedroom family home which made better use of the beautiful countryside views, provided thermal comfort and minimised energy usage. Importantly it would be sympathetic to its context and make a positive addition to the small community in which it is situated.
Our design approach was led by reading the landscape and past development of the site. An initial aim was to reduce the mass of the building and sit it into the natural contours of the landscape, whilst making the most of the sun path and views over the adjacent reservoir. The form derives from the linear nature of the adjacent barns, and a low roof pitch ensures that the building almost disappears from view when seen from the historic hamlet.
The eastern and southern elevations are visible from the nature reserve and as such read as part of the series of modern agricultural barns. The historic barns typically run parallel with the road layout, so the new build adopts the same orientation, running alongside the adjacent lane.
The form derives from the linear nature of the adjacent barns
The material quality of the building also takes its cue from the existing buildings in the hamlet. The historic core comprises buildings in a random coursed sandstone with red clay interlocking roof tiles. The newer agricultural buildings are steel framed sheds with a mixture of metal and timber cladding. The walls of Reserve House are constructed from a random coursed sandstone and present a two story stone wall to the western elevation. The first floor is largely clad in a charred cedar cladding as a direct reference to the surrounding agricultural buildings.
