A Contemporary Timber Frame Home

"Our previous home was a fairly standard brick and block house, which we built for ourselves back in 1989,” explains Martin Warner. “We brought up our two children, Tim and Becca, there and it was a very comfortable five bedroom family home. However, building our second house was a different experience altogether, and we were able to be far more brave and experimental second-time around.”

The couple had been looking for a suitable plot of land for some time and ultimately purchased a gardener's cottage, stables and a paddock just a stone's throw away from where they were living in Hertfordshire. With fabulous west-facing views, the one and- a-half-acre site overlooks Ashridge Forest - a beautiful area of ancient woodland, pasture, common land, heath and chalk downland, which is owned and managed by The National Trust.

As joint owner of a number of specialist brickworks, Martin wanted to demonstrate how traditional brick construction may be used in tandem with other local crafts and materials to provide beautiful, contemporary solutions. "I really wanted to see what could be done, and push the boundaries a little," he explains. "Bricks are often perceived as being rigid and inflexible, so it was important to show that there really are no restrictions when it comes to shape. The idea was to keep the craft alive by bringing it right up to date."

Dinah and Martin contacted their architect friend David Kirkland, who specialises in designing sustainable buildings and has been involved with such diverse and curvaceous schemes as the International Terminal at Waterloo and The Eden Project in Cornwall. Dinah was very keen that the new house should be based around a curve, and David came up with a radical and organic design for a four bedroom property which forms a sweeping crescent, 20 metres long by 11 metres wide, opening out to the rear with masses of glazing to embrace the views.

The front of the house, however, presents a far more fortress-like façade, with the roof pulled down like a giant tea cosy of tiles over the lower walls and stopping just above the small windows. Only the very tip of the chimney is visible, and the entrance doorway stands modest and restrained, peeping out from between the brickwork.

In plan form, the ground floor of the couple's new home resembles the kind of cross-section diagrams more often found in biology text books. The central fireplace and curving walls appear more like the chambers of a heart than chambers within a building, and this unconventional layout ensures free-flowing movement between all of the main living areas.

The spacious sitting/dining room is housed in a single storey drum-like structure located to the west of the plan, and is partially divided by a slim wall, which projects forward from the contemporary fireplace to create distinct seating and dining areas. "In terms of accommodation the house works extremely well," says Dinah. It's based on the tradition of having a fire as the home's focus, and there's a view from virtually every room."

A curving hallway of exposed brick walls and Cotswold stone flooring winds its way like a spine through the centre of the house, linking the kitchen/breakfast room at one end of the building with a ground floor bedroom, en suite bathroom and study that stand to the other side of the entrance. Upstairs, the master bedroom and en suite, two further bedrooms and a bathroom are positioned in crescent formation, opening out onto an elliptical roof terrace and the planted sedum roof of the living area below.

"We already knew all of our neighbours, so we chatted to them about what we were thinking of doing and no one had any objections," recalls Martin. "The planners also proved extremely supportive of the house. We were proposing to demolish the existing cottage, so it's technically a replacement dwelling, and planning permission was approved in just eight weeks. After that, the only problem was actually building it!"

The couple remained living in their previous house while their new home was being constructed just a short distance away. They appointed a project manager to oversee the complex build, but also took an active role in employing subcontractors and sourcing materials themselves - and they admit to being exacting about every last detail.

"We had a lot of control over every aspect of the build, and we took our time," says Dinah. "It took two and a half years to complete, but in the end it was well worth it because we haven't compromised, and the end result is exactly what we'd both hoped for."

Mini piles were required for the foundations, and the curvaceous new property is based around a skeletal timber structure which is a unique hybrid. It's built using a combination of both green and dry English oak and larch. The complex geometric frame was produced with the aid of a 3D model, and initially resembled the form of an upturned boat when it was pieced together on site. Exposed curved beams emphasise the unusual shapes of the kitchen, study, landing and upper rooms, which are further highlighted with a selection of vibrant paint colours.

"If you're building curves then everything is a problem, and we have curved oak doors and skirtings absolutely everywhere in the house," says Martin. "Everyone working on the site found it very challenging, and the frame was particularly intricate. We certainly had a few sleepless nights, but at least when it came to the brickwork we felt far more comfortable because we were on familiar territory."

The colouring of the handmade bricks and tiles reflects the tones of the local clay, and Martin's company also provided a huge number of special bricks both inside and out - especially for the magnificent chimney, which is a dominant feature.

"The chimney itself is constructed from 12 types of specially shaped handmade bricks, individually moulded to form a tapering, curved profile," Martin explains. "This passes up 86 courses and cantilevers from the first floor level - reaching a maximum height of nine metres at its apex. We have an open fire in the living/dining room and another, back-to-back with this, in the entrance hallway which shares the same chimney."

In addition to these two woodburning fires, placed at the heart of the ground floor, underfloor heating has been laid throughout the property and is powered by an environmentally friendly ground-source heat-exchange system. Energy efficiency was a prime concern for both Dinah and Martin, and as a result the building is massively insulated, with high-performance glazing fitted in solid timber frames. The majority of glass is located to the rear of the property to maximise passive solar gain, with very few windows to the east - which minimises heat loss and guarantees complete privacy.

In fact, the new house is perfectly designed to fully enjoy the seasons throughout the year. Glazed elements in the kitchen and study create conservatory-style areas which are ideal for enjoying the views across the valley. During the chilly winter months, cosy fires, bright colours and exposed brick walls ensure that the house's interior feels pleasant and inviting. Indeed, it's the only time that Dinah and Martin turn their back on the views in order to gather around the central fireplace. "The hearth has always been the heart of a home and it just goes to prove that, despite all the technology at our fingertips, some things will never change," says Martin, who ultimately hopes to furnish the house with Arts & Crafts-style pieces. "During this project, not only have we shown that traditional materials can be used to create a contemporary, low-energy home, but the building will improve with age as these materials will weather beautifully over time. Years from now, the bricks and tiles will have mellowed and the surrounding landscape will have matured. Hopefully, it will prove to be a truly timeless design."

Not all properties make quite as much of a feature of their roof as this, but the roof is still one of the most exposed areas of any home, so never skimp on getting the right tiles. Clay is without doubt the preferable option to concrete: clay mellows and improves in appearance over time, whereas concrete will appear lifeless within ten years. The type of tile itself is also a big issue. This roof used smallformat plain tiles, which are perfect for laying over a gently curved surface, without appearing fussy. Large-format tiles are also a great sleek choice, but can only be applied to uncomplicated roofs. Pantiles, which have an S-shaped camber are commonly seen on more traditional proper ties. The tiles’ colour is also of paramount importance. Monotones can look good on contemporary roofs, but blends of different shades usually look better on large expanses and period homes.

Further reading:

• A Contemporary Eco Home
• A Stunning Contemporary Self-build on a Sloping Site
• A Four Storey Curved House