Step inside this unique copper-clad eco home that's 'shaped like origami'

Adrian James and Sarah Shekleton are the first to admit they have serendipity to thank for the incredible angular, patinated copper-clad house that stands on an elevated site, with its stunning views of central Oxford’s dreaming limestone spires.

After designing the award-winning home they had built and lived in since the late 1990s, architect Adrian was itching to do the same again but had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself.

In 2016, Adrian had done a feasibility study for clients who were thinking of selling off a plot of land at the end of their extensive garden, and then heard no more.

Four years later, while out on one of their mid-lockdown walks, the couple happened to pass the very same plot, which still had not been built on. Sarah recalls that Adrian then turned to her and said, "If I could build a house anywhere, this would be my ideal spot."

Out of curiosity, they emailed the owner of the land when they got back home and a few days later received a reply. The developer who had planned to build on the land had pulled out that very same morning, and the owner asked Adrian and Sarah whether they would be interested in buying the plot. "The timing was so fortuitous that we felt it was just meant to be," says Sarah.

Project details

• Location Oxford
• Project Self-build contemporary detached
• House size 230 sq m
• Construction Timber frame
• Build cost £1.3m
• Architect Adrian James Architects

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"The house shape was partly inspired by certain buildings in Japan by Philippe Starck and Shin Takamatsu, though it bears no direct resemblance," says Adrian

To create a feeling of unity, a single type of brick was used for the walls of the house, exterior paving and parking forecourt

Because the site was sloping, material from the foundation excavation was used to level the ground and create rear terracing

Completing the deal

Negotiations to buy the site began in February 2021 and completed in October 2022. The planning permission process was relatively straightforward, with good feedback from a pre-application leading to approval in June 2022.

"Having to go through a two-stage tender process saw the estimated cost of the project rise so we needed to do some modifications," says Adrian, "but we were able to maintain the key design elements along with our commitment to sustainability."

As an architect Adrian works in all styles and materials, and his approach is to let the nature of the plot dictate the type of house inhabiting it, and he felt this particular site lent itself to a material he particularly loves using – copper – and his vision depended on a highly innovative way of using it.

Striking shapes would ensure light and shade brought out the best in it. "The sculpted form of the house had to be achieved by using dramatically angled roof trusses – not on the roof, but hanging off the sides of the timber frame, which is a straightforward compact cuboid beneath the shell," he says.

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The internal brick wall adds thermal mass, helping to regulate the internal temperature of the house

The couple chose this porcelain flooring because it is light and reflective, as well as having the appearance of concrete

The huge rear windows are triple glazed to add extra insulation

Hidden functions

As spectacular as the shape of the house is – the folds of which Sarah refers to as being "like origami" – the ingenuity of the design lies largely in its functionality. "The peaks and facets of the form are shaped to carefully modulate sunlight," says Adrian.

He also points out that because the site slopes to the south, solar shading was necessary to protect the generous glazing from the sun in summer, when the house might overheat, but in such a way that it would allow in the low sunlight for solar gain during winter.

Another requisite when designing the building, was that the house should visually complement the landscape. The colour is such that the structure melds into the natural greens of its surroundings, with the verdigris hue suggesting it has been there for countless years, slowly mellowing under rain and sunshine.

"Actually the copper was pre-patinated," Sarah points out. "If we’d have left it to oxidise naturally, it would have taken decades to have attained this colour."

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With a lower ceiling and plentiful seating, the living room is a cosy retreat

The living room connects with the open-plan kitchen and dining space

Carbon capture

The construction was trouble-free and finished on schedule thanks to the use of a timber frame and builders who proved "efficient and meticulous".

And in line with the couple’s environmental sensibilities, the structure of the house was built from a carbon-capturing material. The addition of structural insulated panels (SIPs) also made the house superbly insulated, thus reducing the need for space heating in winter, but any heating and hot water that is required is served by an eco-friendly air source heat pump.

Other eco credentials include a roof covered in an array of 37 solar PV panels that, thanks to battery storage, turn the house into a mini power station which, over the course of a year, produces a third more electricity than it consumes.

Adrian and Sarah are justifiably proud of the fact that the house is carbon neutral and over time should actually become carbon positive. All of which enables the couple to get the best out of a light-filled home that has an open-plan, lofty, double-height space at its heart.

Adrian describes the house’s interior as being pure and simple. "It’s all about the timeless Corbusian tenets of space, light and order, and the finish is crisp, bright and calm," he says.

A monolithic, tall brick wall was cleverly designed to add both tactility and thermal mass – thereby helping to regulate the temperature at the heart of the house – and it also serves as a staircase wall on one side and an oversized work of art on the other.

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A three-metre-long desk with a full-length bookshelf creates an ideal study space when Adrian works from home

The main bedroom’s picture window was positioned so the couple could wake up to views of the Oxford skyline

The porcelain tiles were chosen with a limestone finish for a calm, timeless interior

"Being in this guest bedroom is like being up in the trees," says Sarah. As with all the other rooms, it benefits from masses of natural light

At one with nature

For all the beauty and pleasure that their home bestows on them, the pair say that it’s the house’s relationship to its natural surroundings – nestling within them rather than displacing them – that makes it so special.

"The garden is full of pollinating flora, and planting a range of native species in the hedge contributes to biodiversity," says Adrian. "A rainwater harvesting tank helps minimise use of precious water. And recently, we’ve added a beehive and welcomed a colony of bees to the garden."

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The first floor study doubles up as a handy guest room

The home gym offers views across the garden patio

Reinforcing her husband’s sentiments, Sarah describes what it’s like to live in this innovative house: "It’s wonderful how every day is elevated by being here. Lying in bed and watching dawn rise over Oxford, sitting at the table bathed in sunlight, coming out on the landing at night and seeing the space eerily bathed in moonlight through the double-height window… it’s magical. Then checking our solar panel meter on the app and finding we are generating megawatts is the icing on the cake!"

Enjoyed this tour? Take a look around this ultra-modern self-build in Surrey or this converted derelict tower in Cornwall.