This new house replaces a 1920s house in south Cambridge. The pitched roof forms and materials pick up on the Arts & Crafts influences evident in the existing house and other buildings in the neighbourhood. The whole structure is timber, insulated with wood-fibre externally and lime-rendered, and the roof is insulated with recycled cellulose and re-clad in clay tiles. The completed house will have triple-glazed windows and has achieved an air-tightness of 0.8 ACH, very close to Passivhaus standard.
The vapour-open, breathable construction will work in conjunction with a whole house MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery) system to create even humidity and excellent internal air-quality. At the rear, single storey brick walls project out into the garden, containing a living room and artist’s studio, and creating a sheltered courtyard for outdoor dining.
At the front, the area between the house and the road will be covered with gravel and planted as a ‘dry garden’, using plants that require little water, leaving gaps for access and car parking, and avoiding a division of driveway and garden. On the ground floor the flow of spaces has been carefully developed to create connections between them while maintaining a distinct quality to each.
Items of joinery, sliding doors and a circular structural column define a loose and changeable order to the spaces and encourage diagonal views through the house out to the garden.
Completion is due Autumn 2025
Location:
Cambridge
Status:
Under Construction
Prewett Bizley Architects Team:
Graham Bizley, Danny Baker, Laura Woods, Adrian Kehrli
Structural Engineer:
Conisbee
Landscape Architect:
Robert Myers Associates
Main Contractor:
RM Construction
Nearing completion: A new low-energy, low-carbon arts & crafts inspired house in Cambridge.