28 PROJECT REPORT: LUXURY DEVELOPMENTS
CHARACTER & HISTORY
From the outset of the project both Nissen Richards Studio and Q New Homes shared a vision to “retain the memory and character of the former farm while creating contemporary homes for modern living,” Richards says. “We wanted the new homes to evolve from the existing site. The project became an exercise in interpreting and extending the site’s agricultural history, creating contemporary architecture that remains fi rmly rooted in its landscape and past.” hile woring with the confi nes of existing buildings was in some ways a challenge, the ad hoc jumble of buildings that had amassed on the site was also an exciting prospect for the practice. “What attracted us wasn’t simply the opportunity to redevelop redundant buildings, but the richness of the existing farmstead,” Richards says.
“WE AGREED, BECAUSE THE LARGER BARNS WERE THE BUILDINGS THAT GAVE THE FARMSTEAD ITS IDENTITY,” JIM RICHARDS, NISSEN RICHARDS STUDIO
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The existing planning consent “inevitably introduced constraints,” says Richards, “but they proved surprisingly productive.” With the approved footprints already agreed upon, and the requirement to preserve the agricultural building forms, the team were able to focus on rethinking how the internal layouts of the homes would work. They also looked at the exterior architecture, which is where most of the “visible” changes came about. Original designs featured pale timber cladding, which Nissen Richards Studio opted to swap out for charred timber, dark brickwork and black standing seam zinc roofi ng, creating a more contemporary yet contextual response,” Richards explains. “Internally, we reorganised the layouts to create generous vaulted living spaces, maximise natural daylight
and frame views across the surrounding Wealden landscape.” He also emphasises that these openings were only used where appropriate, and that “more restrained openings” were used where the building overlooks a shared space.
Richards describes the project as a “delicate high wire act,” in regards to the balancing the aims of retaining the agricultural forms, creating generous and inspiring living spaces, meeting high sustainability targets, and ultimately ensuring the buildings “remained rooted fi rmly in their landscape and history n many ways those constraints made the architecture stronger.”
A MATERIAL IDEA OF LUXURY The site was viewed by the team to be of such high quality that it “demanded an equally ambitious architectural response.” Both Q New Homes and Nissen Richards Studio wanted to demonstrate that modern rural housing could achieve not only high design standards but also high sustainability standards, but with each holding equal importance. This shared ambition was a key driver in the project, with Damien Wynne of Q New Homes describing it as an aim to create homes with “their own special architectural moments,” demonstrating attention to detail and a “willingness to embrace design excellence,” adds Richards. “Having a client who genuinely valued architecture allowed us to push much further than would normally be possible on a speculative residential development.” Rather than deciding to ‘add-on’ sustainability features to a luxury development, the two were deliberately
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