G


aining planning permission to build in a peaceful Norfolk meadow, surrounded by mature trees, seemed an impossibility


for landowner Clare and her husband, until a pioneering architecture studio and an award- winning builder became involved. “A special piece of land had been left to us by a close family member,” explains Clare. “We lived nearby and visited the meadow with our children, enjoying it as a peaceful retreat, until by chance I saw an episode of Grand Designs about building Periscope House, which was designed by Studio Bark. It sparked an idea, as their village site is so close to our land.” Located in a beautiful, isolated location in rural Norfolk, the new home had been granted permission unanimously at planning committee through Paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework (previously paragraph 55, 79, 80). Paragraph 84 relates to building in rural areas, where only designs of exceptional quality are approved, and Studio Bark has a successful history of gaining planning permission for such homes. hey came and met us in the fi eld and understood how important it was for us to keep the setting as it was, so that any new build would be surrounded by meadow grass,” Clare recalls. “They were so passionate and gave us the confi dence to move forward.


The couple visited the practice at their London


offi ce, taking ust two pictures as inspiration for their proposed new home. One was cut out of a newspaper, featuring a contemporary sustainable new build, and the other was a photo taken while holidaying as a family in Scotland. The timber-clad cottage was almost invisible in the natural beauty of the barren


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wilderness at the edge of Loch Ossian on the Corrour Estate, and encouraged the choice for their own exterior cedar cladding. “We were so keen that whatever we built shouldn’t spoil the setting and would be highly sustainable,” says Clare. “Studio Bark did all the hard work, designing a contemporary three bedroom house with an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space. Our two children are adults now, but we still wanted to be able to offer them rooms to stay when they visit, and the third bedroom also doubles as my offi ce on the ground fl oor, opening onto the central courtyard.”


The design team had ongoing discussions with the local community and parish council, as well as pre-application conversations with the case offi cer, which helped to inform and infl uence the proposal. The design itself developed through the use of mixed media, sketching, photography, CAD drawing, computer modelling, physical modelling and environmental testing. It then evolved through detailed collaboration with a range of specialist consultants, including surveyors, ecologists, structural engineers, drainage consultants, environmental specialists, CNC fabricators, plywood suppliers, Passive House designers, off-grid specialists, sewage treatment consultants and many more. The architectural brief was to blur the distinction between the home and the beautiful plot of land in which it sits, and the two storey design shelters external space while enjoying the openness of the wider site. Arranged around a south facing, three-sided courtyard, the building was positioned in the north-west corner of the plot – offering long views and glimpses of the


HIGH POINT


“Wet weather was the biggest issue during the build, which happened around the Covid pandemic.”


LOW POINT


“Seeing how the house works so beautifully with the landscape and the way the windows capture surrounding views.”


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