VELFAC A/S

Eileen and Stuart had built and extended houses before and decided that they would like to create an individual house from scratch - and promptly spent four years scouring the areas local to them in Buckinghamshire looking for a plot that could offer enough space and privacy to satisfy their exacting requirements.  The answer finally came in the shape of a modest bungalow situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the edge of the charming Ashridge Estate - an estate with its own outstanding architectural traditions.

Knowing that this could potentially provide the backdrop to the home of their dreams, the couple found designer Christopher Higenbottam at Tempietto Architects, veteran of many one-off houses, both contemporary and not so contemporary.  "We were obviously aware of contemporary house design," says Eileen, who has a keen interest in individually commissioned art, "but didn't really come to the table with too many views about what we wanted, apart from a defined list of room requirements and ideal sizes.  We wanted Chris to be able to work with as blank a canvas as possible."

Designed around the strong slope down to the rear of the site, the split-level house transforms into a two storey curved structure at the back, meaning that all of the windows have an entirely private view of the large courtyard and garden.

The sloping site dictates entry at ground floor level into a central hall, with bedrooms either side.  The key living areas are in the 'basement' enjoy the views and natural ventilation while the working areas such as the gym are built into the ground.

Eileen and Stuart employed Tempietto Architects to totally supervise the project.  "With a scheme such as this it's absolutely essential," says Eileen.  "We wanted the design details to be just right and carried out exactly how they needed to be, and having Chris on site, making the key decisions and ensuring that the work was carried out in line with his requirements, made perfect sense.  We got involved with some of the key decisions, but have been happy with the design, we just wanted to ensure the final product was as true to the vision as possible."

Building a house of this complexity wasn't easy and it's clear that despite its classical nuances, very up-to-the-minute problems and solutions were teased out.  The structure is reinforced concrete poured in situ (it gets poured into moulded plywood shutterings) which was about the only way that Chris could ensure the curve was just how he wanted it. (plus Eileen and Stuart, who had a house built in Spain a few years ago, love the cool and quiet feel of the predominantly concrete-built houses out there).  The roof is also concrete.  Any house with so many south-facing windows might be tricky to keep at the right temperature, but the high thermal mass of the building and the earth sheltering assist in reducing the peak temperature.  The windows are covered in a reflective coating and even the rooms with natural ventilation are subject to the impressive ventilation system, which is essential for the rooms built into the slope, which complement the design strategy.

VELFAC windows were chosen as they provided a uniform appearance between the opening and non-opening windows.

"We love it," says Eileen.  Inside, all of the rooms - from the living spaces to the swimming pool to the beautifully panelled snooker room - are curved, giving each one individual character.  "There's something quite calming about all the curves," she concludes.