LINCOLNSHIRE HOUSE
Architect's Description
This house is a country retreat for a male couple - a musician and academic - and a place to live, work and entertain visitors who will sometimes stay for long periods. It provides settings for a wide spectrum of situations from everyday domestic to places of contemplation, study, entertainment and work.
The house is defined by two permanent marks in the landscape. The first a scraping away of the earth to define the footprint of the house, the second, the raising of a thick rubble wall to delineate the northern boundary of the dwelling enclosure. Against this a slender timber frame is constructed to give openings and views to the gardens and horizon to the south. The guest accommodation is a separate building of more basic construction located to help protect the main house from winter prevailing winds.
The clients knew that they wanted to find in Lincolnshire but hadnt identified a specific plot. So, one of the first challenges was to imagine and define the possible conditions of site and landscape. Flatness, horizon, strong winds, and water developed as the strong elements in forming the context and in defining specific spaces.
The clients will not have children and so it was not necessary to have a house whihc could be handed on to the next generation. It has been designed as if it emerged from the landscape and could also return to form part of the landscape. A robust rubble wall protects a more fragile timber structure to the south whihc is intended to decay over time leaving the stone wall as an element which can continue to protect wildlife and the garden.
