Why this sustainably minded home on the border of York is a lesson in contemporary eco design
The current owner – a builder who collaborated on the project – set the brief. And it went as so: create an eco-friendly modern home in a rural location just outside York. The first task for local architects Vincent & Brown was to score the right piece of land. They successfully won planning permission to demolish a derelict commercial unit on this plot just four miles west of the city, which was formerly home to a taxi office, and assemble their residential new build.
The second challenge was to ensure the home was as green as its surroundings, so they set about designing a space with low energy at its heart. In our opinion, one of the most pleasing aspects of this single-storey home is the wooden exterior (made of precision-engineered timber, to be exact). Aesthetically, it’s in keeping with the natural surroundings, but it also provides superior levels of insulation, ticking the all-important boxes of both form and function.
But it’s the exquisite use of glass that gets the gold: full-height expanses of glazing form the vast majority of the façade. It sure makes a statement from the outside, looking like anything but a conventional rural home. Step into the living area and you’ll find breathtaking views of the great outdoors: mature gardens with apple and pear trees, a pond frequented by geese, and nearby woodlands home to pheasant and deer. If it’s a relationship with nature you’re after, say no more.
Did we mention the house is south-facing? Natural light subsequently pours through the glazing throughout the day. Limestone, Corten steel and Siberian larch make up the internal material scheme – a trio that balances the industrial with the raw. The open-plan living, kitchen and dining area, an exercise in spatial design measuring 1,800 sq ft, at once calls for entertaining and relaxing; hosting and retreating. Thoughtful elements, such as the modern fireplace, home cinema and tranquil winter garden, are brilliant finishing touches.
So as far as eco-friendly countryside retreats go, we’re rating it a five out of five. While we’ve seen many homes in our time, this one-off residential project looks and feels resolutely contemporary in the very best way. For now, then, we sit firmly in the camp of in with the new.
RELATED ON THE MODERN HOUSE
Listing of the Week: a Norfolk beauty that ushers the natural world in
A family home in Hackney, lovingly tended inside and out
Zen and the art of mindset maintenance in a former warehouse in east London
A duo’s dramatic warehouse conversion hidden in west London
Inside two carbon-negative zero-waste homes in Walthamstow
Skye’s the limit at this home in a serene settlement in the Scottish Highlands
An apartment with star quality in a converted recording studio in west London
A mid-century marvel in Stafford that stands the test of time
A hotel with staying power overlooking the Atlantic in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland
A mid-century gem among the treetops on the Dulwich Estate in Crystal Palace