Description of the text provided by the architects. Weald House is a newly built four bedroom house by Mailen Design and Peter Bradford Architects situated in a verdant plot in Kent, United Kingdom. The two practices worked together to create a one-story home that embraces local vernacular architecture to celebrate the surrounding meadows and luxuriant foliage beyond. Long-time Islington residents, clients Saro Castagna and Alexis Campbell, bought the plot of land to build a family home. With four grown-up children and a large extended family, they wanted to move from their London townhouse to one with enough space to host large groups together. The plot was sold with planning permission and an existing scheme which the clients felt was alien to the rural landscape; a multi-level, austere design that ignored its natural context and did not take full advantage of the beautiful meadows and woodlands beyond. Saro and Alexis had a clear understanding of what they wanted; a low building that respected the surrounding landscape.
Mailen Design and Peter Bradford Architects were commissioned to collaborate on the design; the two practices have previously worked together on another residential project. Saro and Alexis provided visual references in their brief highlighting Japanese minimalist architecture and New Zealand modern houses. During the lockdown in 2020, the architects had regular Zoom meetings with Saro and Alexis to understand their vision and to collaborate on the initial layout development. With Italian roots, Saro’s love of cooking for her family and friends inspired a large open plan kitchen and dining space at the heart of the plan. Saro explained his cooking process spatially; emphasizing the importance of being close to the kitchen cabinets, the oven, the stove and her family. Saro’s dream then was to place this process in front of a view of the surrounding natural landscape. Another key part of the brief was a study that allowed Alexis to enjoy the natural setting while working from home.
Weald House stands as a contemporary interpretation of the common agricultural black barn. The initial design of the house featured polished concrete floors and glazing throughout. However, the clients wanted to have a sense of security and privacy without losing the beautiful panoramas. As a result, the design was adapted to meet the competing needs of openness and privacy. From the drive and public entrance, the rear of the building is solid, with doors and windows concealed in the frame to provide access and light without exposing the south side. Full-height glass doors and windows lead to the south-facing views, out of public view, opening onto the long meadow framed by lush woodland. The arrangement of windows and skylights that frame the natural views bring the ever-changing sunlight to the internal rooms and corridors. A strong alignment between the client’s vision and the architects’ approach to the context resulted in an internally refined material palette. Large, light, calm gray porcelain tiles set the tone for the home, while chalk-painted walls allow the surrounding landscape to take center stage.
The architects have taken a conscious responsibility for the peaceful setting, with neighboring buildings including a historic brick farmhouse and a grade II listed black-clad barn. Situated at the end of a gravel driveway, the front of the house balances privacy and security with visual sensitivity and sophistication. Black cladding stretches across the rear elevation and wraps around the building as a whole to create a cohesive volume that nestles seamlessly into the plot. Each board varies slightly in depth and profile, establishing a gentle tactility to reflect the imperfect beauty of the natural environment. The house has a black zinc pitched roof, defined by a highly detailed edging that cleverly conceals rain gutters.
The main door opens at the intersection of the L-shaped plan, where a toilet and boot room are tucked neatly in the corner. A short corridor leads into a voluminous, open-plan kitchen, dining and living space where wall-to-wall glazing frames a sweeping view of a meadow and a luxuriant tree line to one side. At one end of the room, a matte black kitchen sits behind a custom blackened stainless steel island with an induction hob, sink and pull-out storage drawers. Pantry storage and a laundry room are located between this area and the main entrance, next to an oak staircase that leads up to an airy mezzanine above, with views of the kitchen and living space below and three rooflights framing a canopy of leafy trees . Creating a positive atmosphere when cooking and hosting, a dining space sits next to the kitchen island. Expansive glazed slides open onto a paved terrace where the same gray porcelain tiles continue underfoot, blurring the distinction between the internal and external living spaces. Deep eaves in the pitched roof jump above the elevation to create a sheltered area outside, allowing for far-reaching views to be enjoyed throughout the seasons.
On the other side of the kitchen and living space, an open fire with a thick concrete shelf acts as a focal point against a black paneled wall that hides two doors on either side. One door leads into a separate nook and the other into a home office with a verdant outlook. The rest of the house stretches out to the left of the front entrance, comprising four bedrooms that sit off a long hallway, each with an ensuite bathroom, built-in storage and views of the surrounding meadow. Three push-in boxes along the hall offer glimpses of the driveway, lined with rooflights that cast the sunlight shifting down the far wall. Cleverly camouflaged, a door is set amongst a black paneled wall at the end of the hall, echoing the paneling in the main living space, opening into the master bedroom where extensive glazing allows the natural landscape to become a backdrop.
The architectural team was present throughout the construction process to work with the builders to complete their detailed designs. Through careful consideration of orientation, material selection and glazing placement, Weald House operates largely off-grid and is supported by 45 solar panels and two air source heat pumps. The pitched roof extends over the front and rear elevations to regulate internal temperature through the seasons, but also serves to capture rainwater in underground tanks. The roof lights allow the light to flood in and move across the walls during the day. At night the moon is flooded as it repeats the ever-changing patterns of light and shadow.
Weald House reveals a highly collaborative process, with the architects working closely with the team at every stage of the project to achieve the clients’ vision; a sensitive and contemporary representation of the black agricultural barn that reflects its context. Ben Mailen, Project Architect, Mailen Design, said: ‘The process of designing and working with the client often involves becoming part of the family yourself. The real success of the project was a unified vision to create a house that sustains the essence of its natural environment.’ Saro Castagna and Alexis Campbell, Clients, said: ‘Peter and Ben saw our vision, they truly understood what we were trying to achieve and gave us ideas that inspired us. The result is a home that is completely personal to us; supporting the way we want to live and allowing us to have a close relationship with the surrounding natural landscape.’
#Weald #House #MailenDesign #Peter #Bradford #Architects