Contemporary Dwelling

Case study

A contemporary home in one of the country's most protected landscapes.

This contemporary dwelling sits within the New Forest National Park, a designation that affords the landscape the highest level of protection, and that makes any new home a demanding planning proposition. The project was led on planning, working with the design to secure a home that belongs in its setting.

The architecture answers the Park with restraint: clean contemporary lines, natural materials and a careful relationship to the topography and planting around it. The aim throughout was a building that enhances rather than imposes on its surroundings.

Planning in a National Park

National Park policy starts from a presumption against new dwellings in the countryside. We framed the proposal against that policy from the outset, testing the design against landscape and character objectives as it developed, so the scheme that reached the authority was one it could realistically support. The project is shown here anonymously at the client's request.