Ironside

Ironside is a unique family home designed in accordance with guidance from the National Planning Policy paragraph 80: a new home permitted to be built in open countryside due to its ‘outstanding’ design that reflects the ‘highest standards in architecture’.

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We were first approached by the clients in 2019. Having lived and raised a family in their house on the outskirts of Daventry, they now wished to begin a new chapter in their lives. Having fallen in love with the beautiful views and peaceful setting of their existing house, they wished to remain in the local area. So with the intent of constructing their ideal house from the ground up, they managed to purchase a parcel of land a short distance down a rural track from their existing home; located on the site of a former ironstone quarry, now partially used as pasture land for sheep. Knowing Hayward McMullan’s reputation for successful paragraph 80 submissions, the clients appointed us to create a design for an accessible home that would continue to meet their changing needs, as well as manage the planning process.

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Carefully balancing sustainable modern design with rustic materiality and traditional craftsmanship, a simple single storey dwelling design was conceived as a sculptural artefact carved from the landscape. Recognising the intrinsic value of the Northamptonshire Uplands National Character area in which the site was located, we knew that responding to the gently rounded hills and valleys of the landscape was the correct approach to rooting this home within its surroundings. Therefore, the dwelling was placed to bridge the varying features of the site, from sheep pasture at the south to former ironstone quarry to the north. The various spaces of the dwelling were each carefully considered and orientated to enjoy views over a forest and ravine, as well as to the hills beyond on the western edge of the site. Therefore, the form of the proposed house was naturally formulated by and for this unique landscape, including being constructed primarily from the local ironstone that characterised the area.

The dwelling is designed to fully utilise renewable and sustainable technologies such as mechanical vent and heat recovery, ground source heating, trombe walls and high levels of thermal mass. The façade comprises prefabricated steel and ironstone cassettes to maximise finish, reduce programme and lower the embodied carbon footprint.

Following a rigorous and collaborative design process with the client, the design, supported by comprehensive supporting information documenting the design intent and identified links to the local context, was sent to the OPUN Design Review for comment. This, alongside input from the project Planning Advisor, provided an opportunity for scrutiny of the design and was an extremely beneficial process that guided the proposals towards submission of a full planning application in February 2021.

The project was approved in April 2021, and despite uncertainty created by the Covid 19 pandemic, technical drawings were soon progressed, allowing us to engage closely with the structural engineer and building control to fully resolve the scheme. Our comprehensive set of construction drawings is currently in the process of being tendered, and we continue to support our client to achieve their dream whilst also extracting best value through considered alterations where required. We hope to continue to progress this project to fruition, providing Project Management, Contract Administration and Principal Designer services.

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