Kingbury House

/ Berkshire

Urban Tranquility.

Kingbury House is a contemporary new home within an urban setting, providing a complimentary contrast to the surrounding period properties in a Berkshire town. The design combines indoor-outdoor living, landscaped gardens and quiet seclusion, and in replacing the previous house, the sustainable credentials will be significantly improved, with a highly insulated building fabric, passive ventilation and a ground source heat pump.

This replacement dwelling is a contemporary design, inspired by modernist architecture leading the form of the building and enabling the new house to be low impact. The design, green roofs and natural materials have been considered so that the building remains discreet and sits well within the local vernacular. From the private view of the garden, the building expresses its contemporary style, taking inspiration from pavilion style architecture. The roof plane floats over the living space on full-height glazing and extends past the building footprint to create solar shading and areas for external seating.

The entrance is defined by a large overhang and will link down into lower ground floor creating a double height atrium and an incredible entrance space. The building then uses the gradient across the site to give light and space throughout the main building at ground floor level, and the lower ground floor sunken at 1m below. In a separate wing to the main living spaces, the bedrooms have been separated by courtyards with internal trees to help break up the elevation and improve natural lighting to the rear. The natural light and views through the courtyard will make this a special space and the boundary wall will be an excellent space for an art collection.

Sketch of rear elevation & garden

Sketch of landscaped drive & entrance

The layout has been designed to consider the landscape, maximising natural sunlight into the main living spaces and giving privacy. The roof cantilevers to create an overhang to help reduce overheating as well as other methods such as louvres and solar glass. The lower ground floor houses the leisure spaces, including a lap swimming pool, gym and will also accommodate a plant area to house the apparatus required for sustainable heating such as ground source heat pumps. The roof plane continues across each wing, stepping and folding to create hierarchy within the spaces. The resulting new home will be spacious and thoughtfully considered to maximise the beauty of the site while forging a sustainably-led new chapter for years ahead.

Connection & Biodiversity in Landscape Design

The design vision of this garden is to compliment the style of the contemporary new home, support the local planning policy to minimise environmental impact, and create a series of interconnecting, Japanese-inspired gardens holistically considered and integrated with the living spaces.

Sketch of rear garden & water features

Sketch of entrance driveway

As first coined by the American biologist Edward O. Wilson, this is ‘biophilia design’, a response to the recognition that we possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature. Kingbury House will be a truly indoor-outdoor home, where the gardens and setting play an integral and symbiotic role with the building and local natural environment.

The garden is split over 2 levels, each of which will be given a different feeling and use. The hard landscape focuses on natural materials such as timber, stone, and clay, alongside British and wildlife supporting vegetation such as Betula, Ilex and Taxus. Our designs meet our clients' desire for an Asian-Oriental garden style - yet realised via a range of native plant species that will support the local natural environment, habitat and wildlife.

Moodboard of design & materials front courtyard & upper garden

Moodboard of lower garden & use of water

Designing with British and North European native species doesn't have to mean a messy meadow or wild borders. Kingbury House garden will be beautifully structured and serene, with a palette of plants where every single one will be native and good for biodiversity. Sustainability in harmony with design will be at the heart of this garden.

In the lower garden, local British materials will be used alongside water, introduced to the scheme via a series of ponds and small features to reduce noise pollution and to further support biodiversity and the local wildlife.

HollandGreen Landscape Designers create High end new build home design with cut-out courtyard & cantilevered overhang

Kingbury House is the realisation of a truly holistic design between building and garden; architecture and landscape design. A contemporary vision with a sustainability-led purpose that succeeds through the collaboration of ideas and values from the very start.

Build Category

New Homes

HG Brands

Architecture

Landscape Design

Location

Berkshire

Status

In-Design