Hollaway Studio has achieved a paragraph 79 planning consent for an exceptional and highly sustainable family home set in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the Kent Downs, which will be an exemplar of modern rural living.
Haneton, named after the original medieval manor on the site, will be the realisation of the client’s long held family ambition to reoccupy the heart of their 80 acre farm: a unique, ancient rural setting that has been inhabited almost continuously for the last 1000 years, and which offers many clues as to how the development was once organised.
Our concept takes its cue from the traditional Farmstead – distinct buildings arranged around a common courtyard. Here, two simple parallel, charred timber-clad buildings form a central courtyard and primary living quarters. A two storey conical building formed of rammed earth punctuates the orthogonal arrangement to create a hygge suite; the metaphorical and actual hearth of the home, with a fire pit and sunken bath on the first floor, expressed through the ceiling of the floor below.
Designed as a home for flexible living, Haneton features distinct spaces to support multi generational living. An existing 19th century stable block is retained and restored, without its roof, to create an external living room and there are areas to grow seasonal produce, large communal spaces for socialising and tangible connections with the surrounding landscape designed to foster a strong sense of care and stewardship.
The Scandinavian concept of hygge, signifying health, wellness and conviviality has been a driver for the evolution of the design with an emphasis on a balanced life attuned to and in sympathy with nature.Buildings are orientated to maximise views of the landscape, and play to the particular light conditions of various times of day and seasons, as well as maximise building efficiencies with regard to heating and lighting. Adjacent forest wood is used to heat and power the house, with a cyclical approach to forest maintenance and renewable energy sources.
In order to meet the stringent requirements of a Paragraph 79 (formerly 55) consent, we have demonstrated an ambitious approach to landscape, creating a building that is absolutely of its place, drawing inspiration from and celebrating its rich and evocative surrounding landscape.
Working closely with landscape architects Growth Industry and expert LVA consult Michelle Bolger, we’ve developed a holistic landscape-led approach, ensuring that the surrounding landscape is not only safeguarded but enhanced.
Haneton will demonstrate how the re-occupation of rural sites can support the active conservation and management of historically and ecologically sensitive landscapes for the benefit of future generations.