Hollaway Studio has added another Paragraph 80 building to its portfolio creating a home in ancient parkland inspired by the discovery that the land held a medieval deer leap. As always, the Kent and London based studio designed a site specific response resulting in an exceptional piece of architecture created in the exceptional circumstances Paragraph 80 calls for.
The clients approached Hollaway Studio with a view to downsizing from their existing manor house without leaving their current location in proximity to the town centre. The brief became to design a house on their land that was of outstanding design and that responded to and connected with the surrounding landscape. It was to be a building that was sympathetic to the trees and the historic deer leap, whilst discrete from views from neighboring listed buildings, including their own. It was to be subservient to the main house, due to its listing and its history.
Built into the leap, a veritable ha-ha, it grows out of the enveloping land, looks beautifully out across the parkland and is proving so influential as to argue for the reintroduction of deer into the park. Before the introduction of the ha-ha, the only method of keep livestock in and out of a park and separated from gardens, was by using walls and fences above ground level. A ha-ha is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier, while preserving an uninterrupted view of the landscape beyond.
Sustainable design and the integration of innovative technology solutions, reinforce the consistently high level of design demonstrated within the proposal. The strong concept of the house takes opportunity of a precedent so unique, but also appropriate for a house situated in its sensitive setting. It celebrates and enhances the history of the site, while being discrete and integrated within its landscape.
