At home in the Green Belt

Set in Oxford’s sensitive Green Belt, this contemporary 5-bedroom, 2600-square-foot replacement dwelling recently completed by the WWA is set on a sloping 2-acre site with beautiful views over mature woodland.

The living areas associated with this unique house are all on the upper floor, maximising light as well as views across the open countryside of Oxfordshire’s Green Belt land. Positioned on the edge of the existing terraced area at the top of the site, the house fully utilises the contours of the sloping site and allows an improved approach to the dwelling. This configuration also allows a formal entrance courtyard to be accommodated along with an adjacent private south-facing garden area—something that the existing property lacked. A simple, high-quality palette of materials is used, including stone, render, cedar cladding, structural glass, and sedum/planted roofs, that complement the natural setting. An array of ground-mounted photovoltaic panels combined with high standards of airtightness and insulation ensures minimal running costs.

The flat roof building forms allow for a significant contribution to biodiversity enhancements through the use of green roof technology. The native wildflower species selected for the project have the same complexion as the nearby meadows, which will continue to self-seed and mature over time. Continuing the theme of nature into the building interior, the key architectural gesture in this design is a stone-clad spine wall that bisects the building plan. The timber-clad stairs are cantilevered from this wall, creating a striking combination of natural materials with an engineered and precise finish.

When approached from the driveway, the building has a very modest proportion and low-lying roof form. When seen from the privacy of the rear, lower level garden, the story is very different. An impressive array of floor to ceiling windows give each living space and bedroom a direct connection to the mature trees lining the boundary beyond.

Any project situated in Green Belt land needs careful scoping and oversight by Town Planning professionals before investing time and money in design. At WWA our team is interdisciplinary meaning that our own in-house Planners and Architects work together from the outset to give our clients advice that is rooted in ambitious design set in realistic planning context. To read more about our interdisciplinary page and find out about the experts in our team you can read more via this link to the About Us webpage. To find out more about the definition and limitations of development in the Green Belt you can read a news article explainer on the subject on our website titled Grey and Green Belt Explained.