Beeches
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
A replacement dwelling outside Berkhamsted in the Chiltern Hills, which provides a low-carbon lifestyle and modern internal spaces. Two volumes are connected with a glass link to form an L-shaped building that enjoys views
across open fields.
Black-painted timber is a material widely used throughout Chiltern agriculture architecture and it is used here with a rigorous contemporary order. Delicate fins repeat across the façade to create texture and these continue as folding shutters over openings. The pre-cast concrete structure is left exposed in many spaces and natural timber doors and plywood joinery bring warmth to the spaces.
The single-storey Living block is glazed on two sides and benefits from good-daylighting and passive solar gain. The double-storey block contains bedrooms and forms a robust edge between the road and south-facing garden. The house utilises ground-source heating and high thermal mass from the concrete helps to regulate the environment all year.
Project Name: Beeches
Location: Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
Gross Floor Area (House): 481 m2
Project Credits
Architect: Kirkland Fraser Moor Architects
Client: Private
Contractor: Atkins PM
Quantity Surveyors: PCP Surveyors
Structural Engineer: Stefan Abramian
Landscape Architect: Bowles & Wyre
Building Services: BSEC
Building Inspectors: Wilkinson
Photography: Edmund Sumner