Our Part 1 Architectural Assistant Ethan Gill discusses the process involved in transforming a disused brownfield site into a dream forever home in South Derbyshire.
Planning & Design Practice Ltd are thrilled to announce a successful new build application on a brownfield site. This will allow our client to make better use of a disused agricultural site and build a home in South Derbyshire.
We were commissioned to design the proposal. The brief was a 3-4 bedroom house with an open plan living space with easy accessibility from the carport to the utility room. The house was to be their forever home and accommodate family gatherings as well as be a space for them to relax without it feeling empty. A big part of the brief was a balcony, which connected the front bedrooms, looking over the view they loved so much of the valley.
As we began the design process for this project, we found that a frequent sticking point was this double balcony, which allowed the bedrooms to share the view. The difficulty came from planning requirements to ensure the house was in keeping with the local context, which we were informed about, thanks to our in-house planners who were also involved with the early stages of the design process. Through research and site visits, it became clear that the site was situated on an old agricultural site with red brick barns and blue slate roofs built around the Victorian era. After visiting the site it became clear that the new build should take on the characteristics of a converted barn. With the constraints in mind, we looked at the site from an aerial perspective to see what orientations would resemble a functional farm the most. Our outcome was two variations, which we felt resembled an agricultural setting. We thought about machinery movement and how a farmer may use the proposed building if it were built for agricultural use. We then pushed forward with the design process and produced three variations for the client to review.
The proposal we went forward with resembled a threshing barn, with the proportions of a barn on the brownfield site, which would have created a courtyard between it and the other barns if it were used for agricultural purposes. The layout included 3 bedrooms with the two front bedrooms joined by a balcony, which sat in the ‘threshing barn door’ opening, recessed back into the facade, creating a veranda on the ground floor, which will extend their living space using the indoor/outdoor transition. We future-proofed the proposal by designing the study also to be easily switched to an additional bedroom with an ensuite, allowing our client to rest assured that they could stay there indefinitely. The open plan living space is designed to be an L shape so that it doesn’t feel like a large empty space when it is just the clients in the house, but also allows the space to accommodate more people when required.
As a Part 1 Architectural Assistant, this was an invaluable experience working closely with the Project Lead Architect on this brownfield site, who taught me the process to go through to achieve the best outcome for the brownfield site, whilst also allowing me to design. We worked closely with the client throughout this project. This involved client meetings both in the office and out on site, which was a great opportunity for me as a designer to learn how to communicate ideas clearly to everyone involved. Personally, I very much enjoyed liaising with the client and sketching out the concepts during and after meetings.
Ethan Gill, BA (Hons), Part 1 Architectural Assistant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd
Planning & Design Practice is a multi-disciplinary team of Town Planners, Architects, Architectural Assistants and Design Professionals. We can take a project through from inception to completion but we also offer the flexibility to engage a client’s own architects and provide a planning service. Our design team can also work with clients who have engaged other town planning professionals. For more information, or an informal discussion on your own project or property please contact us on 01332 347371 or email enquiries@planningdesign.co.uk
Disused brownfield site – the foundation for a new dream home
