The Water Lily House
Winchester based architects, AR
Design Studio, have submitted
plans for a new build ‘Paragragh 79’
(formally Paragraph 55) floating house
in rural Hampshire. This has been distilled within the
design process, and from this the form
of the water lily emerged, the plant
itself playing an important role in
enhancing the ecosystems of pond life.
Entitled The Water Lily House,
the house floats atop an existing
disused reservoir that once served
the surrounding fields. The design is
derived from the initial concept of a
floating lily pad, the proposal appears
to delicately float upon the water. The scheme mimics the lily’s
qualities. The plant works to keep the
temperature down by the shade cast by
the leaves, helps to keep algae growth
down and gives shelter from both the
sun and predators to the pond life
inside. The lily serves to protect the
life which sustains it, and the house
aims to replicate this behaviour.
Considering the lack of biodiversity
on the reservoir, the design team
saw this as an opportunity for the
lake to become an asset to the site by
improving the quality of the existing
reservoir and the relationship between
land and water.
Biodiversity not only informs the
surrounding context, but also the
initial concept, leaning heavily on a
symbiotic relationship between the
building and site.
The siting of the proposal offers the
opportunity to take full advantage
of the 360o panoramic views of the
site. The design responds with a
radial form, comprising of a series
of compartmentalised ‘pods’. Each
are orientated to capture specific
views within the site, that are further
enriched by a detailed landscape
design scheme.
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