The two primary living spaces, the
lounge/kitchen/dining and the sitting
room, have long views over the lake
and the open countryside fields. The
access to the house is situated at the
eastern point of the reservoir, to allow
access to from main drive and the
proposed garage. The two bedroom
‘pods’ face the more intimate gardens,
allowing privacy through shorter
views.
Extensive full height glazing allows
connectivity between the internal
and external spaces, whilst feature
windows frame individual aspects of
the surroundings.
At the centre of the house is the
courtyard around which is the main
circulation. The roof from each of the
pods tapers towards this courtyard,
allowing it to open up towards the sky.
The space offers a sense of intimacy
that contrasts with the expansive
views over the reservoir that features
in the rest of the house.
The Water Lily House is accessed via a
footbridge from the entrance courtyard
and proposed garage.
The garage is hidden within the
existing bank of the reservoir, in
order to minimise the visual impact
on the site. The guest bedrooms to
the north will face a sculpture garden
with an associated boardwalk, which
is screened from the main road by an
existing hedge as well as proposed
planting. To the south of the house,
a swimming pond links to a floating
reed bed and jetty, allowing boats to be
moored. The building responds to the
site and the defining characteristics
of the local area with a contemporary
approach that has resulted in the
analysis of materials similar to those
used in the surrounding agricultural
vernacular. Metal cladding was
explored, a bronze tone having a
distinctive appearance. Though not an
exact material match, the tones were
found to correspond with the existing
buildings.
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The suitability of metal cladding
considering the moist environment
was also researched, with the proposed
material controlling the patina on
its surface, avoiding corrosion of the
material itself. To compliment this,
timber details are used, mimicking
the use of timber cladding in the
agricultural context. Where susceptible
to weathering, the saturation of the
timber will mute over time while the
durability is maintained.