Hertsmere New Build House
A 4-bedroom split-level house that makes use of its sloping site to maximise accommodation to create a unique, modernist home in a suburban Hertsmere street.
The client approached Cherry Architects to create a detached home on a small curved corner site to sloping land next to their current 4 bedroom property. With a shape and gradient different to the other houses on its Hertsmere street, Cherry Architects sought to create a house design that visually enhanced the character of the street and provided a visual landmark on its indistinct corner plot.
Deceptive in scale; from the front, the building has a minimal impact on the existing Hertsmere streetscape as a small single storey house with a pitched roof and loft dormer. As one moves around the curved corner of the site, the form starts to expand, stepping outwards in size and downwards in height down the sloping site; fully expressing its contemporary form at the rear.
The accommodation is spread across 4 levels, each positioned at half storey height intervals around a central feature staircase.
Sustainable construction is at the heart of the house design, with measures such as locally sourced materials, green roof technology, enhanced insulation and an electric charging point.
The external materials are traditional towards the front facade – with white render with dark grey roof tiles to the pitched roof and front dormer, reflecting the materiality of the neighbouring Hertsmere properties. Inspired by the neighbouring woodland of the greenbelt, accents of timber cladding are used across the side and rear to break up the white render and to bridge between areas of glazing.
The sedum roof allows the building to nestle inconspicuously in the Hertfordshire site when approached from the top of the hill, reducing any potential visual intrusion or impact.
