‘Living in a garden beneath a well insulated umbrella’.

Minimal, functional and seasonal performance – user determined, rational, reductive yet energy intelligent with a personal architectural expression.

The core of the house – kitchen, bath, utility and energy centre is precisely organised to respond to the surrounding user areas as well as to concentrate essential capital – thus releasing the remaining funds as far as possible to create ‘internal space’ within a garden.

The activity spaces follow the movement of the sun – bedrooms east, activity space south, relaxing west, with the transparent garage and workshop acting as an energy buffer to the north.

The cellar is composed of two spaces – an internal play space and utility area and an external ‘in the earth’ space for wine, growing mushrooms and solar energy storage. Designed and constructed as a demonstration self-build by Ian Ritchie, it was composed as a kit of parts – lightweight steel frame; semi-stressed ply roof deck, glass walls including passive solar collection panels and pre-cast concrete plank floor slab. Components prefabricated in Ireland, Germany, UK, and France.

AD Commended Design 1981