The Glade

A sensitively designed family home that blends into its lush, planted surroundings. Architecture that not only sits alongside nature, but complements it was the brief for this densely planted site in St Peter Port, Guernsey. Sensitivity to the surroundings was required at every stage of the design – from making sure the building is as energy efficient and sustainable as possible, to maximising natural light and solar gain, to avoiding the numerous root protection areas of the surrounding trees and maintaining a proportionate footprint to the previous development on site. Our team took immense care to design a space that worked with the natural topography of the site, and made maximum use of the breath-taking setting: an existing clearing in the trees. A large basement took advantage of an existing swimming pool excavation to establish the deep foundations required in this area, while the ground floor is entirely wrapped in Guernsey granite, predominantly sourced on site. Natural lime render highlights the porch and carport. A steel frame cantilevers above the eastern side fully planted as a living wall with a mix of 13 native species (over 4,000 plants in total and irrigated via borehole), camouflaging the building among the surrounding tree canopy and providing an acoustic and pollution buffer to the nearby roads, plus additional thermal benefits. It reflects the character of the overall site; surrounded by high granite walls with mature vegetation above. A double height glazed link accommodates the vertical circulation and breaks the overall mass to the cedar-clad, shed-like form that floats above the western side. This property is an homage to nature and the marriage of a family’s life with their environmental surroundings.