Lake House, Etonbury, Bedfordshire

The Lake House, Bedfordshire takes inspiration from Falling Water, the acclaimed Pennsylvania house by Frank Lloyd-Wright. The largest and most expensive self build house in the UK is the first to be granted planning permission under PPG7 a government initiative to promote construction of exemplary country houses.

 

Conceptual architect Applin Design and contractual architect Tim Drewitt used concrete to give the house form and presence within the landscape, just as the relationship with the environment gives the concrete form of Falling Water its unmistakable character. The building, chipped into a sloping lakeside site, rises in fully glazed stepped levels created by the poured in situ reinforced concrete frame.

 

While full height glazed walls and large open terraces give panoramic views, a heavily reinforced concrete cantilever over the lake anchors the building. "Concrete was the obvious choice," said Drewitt. "The big cantilever needed columns; it was obvious that we build from concrete."  The house sits onto a monolithic reinforced concrete lower ground floor slab over 90 pile caps driven into clay. Reinforced concrete allows the wide span rooms, without structural columns in the living spaces.

 

"Some walls are exposed, so the concrete aesthetic was important. We used simple timber shuttering for the entire building." The self build pour took two men eight months, using a natural mix of concrete. The thick reinforced concrete walls and slabs range between 200-250mm in depth, allowing the building mass to be exploited thermally to manage the internal environment.

 

"The walls to the main atrium are left as exposed concrete," said Drewitt. "The shuttering for this section, plywood covered in plastic, gives the concrete a tactile, smooth finish. Joints and bolt heads leave negative impressions in the finish to the walls." External walls are clad with 100mm high density polystyrene board, mechanically fixed to the frame and then rendered. The lower ground floor slab lies over a high-density polyurethane insulation board.

 

The glazed atrium rises from lower ground basement level with a feature cascading water from first floor front door level into the lake below. The first floor provides living area, dining room and kitchen, conservatory and staff accommodation. The second floor, with four en suite bedrooms, is accessed via a lift or tempered glass stairway. The top floor is reserved for a full height glazed study and observation deck.

 

Conceptual Architect: Applin Design

Construction Architect: Tim Drewitt Associates