The Well House

Winchester based architects AR Design Studio have received planning approval for a private bespoke new build house, The Well House, located in a rural village on the outskirts of Winchester.

The site is hidden down a quiet residential lane with a strong visual connection to the surrounding verdant context. From the lane the site steps and slopes towards its east boundary to meet the Itchen Navigation, a SSSI and the South Downs National Park.

Upon visiting the site, it was felt that the significance of the site’s rural setting would have to inform the backbone of any design that was delivered. This rationale has been translated to the proposed design, derived from the initial concept of hunkering down into the sloping landscape to appear visually lost in the hillside against the wooded backdrop. The scheme uses a materiality of timber and brick, the timber volumes floating atop a solid brick base. From the road, the timber cladding blends with the context, whilst the heavier brick grounds the scheme.