Orchard House, Lincolnshire Architecture, English Project
Orchard House in Lincolnshire
16 Jul 2021
Architects: Campion Design
Location: Lincolnshire, England, UK
Orchard House
Campion Design began designing Orchard House with the vision to create beautiful, sustainable, and affordable architecture. At the time their director, Will Campion, was only 22, but they have finished constructing this smart home; proving you do not need to choose between sacrificing the budget or the environment.
Orchard house was about developing a new Lincolnshire typology, that envisioned a sustainable future for the rural agrarian communities. The traditional agrarian architecture that’s quintessential to Lincolnshire, inspired the gable design and striped textured reminiscent of the nearby barns and neighbouring St Michael’s Church and it’s standing seam leadwork.
For my third, constructed house, I aimed for zero-carbon, self-sufficiency, equipping it with a rainwater harvester, solar panels, an air-source heat pump and heat-recovery ventilation. This was still all for just £1000/sqm, in addition to hundreds of pounds worth of savings per year in utility bills; here we made eco-friendliness synergistic with cost efficiency.
The house utilised SIPs panels filled full of insulation made from Rapeseed oil, making sure the house was used from the most low-embodied energy materials. The larch board and batten cladding was invented by Campion Design to tie together the reclaimed bricks and the timber to reimagine the corrugated steel of a traditional Lincolnshire barn.
It’ll be these aggregates of marginal gains that can help restore our symbiotic relationship with the planet; now more prevalent than ever. Recent events have made me realise how dependent we are on global systems, and how vulnerable we are to disruption through no fault of our own. Saving the world does not have to cost the Earth. Self-sufficient design will help to empower our physical and mental health, remove utility costs and slow climate change. Orchard House is just the first step in achieving this eudaimonic utopia.
How is the project unique?
We were able to delivery a innovative piece of architecture that was detail focused and assimilated into the orchard while still celebrating the local heritage. The house was designed to be an exploration of a new Lincolnshire sustainable typology by proving such an eco-friendly house can be both beautiful in complex locations and delivered to a budget under £300,000.
What were the solutions?
We developed a design that drew together the texture of the surrounding context with the verdant orchard site. The standing-seam lead from the church roof inspired the striped facade of Orchard house but re-imagined in timber as a more sustainable option.
What were the key challenges?
Being located next to a grade 1 listed asset, in the grounds of a non-designated heritage asset and neighbouring another, achieving planning for such a progressive piece of Lincolnshire architecture was a huge challenge.
What are the sustainability features?
The house has an EPC rating of A, and utilised solar panels, air-source heat pump, rain water harvester and a mechanically ventilated heat-recovery system. The house is primarily made of structurally Insulated Panels, filled with insulation made from rapeseed oil, the bricks are all reclaimed to lower the embodied carbon to as small as possible.
What was the brief?
To design and build a beautiful, sustainable house in a historic setting for an affordable price. The house wanted to be bright and warm to inhabit while having flexible spaces that can be dynamically arranged to either be an intimate snug or a venue for a dinner party.
Orchard House in Lincolnshire, England – Building Information
Architectural Design: Campion Design
Project size: 1
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 2
Photographer: Will Campion
Orchard House, Lincolnshire images / information received 160721
Location: Lincolnshire, eastern England, UK
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image courtesy of architects
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