Rooftop Pavilion Design Statement

Design Statement

Rooftop Pavilion at Ashdownne House, Santon

December 2017

Introduction

The following Design Statement has been prepared to supplement the planning application for the creation of a rooftop pavilion at the currently under construction, Ashdownne House, Santon.

This Statement is to be read in conjunction with the planning application drawings, application forms, and certificates of ownership. The statement is intended as a short statement to explain the reasoning and principles behind the design of the pavilion.

Process

The primary reasoning behind the proposed extension is to make the most of an opportunity to create something special. The currently approved design is a balanced and well-proportioned house. However, there are large flat roof areas which enjoy fabulous views over the landscaped garden and surrounding countryside.

Therefore, our intention is to infill the largest of these flat roofs with a pavilion containing a master suite for our client. This roof area, at the southwest corner of the house, is the furthest away from the railway line and will be largely concealed from view by alterations to the central spine of the building.

At the early stages of the project, we met with the planning department to discuss our intentions. These discussions were positive and helped to inform the development of the design.

Scale/Form

With an established and well-considered design already in place, this extension needs to complement the scale, form, and appearance of the current design. With the end result striving to improve the design as a whole.

Starting with an analysis of the existing arrangement, there is a basic hierarchy in place, with the dominant feature of the main elevations being the central entrance spine, with the two side volumes stepping down in scale.

It could be argued that this basic hierarchy could be amplified by pushing the central spine up, thus creating a stronger definition between each of the volumes. To balance this increased height, we have introduced an additional course of stone above the primary window and increased the height of the copper parapet detail. This also provides the window with more visible weight above to improve the framing of the window.

This new arrangement now allows for the new pavilion to slot in as an additional step in the hierarchy, and it acts as a transition between the spine and the main building volume. The pavilion is then set back from the elevations to not undermine the primary hierarchy.

As mentioned earlier the increased height to the central spine also acts as a screen to the new pavilion; shielding it from view from the railway line thus maintaining privacy for the users of the space.

Appearance/Materials

The design of the pavilion utilizes some of the design details from the main part of the house to ensure the pavilion is integrated into the overall aesthetic. The pavilion is more visible from the rear of the house, thus the natural choice is to maintain the Japanese aesthetic that is prominent to the rear.

The glazing pane size and detail is a repeat of those on the pergola and rear elevation, with all screens sliding to open. The material of the window frame is also the same timber and finish.

The other prominent feature of the pavilion is the canopy, which is clad in copper as per the pergola and rear canopy. Whereas the underside utilizes Hinoki Cyprus timber to clad the soffit and express the canopy frame.