Water Farm
Architect: Studio Bark
Location: Suffolk, England
Type: House
Year: 2024
Photographs: Jim Stephenson
Studio Bark has completed ‘Water Farm’, an off-grid home in Suffolk with a bold geometric timber design, inspired by local timber frame buildings.
The following description is courtesy of the designers. Water Farm was designed to nurture the needs of a young family of five, moving away from the city, with strong ties to the site and a desire for off-grid living. The result is an exciting, yet hyper-functional five-bedroom off-grid home.
The geometric timber-clad roof is the home’s defining feature. Born out of an early study into local timber frame buildings, it soon became its own entity, a powerful man-made form which strikingly contrasts its natural surroundings.
The clients approached Studio Bark with a dream for a ‘home for life’ on the family farm – rooted in decades of family history. At that time they were living in Essex with their three children and seeking the quality of life that rural Suffolk could offer, whilst still being a reasonable train journey to London.
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Located on the edge of Dedham Vale AONB, this Suffolk site features mature woodland and pasture, with a westward slope and a central crest. The landscape is characterised by trees, hedgerows, and two distinctive field oaks, offering picturesque views and glimpses of the Stour Valley through clearings.
Designed to be both seen and enjoyed, the proposal takes advantage of the nearby public right of way, allowing the passersby to appreciate it as an architectural statement that enhances the scenic quality of the area.
Project Details
- Planning Granted: November 2018
- Start on site: 2020
- Completion: 2022
- Gross internal floor area: 350sqm (+ 30 sqm mezzanine and 50 sqm garage/office)
- Procurement route: Design and Build
- Architect: Studio Bark
- Client: Private Domestic
- Structural engineer: Structure Workshop (pre planning)
- Main contractor: M Chisnalls
- Planning Consultant: Rural Solutions
- Ecology: Torc Ecology
- Landscape: Terra Firma
- Highways: Create Consulting
- Arboricultural: Greenlight
