This modern house has been designed by Hyde+Hyde Architects for a photographer client at the bottom of an unused quarry in South Wales’ Brecon National Park. The two story house is conceived as a rectangular form elevated from the ground level. While the concrete slab covered in corten clad SIPs (structural insulated panels) ensures a high level of thermal efficiency and air tightness, the rectangular glazed openings provide abundant natural light and merges the interior space with the natural surroundings enabling the owner to capture outdoor images through his lens.
“With a modest budget and to counter the construction complexities associated with touching the quarry walls, we developed an object building suspended within the basin – collecting light and focusing on distant views like a camera Obscura.”
According to the architects, “The passive strategies employed emphasize the importance of maximizing long-lasting energy performance improvements to the fabric of a dwelling, before adding the optimum renewable solution.The choice of materials helps to reinforce the authentic nature of the development, ensuring that the architecture has an intelligent narrative based on both its aesthetic appearance and its reference to place.”
While the indoors provides inspirational views for creative work, it also connects the owner to the outside via a bridge projecting out from one side connecting the house to the quarry landscape and an outdoor fireplace.
