New Road is a Vernacular-Style House in Dorset

The New Road house, designed by Western Design Architects, features a modern vernacular style that harmonizes with its traditional surroundings in Lower Bryanston, Dorset. Approval to build the house required the dismantling of an existing post-World War I house, which had become uninhabitable. The site’s location in a conservation area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) presented significant challenges. The design process encompassed several planning applications, and two approvals were obtained over two years. Intensive negotiations with the conservation office, the architects and the client were essential in achieving a favorable design outcome.

The New Road house is a sustainable, self-built, low-energy dwelling that meets the client’s aspirations. Western Design Architects meticulously designed the house to reflect the character of the surrounding properties. The design reflects the adjacent timber-clad cottages through elements such as the roof pitch, the chimney design, the stepped ridge height, the timber cladding, the metal roof and the general street scene. However, the new house is significantly larger than the original property. The increase in usable area is mainly located at the rear, while maintaining the scale of the front of the house.

The modern house incorporates numerous energy-efficient features. Its construction uses structural insulated panels (SIP), known for their excellent thermal qualities and speed of construction. A mechanical ventilation and heat recovery unit has been installed and the heating system combines an air source heat pump with a gas system boiler. In addition, the old septic tank on the site has been replaced, so the three properties, including the neighboring cottages, now share a new wastewater treatment plant.