A zero carbon, wheelchair accessible house for a retired couple wanting a contemporary home in rural Suffolk.

In 2006 we gained planning permission from Mid-Suffolk for "the most sustainable home this planning committee has ever seen".

The home was designed by arranging the client’s furniture and possessions in a field within the development constraints of the local plan.

The double pitched form samples the Suffolk vernacular barn and synthesizes it with the topography. The garage and entrance are discretely buried in the hillside, diminishing the impact upon the neighbours. The east end cantilevers out from the hill, providing spectacular views of the local church, woods and fields.