Pheasants.

We teamed up with Amin Taha Architects to design a private residential building in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The design was chosen after a RIBA international competition in which the brief asked for a Palladian villa on the bank of the river.

Location

Oxford, UK

Client

Private client

Architect

Amin Taha Architects

Project Value

£3 million

Status

completed 2017

Expertise

Structures

The client’s vision of their new home was to have a sleek yet striking aesthetic and for the architects on this project to encapsulate the essence of the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio – creating a home that had a simple and powerful design. With defined concrete features that defy gravity appearing to ‘float’ above the greenery below, this project met the client’s aspirations.

The site includes three sections; the gatehouse (guest house), main villa and boathouse. These required the creation of a hierarchy of use in order to plan spatial layouts, and due to the floodplain, the main villa needed to be raised 1.5 m from the ground. In addition, a linear ornamental pond stretches between the gatehouse and main villa, all surrounded by a carefully planned garden.

The structure consists of multiple materials, such as white concrete in formal areas, with timber and Corten for informal accommodation, such as the gatehouse and kitchen/utility rooms of the main villa.

All the features of this property, including the polished concrete floors and Corten panels, have been carefully crafted underlining the superior architectural and structural design quality allowing the project to win the Royal Institute of British Architects 2018, ‘RIBA House of the Year’ award.