Brundall Eco House

The brief was to create a contemporary dwelling within a hillside location. Although Norfolk is commonly thought of as being flat, there are (as the locals know!) many gentle hills, particularly in the Yare Valley. This site is located on quite a steep slope down to the northern bank of the River Yare, East of Norwich and is situated within The Broads National Park.

Although the site is secluded with tall trees and woodland to either side, the design was developed to minimise the outlook and particularly the views to the river of another dwelling further up the hill, which looks out over the site.

The solution was to create a semi submerged house within the hill, setting the building into the ground to minimise its profile and silhouette. It features a grass roof, enabling the house to blend in with its surroundings and a curved slot at the upper part of the house allows natural light to flood into both storeys of the house. Bedrooms are at the lower level and step out onto a terrace whilst the living rooms at the upper level share a balcony looking out over the river.

The curved form of the plan gives a unique and interesting aspect to this semi submerged eco house and the layout of the house reflects the fact that there is only one outlook to the South, over the river valley. Designed to be very sustainable with high levels of thermal insulation and ground source heating.

Full planning permission was achieved.