The Middle Third

This Paragraph 80 new-build house in a Suffolk village was designed for a renowned composer to serve as a working base in the countryside, with specially designed and dimensioned acoustic work and study spaces. Paragraph 80 houses are usually unique, countryside homes given planning permission on account of outstanding architecture.

The village is home to vernacular structures characterised by the use of contrasting brick and flint, and the surrounding countryside features narrow roads with dense hedgerows teaming with nature-contracted views to the immediate and far reaching farmland beyond. These contextual contrasts informed our design approach for the project with the central, flat-roofed space sunken down to field level, capturing a panoramic vista across the landscape. The living and bedroom spaces fall on either side as pitched roof forms, more in keeping with the historic village vernacular. This ‘gap’ scheme maintains the inherent rhythm of the hedgerows by providing views over the central element.