Background

“Serenity” is a 21st-century country house commissioned by an affluent couple seeking a home that is luxurious, environmentally sensitive, and playful.

Rejecting conventional rectilinear design, the clients asked BACA architects to create a house that mirrored the soft, fluid lines of their streamlined cars.

The resulting design is a hidden retreat for entertaining and family living, set within a landscaped garden. The house aspires to push the boundaries of environmental and architectural design, combining low-energy performance with high aesthetic quality.

Central to the concept is a reinterpretation of the English country house, blending tradition with contemporary sculptural forms, technology, and environmental innovation.

Process

BACA architects developed the house using advanced parametric modelling software, enabling the creation of fluid, sculptural forms and a complex roof structure.

The design process integrated multiple disciplines, including structural engineering, environmental and Passivhaus consultancy, and landscaping, to resolve the challenges of low-energy living without compromising luxury.

Field visits helped inspire the interior layout, particularly the feature staircase, while the team carefully orchestrated visual connections between rooms and the surrounding landscape.

The architects also used water and sunken courtyards to mediate privacy, create microclimates, and manage rainwater sustainably.

Environmental strategies included photovoltaic panels, solar thermal energy, heat recovery, and ground-source heat pumps, aiming for Passivhaus-level efficiency while maintaining aesthetic richness.

Architecture

‍The house’s ribbon-like structure loops around a central sunken courtyard, linking three functional hubs: formal entertaining, family living, and games/recreation.

The sweeping ceramic-tiled roof appears to float above the building, providing shading, privacy, and a solar “brow” for renewable energy generation.

Interior spaces flow seamlessly through half-level changes, linking the grand hall, cinema, orangery, and pool area. The house integrates modern luxury amenities, including a grotto-style pool, home gym, and digitally connected office spaces.

Landscaped gardens encircle the house, featuring pathways, terraces, and water features that both enhance aesthetics and assist environmental performance.

The design reflects BACA’s long-standing focus on integrating water, sculpture, and landscape, seen in previous projects such as Fowlescombe Estate and Oak House, resulting in a home that is simultaneously a sculptural object, a functional family residence, and an environmentally responsive country house.

Serenity House

Background

Process

Architecture