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Modern wooden house with gabled roofs and large glass doors opening to a patio with outdoor seating, surrounded by green lawn.

Water Lane

Location: Oxfordshire, UK
Scale: 3-bedroom flood resilient house and garden, 130sqm
Constraints: Flood zones 2 and 3, conservation area and TPOs
Scope of Works: Full architectural service (RIBA Stages 1-7)

World map in beige tones with a blue location marker on the United Kingdom.
Hand-drawn site plan showing a central building with brown roof surrounded by green trees, hedges, pathways, parking spaces, and a blue water feature on the left side.

Background

Following receiving full planning permission, we have completed a flood-resilient contemporary home in Oxfordshire.

Located within the conservation area of Sutton Courtenay, the house is elevated above the 1 in 100-year flood level, allowing for rising waters and future climate change impacts.

The site’s landscape is sculpted to accommodate encroaching water gradually as the stream swells.

Principal Planning Officer, Laura Hudson, said:

“This dwelling, whilst contemporary in design, is simple in form, is low in profile and set well into the site. It preserves the character and appearance of the conservation area.”

Sketch of a house by a winding river with surrounding trees and yellow arrows indicating sunlight direction onto the house.
White architectural scale model of a modern house with multiple pitched roofs on a square base.
Architectural drawing showing a north elevation with a traditional house on the left, modern buildings partially visible behind trees in the center, and various trees and shrubs along the landscape including a small water feature on the right.
Construction worker in a red helmet and safety vest working on wooden roof framing inside a scaffolding-covered building site.
Steel frame structure being assembled on a construction site with a house and trees in the background.Interior view of a wooden framed construction site with stacked lumber and power tools on a workbench.
Close-up of modern wooden building facades with triangular roofs under a partly cloudy sky.

Process

Water Lane was designed as a serene contemporary home located near the source of the River Thames in Oxfordshire.

Set within the natural landscape, the house was conceived as a light and graceful structure that lives harmoniously with the surrounding water.

The site lies beside a small brook that can overflow during heavy rain, so we elevated the property above the flood level, allowing water to pass safely beneath the house without damage.

Close-up of corner and drawers of a polished wooden cabinet with visible wood grain.
Bright modern living room with a corner fireplace, wooden floor, large sliding glass doors opening to a patio, bookshelves, and a pink armchair.
Modern indoor wooden staircase with light wood flooring and white walls in a bright home interior.
Modern wooden house with large glass doors and a deck overlooking a green lawn and garden under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Modern wooden house with large glass windows reflected in surrounding floodwater under a partly cloudy sky.
Two people sitting and talking at a wooden table on a spacious deck outside a modern wooden house with large windows and open doors.

Architecture

Inside, Water Lane combines open-plan living with a strong sense of intimacy. Pitched roofs and double-height volumes draw natural light deep into the interior, while contrasting ceiling heights create spaces of warmth and calm.

Every detail was considered to connect the occupants to their surroundings, from framed views of the brook to materials that mirror the tones of the landscape.

By allowing nature to flow freely around and beneath it, Water Lane demonstrates how homes can truly live with water, not against it.

Modern wooden house with black metal roof and multiple skylights surrounded by green lawn and garden.
Modern wooden house with large illuminated windows showing interior rooms at night and a well-lit lawn.
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