Location:

Essex, UK

Status:

-

Scale:

4-bedroom house

Constraints:

-

Weave House

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This site is in flood zones 1, 2 and 3.

The proposed development is to replace an existing dilapidated house and outbuildings with a state-of-the-art eco-friendly flood resilient property.  The new dwelling is sited so that the new owners can benefit from views over the River Wid. The owners are healthy retirees who wish to create their forever home.

Pedestrian and vehicle access to the proposed dwelling is past a generous rewilded garden that leads to the front door and garage; the access road rises gently to provide a dry route to and from the property (for a small flood event).

The house spans both north and south gardens connected by a ramped spine. It is the circulation that gives this house its character, rising in half storey increments to connect all element that gently lift the main habitable rooms out of the floodplain.

The entrance is at grade consisting of a generous lobby that connects to a downstairs toilet/ boot room and utility/plant room. The owners can then choose to take the stairs into the bedroom wing or alight the gently ramped spine that leads towards the main living areas that are in the northernmost part of the site. The main living space of kitchen, dining and living room are open plan with generous views over the River Wid. A flight of stairs off the kitchen lead to the first floor that contain the master bedrooms.

The southern part of the house is reached by the ramp that switches back from the living area and contains the remaining two bedroom. These bedrooms overlook the re-wilded garden.

The house has been designed with a range of sustainable surface water management measures including a living roof, permeable driveway and footpaths, a raingarden, plus additional landscaping which will reduce the volume and rate of surface water runoff discharging from the site, thereby reducing flood risk to surrounding land. 

The property will be constructed above the ground on elevated mini-piles which will not only provide protection to the new dwelling, but will also have minimal effect on existing flood flow routes and storage, thereby not increasing the flood risk to surrounding land.  The dwelling has a smaller footprint than the existing house (due to its elevation on piles) thereby increasing the flood storage available in this area. Flood storage attenuation tanks are located beneath the permeable driveway.

The gardens are to be rewilded which will provide a biodiversity net gain. The includes an extensive Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDs), thereby managing the water at source which reduces the impact of flood water on people downstream in the village.

This bespoke home offers low energy design suitable for 21st century living whilst adopting smart water resilient strategies that can act as future exemplar for the area.

This site is in flood zones 1, 2 and 3.

The proposed development is to replace an existing dilapidated house and outbuildings with a state-of-the-art eco-friendly flood resilient property.  The new dwelling is sited so that the new owners can benefit from views over the River Wid. The owners are healthy retirees who wish to create their forever home.

Pedestrian and vehicle access to the proposed dwelling is past a generous rewilded garden that leads to the front door and garage; the access road rises gently to provide a dry route to and from the property (for a small flood event).

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