House in an Orchard

mOOO Iso[Nation] 2020 - Finalist

Chartiy competion for the World Health Organisation Covid-19 Solidarity Response fund.

Collaboration with Theodora Beckett

The design is a response to the feeling of timelessness one experiences during self isolation and working from home. As the days and months pass by, it is easy to feel disconnected from reality as our lives settle into a simpler routine. House in an Orchard uses natural light, spatial hierarchy and the vibrant seasonality of fruit trees to create external time givers, allowing the occupants to adapt to a new daily rhythm based on changes in nature.

The house proposes separate spaces for working, private living and gardening, establishing a distinction between each of these activities during the day. The office is connected to the main house via a covered walkway that frames views of the surrounding orchard and provides a sheltered place to experience the weather. Each morning, the occupants are awoken by light that enters the bedroom through a large skylight to the east. As the sun moves through the sky, windows are positioned to bring light into spaces as they are used. The kitchen is designed to be accessed throughout the day and as the central point of circulation.

The courtyard garden contains raised beds to create a supplement food supply and promote healthy mental wellbeing. Fruit trees were chosen for the scheme not only because they provide an abundant crop during late summer but for the striking visual changes each tree shows throughout the year. From the fragrant white blossom and verdant leaves of spring, to russet leaves falling in autumn, each season provides a sense of time.