The goal was to create an energy-efficient family home on a densely wooded site in St Peter Port, Guernsey.
Due to a number of protected trees and the quality of the natural landscape in urban areas, the site has been severely restricted by the planning department.

The solution was to build a building that minimized the view from and to neighboring properties, maximizing natural light and solar gain, while avoiding the many root protection areas of surrounding trees. The building is embedded in the topography of the site, in the heart of a clearing. A large basement uses the excavation site, with the ground floor enclosed in granite Guernsey. The eastern side is fully covered with more than 4000 plants, camouflaged in the canopy of surrounding trees and providing a thermal and acoustic buffer. This reflects the character of the overall site; surrounded by high granite walls with vegetation above.

A double-height glazed void ensures vertical circulation. It offers an open life, with vertical connections and a direct relationship with outdoor spaces, while offering intimate "pockets" between the two. A natural and contrasting palette was selected, bricks recovered locally, plastered with rough pigments on gray limestone floors, locksmith made of machined brass against oak joinery, staircase and custom made raw steel furniture.

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