Foto © Blue Sky Images
Foto © mariashot.photo
Foto © mariashot.photo
Foto © mariashot.photo
Open-plan living offers views of the lake, trees, sky and nature from every corner of the house, giving guests a very real sense of living outside on the lake yet sheltered in the comfort of their home.
Foto © mariashot.photo
Foto © mariashot.photo
The interior combination of materials is earthy and transparent with glass, dark wood, dark metal and bright white walls, ceilings and doors ensuring that the only really important canvas is Mother Nature.
Foto © mariashot.photo
Foto © mariashot.photo
The contemporary home immerses the outside views and nature surrounding the property into the inside, creating a strong and seamless relationship between the house and the landscape.
© mariashot.photo
Foto © Blue Sky Images
Foto © mariashot.photo
The exterior wood was treated with the ancient Japanese art of burning timber (Sugi Ban) to provide a beautiful long lasting finish, effective fire resistance as well as a technique that is natural and free from chemical preservatives, paints and retardants.
Foto © Blue Sky Images
Foto © mariashot.photo
The rooms feature high ceilings (each a minimum of 6 meters across and 2.8 TO 3.5 meters high) maximising the views, light and sun as well as giving scale and volume to the interior.
Foto © mariashot.photo
The exterior of the house is designed to disappear/minimally interfere into/with the landscape with the trees, lake and sky reflecting on the glass facades. Image by mariashot.
Foto © mariashot.photo
Foto © mariashot.photo

Glass Villa on the lake

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Ubicación
Lechlade, Great Britain
Año
2018
Cliente
Private
Programme
600 m2 three-storey house with one level below water with cinema, games/bar area, wellness/spa area, 80 m2 roof terrace and 176 m2 ground floor terrace
Design Team
Mecanoo, Arquitectura y Ordenación Urbana S.L. AOU SL, Boheme Development S.L.

The guiding design principle was to create a house that combines transparency with sustainability, forging a strong relationship between the villa and the landscape. The harmony between landscape and interior, architecture and nature, was a key design determinant, particularly regarding sight lines, materials, colours, and lighting.

The house is designed from inside out, creating uninterrupted views to the surrounding nature while providing shelter and intimacy. All these aspects work together to ensure the house’s sense of timelessness. The villa is situated in a green oasis of trees and plants that hide the house from view.

Water plants along the water line alternate with stepping stones that lead to other parts of the garden. On the water side, the villa has an optimal view over the lake. Terraces on two different levels connect the villa to both the land and the water, anchoring the house in nature and giving it a welcoming presence. Glass corner windows in the living room, kitchen and other rooms, make the residents feel like they live on the water. Between the house and the adjacent plot, a hilly finger of land with tall trees ensures privacy. By curving the bridge that connects the villa to the main road, the row of trees remains intact. This further increases the sense of privacy and blocks disturbing lights from the traffic.

Interior elements such as the fireplace and storage cupboards, divide the house into different places, creating more intimate and private areas within the large transparent volume. In the heart of the house, a full-height void connects all levels and creates another series of diagonal and vertical sight lines.

The staircase sews all the rooms together into one interior space. The central atrium brings abundant daylight into the sunken basement and connects the interior to the roof terrace. From the roof terrace, one can enjoy panoramic views as if floating quietly over the expanse of the lake.

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