The family house on a steeply sloping site in one of northern Cardiff’s Conservation Areas, was conceived as part ‘cabin’ and part ‘cave’. Bedrooms are housed in a three-storeys masonry ‘cave’, whilst family spaces are located in an attached two-storey, more-open plan, lightweight ‘cabin’. The latter opens up to the sun with a double-height glazed wall allowing plenty of daylight to enter. Summer shading is provided by a large roof overhang and by the mature trees to the south. A roof terrace sits atop the ‘cabin’ and provides views over the nearby church, and down the valley to the south. Volumes are confined to modest, vernacular-scale spans, so that the resultant house respects its location. We have strived to be modest and yet modern, and have sought to realise a contemporary vernacular that sits comfortably within its context.
The family house on a steeply sloping site in one of northern Cardiff’s Conservation Areas, was conceived as part ‘cabin’ and part ‘cave’. Bedrooms are housed in a three-storeys masonry ‘cave’, whilst family spaces are located in an attached two-storey, more-open plan, lightweight ‘cabin’. The latter opens up to the sun with a double-height glazed wall allowing plenty of daylight to enter. Summer shading is provided by a large roof overhang and by the mature trees to the south. A roof terrace sits atop the ‘cabin’ and provides views over the nearby church, and down the valley to the south. Volumes are confined to modest, vernacular-scale spans, so that the resultant house respects its location. We have strived to be modest and yet modern, and have sought to realise a contemporary vernacular that sits comfortably within its context.
