The Orchards, Frome

2025 RIBA South West & Wessex Award

The Orchards, Frome, Somerset
Prewett Bizley Architects for Private Client
Contract value: Confidential
GIA: 305m²

The client’s request of Prewett Bizley Architects for this new-build commission was to provide elements of New York loft living within a new type of Somerset prairie house. The resultant form, which organises the 300 square metres of space in a single range of accommodation, successfully meets this challenge. 

The extensive, gently sloping site and its far-reaching views are initially hidden from sight on the approach, as the building contains a newly defined forecourt and front garden.

Deliberately dividing the plot in two, the house takes on the appearance of a low-lying single-storey pavilion, sheltered by a generous red zinc roof. Timber cladding envelopes the entire facade. On the left, the roof extends further and lower to invite guests into a practical and welcoming veranda. Having paused here to remove shoes on a masonry stoop, visitors are welcomed into a lofty and spacious hallway that immediately gives the house a sense of scale, which may take many by surprise.

From this near-central point, communal, family and entertaining spaces are visible to the left, while turning right via a dogleg in plan leads to a more private suite of bedrooms and bathrooms. These use the gradual fall of the site to step down beneath the roof, which pops up to create a second surprise in scale in a second hall, this time of double height and galleried in form. 

While the circulation space could reasonably be described as oversized for a domestic property, it is clear that the house provides a delightful contemporary response to the unique requirements of the family and the rural site.

It is also a very low-energy house, based on Passivhaus principles, while focusing on the client’s needs and priorities rather than the dictates of a particular certification methodology. 

Exterior materials have a quiet, rich, understated quality, detailed meticulously and executed with precision. Rough-sawn timber cladding contrasts and precise high-performance glazing are framed by the overhanging red zinc roof. Buff brick paving laid in a herringbone pattern provides a connection to the ground, which creates a strong distinction between the masonry and timber elements of the building. 

Internally, the building environment is quiet and comfortable, benefiting from the careful distribution of glazing and views. A restrained material palette of polished concrete, birch plywood and plaster characterises the generous interiors. It combines visually distinctive architectural features and touches of luxury, as well as a highly practical suite of wet rooms and drying racks for when the family returns from the beach.

Overall, the house illustrates how an architect and client working together can create a beautiful, functional modern home, which is respectful to a rural setting and responsible in terms of its use of resources and energy.

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RIBA Regional Awards 2025 sponsored by Autodesk, EH Smith, Equitone and Velux