This house replaces an existing dwelling in central Marlow. Situated in Flood Zone 3, the existing house was too small for the family of 5 as well as being extremely vulnerable to the increasing risk of flooding in the area. It was therefore decided to demolish and rebuild a sustainable and flood resilient home on the site.

The brief was to design a house of 225m2 with the primary living space comprising 4 bedrooms, an open plan living room / kitchen / dining room, and 2 bathrooms on the first floor with a play room, utility, cloak room, and study on the ground floor. The smaller ground floor area is no larger than the existing footprint of the house thus ensuring flood water displacement is not exacerbated. It comprises the entrance /stair, playroom, cloak room and utility in one block, with the office and plant room positioned separately on the other side of the site. The upper level bridges over these 2 elements providing a large double carport below.

Sustainability has been a key generator of the design with solar panels hidden within the roof form, an air source heat pump, and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), all contributing to achieving an A rated Energy Performance Certificate

Materials have been selected to reflect the local vernacular with red long format roman bricks on the ground floor and complimentary large format clay tile hanging on the first floor and roof. Bronze polyester powder coated windows, metal trims and balustrades all combine to set off the masonry and reflect the quality of the construction.

The ground floor wall of the playroom continues out to the street boundary and forms a serpentine wall down the Pound lane edge of the site. The form of this wall derives from the traditional Suffolk Wall, and being only 1 brick thick it uses less bricks than a straight 2 brick thick wall. Further more it provides sheltered bays for growing more delicate plants and were used historically to propagate fruit trees.

The house is currently under construction and is due for completion by the end of 2023.