Contemporary lake house

Architect - Groundworks Architects

Brick - Ketley Staffordshire blue facing bricks

Self builder Bill Bauer decided to build a contemporary new home to replace the 1950’s house which had been built by his father in the 1950’s.  While his father’s house was highly contemporary and experimental in its time, Bill was keen to bring the new house up to date with high environmental standards whilst also maximising the sun and the views across the small lake.

Bill was keen to use materials connected to the local area, and his father’s 1950’s house had used Ketley Staffs Blue bricks to create a feature chimney.  It seemed fitting therefore to use the same brick particularly as the house is in the West of Derbyshire, close to the Staffordshire border.  Architect Steve Banks from Groundworks Architects used Ketley Staffordshire blue Bricks to build a blue brick wall and create a central spine through the house which provides a feature both internally and externally.  The house is a carbon zero house, based on passive house principles with low ventilation losses and this central solid brick wall provides a good thermal mass, acting as a heat store in the sunshine, and helping to regulate the temperature in the house.