Solaris House

This contemporary new build home was designed to provide our clients with a beautiful, sustainable home for the next chapter of their lives. Set within a village Conservation Area, the project combines contemporary architecture with exceptional energy performance, creating a comfortable home with remarkably low running costs.

The Brief

Our clients had purchased a site overlooking the open countryside with a vision of building their forever home.

They wanted a contemporary house that embraced the spectacular views while sitting comfortably within its village setting. Just as importantly, they wanted a home that would support them throughout retirement—comfortable to live in, economical to run and designed to minimise its environmental impact for years to come.

Designed Around the Site

Following a detailed site analysis, we developed proposals to replace an outdated bungalow with a contemporary home that responds naturally to its surroundings.

The carefully angled floor plan was designed to optimise the site's access while creating a private south-facing garden. Expansive glazing, including a striking double-height corner window and garden room, frames panoramic views across the countryside while maximising natural daylight and passive solar gain throughout the year.

The result is a home that feels connected to its landscape in every season.

Designed for Energy Efficiency

Rather than relying solely on renewable technologies, we adopted a fabric-first approach, carefully considering the building's form, orientation, glazing, insulation and thermal performance to minimise energy demand before selecting building services.

Renewable technologies, including photovoltaic panels with battery storage, a ground source heat pump and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), were then integrated to create a highly efficient, low-energy home that is both comfortable and economical to run.

This holistic approach resulted in the property achieving an EPC rating of 100, reflecting its outstanding energy performance and supporting our clients' ambition to enjoy lower energy bills throughout their retirement.

The Result

This project demonstrates how thoughtful architectural design and sustainable technology can work together to create a home that is both beautiful and future-ready.

Designed around our clients' lifestyle, Golden Fields provides generous, light-filled living spaces, a strong connection to the surrounding landscape and exceptional energy efficiency. The result is a contemporary retirement home that will remain comfortable, practical and cost-effective for many years to come.

Allan Joyce Architects were completely sympathetic to the brief and very responsive to our needs, giving sound advice and guidance throughout. The result is, in our view, a stunning new home full of light and space whilst at the same time being very energy efficient (EPC rating A at 100%) and water efficient (rainwater collection system). Their attention to detail throughout the year long programme was exemplary and good inter-personal skills kept the builders and their suppliers onside.

Client