Winslade Down

This contemporary style home was designed by Batterham Mathews and is a good example of architecture where internal spaces have been imaginatively designed and the construction detailing rigorously considered. The roof is standing seam aluminium, the walls are clad with brick and Western Red Cedar weatherboarding to a shiplap detail. We think this is a highly attractive and successful scheme. (Photography: Duncan McNichol)

Round windows express the client's love of sailing and things nautical. The rear part of the building is roofed with a Sedum 'green roof' which impose very high loads onto the oak frame especially when wet, as we shall later see illustrated in the choice of truss type. (Photography: Duncan McNichol)

The main section of the building is a full volume of space and is a simple mono-pitch construction with main columns falling within the habitable space. This creates a appealing informality and assists in forming the divisions between the various spaces within the building. (Photography: Duncan McNichol)

Large sliding folding doors open the main living space to the garden terrace and create continuity between the two for those days when the weather allows. (Photography: Duncan McNichol)

The kitchen is contemporary in style and open plan to the living space. Use of different levels within the building creates interest and assists in the separation of sitting, dining, office spaces, etc., whilst giving long views. (Photography: Duncan McNichol)

In the flat roof section of the building we have used 'bow string' style trusses for their large load bearing capacity. Two beam sections of oak are bolted together to a flitch plates that form the anchorage points for a tensile steel rod or 'bow string'. The greater the loads onto the beams the harder the bow string tendon works. We think this is a good use of steel and timber together to form an economical and hard working structure. (Photography: Duncan McNichol)