London-based Studio Bark has unveiled plans for a water-powered family home designed for climate resistance in Leicestershire, U.K. called Breach House. The property will be run by solar power and micro-hydro energy using run-off water harvested from the surrounding streams, brooks, and ponds.
Run-off water will be filtered via a “water tower” to make it safe for consumption and for non-potable uses within the house and landscape. The tower will serve as the focal point as it will perform several functions to keep the house livable. These include circulation and ventilation as well as serve as a look-out and water filtration system.
Studio Bark will use photovoltaic (PV) panels along with micro-hydro energy for the 430-meter-square property, which will comprise Breach House itself along with the expansive landscape and existing agricultural barn. Studio Bark director Tom Bennett told Dezeen that the home adapts a rural concept that “establishes a reciprocity between ecology and human needs through water.”
“The massing echoes the typology of a traditional farmstead, blending contextual influences to create a contemporary building which resonates subtly with its setting,” he said. As for the design of the house itself, renders showed that it will be arranged in clusters complemented by courtyards and covered outdoor spaces through overhanging eaves. The water tower will also serve to connect the home’s two wings via a staircase and a corridor.
Breach House will use reclaimed brick and tiles and UK-sourced timber which will make up a large portion of the interior via exposed beams interspersed with skylights. Meanwhile, decorative tiles will clad trapezoidal-shaped roofs that will also provide shelter for a balcony placed adjacent to the upper floor bedroom.
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Images courtesy of Studio Bark
