Our creative clients didn’t want to live in a box. They wanted a house that sheltered and protected their family but allowed them to connect to their surroundings as well.
So we designed Crescent House. It’s formed of two nested crescents connected by a curving gallery space that runs between them. The outer crescent contains bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas, and presents a solid wall to the adjacent road. The inner one, meanwhile, is devoted to shared family activities, and remains bright and airy all day, with a full-height concave glass wall that draws in the early morning sun and provides views across the Downs all the way to the White Horse chalk hill carving in the distance.
The result is a house that’s both private and open – a house that connects and responds to its environment, allowing the people living there to feel connected too.
By abandoning the conventional box-like form of domestic buildings, the architect has created a unique home, which, while striking in appearance, also provides bright, practical living spaces well shielded from passers-by.
Shortlisted for the Stephen Lawrence Prize, this elegant family home in Wiltshire is formed of two nested crescents that create shelter and sanctuary.
