Currently on site

This pair of identical split-level houses, located on a site overlooking the Dorset heathland, continues a long-term collaboration with an independent architect-developer. Following the success of the award-winning Houseboat—designed by Mole Architects and Rebecca Granger—on the adjacent plot, the new homes evolve the concept of the open-plan, split-level suburban dwelling.

Constructed using cast in-situ concrete combined with a Douglas fir timber frame sourced locally, the homes respond to their rural setting through a robust yet natural material palette. Designed to achieve high insulation values and optimal energy efficiency, the houses incorporate natural stack ventilation, standing seam roofs with embedded solar panels, and air-source heat pumps.

Architecturally, the design draws on the eclectic roofscape of traditional suburban typologies—exploring the interplay of mono-pitched, gabled, and hipped roof forms, complete with diverse barge and verge details. This roof geometry informs both the internal spatial configuration and the external identity, reinforcing the project's exploration of suburban form through a contemporary lens.