Moonstone & Lime
This crafted stone home provides a contemporary haven in the New Forest for clients relocating from London. Having been married at Palace House in Beaulieu, our clients had been looking for many years for a nearby site before stumbling upon Moonstone and Lime. Currently under construction, the low-embodied carbon structure works with locally sourced stone to provide a perfect backdrop to the forest surroundings.
Why work with stone?
PAD studio takes immense joy in paring old knowledge, historic techniques and traditional craft with contemporary outcomes. We celebrate this and love to share this joy with like-minded clients, contractors, and suppliers. As such, the stonemasons that we are working with on Moonstone and Lime (Albion Stone) have been in the industry for 100 years and pride themselves on both their workmanship but also their commitment to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2025, without relying on carbon offsetting.
Project Info
- Location: New Forest National Park, Hampshire
- Designation: National Park
- Collaborators: Webb Yates, MESH
Ground Floor Area: 350m2
Features: Natural Purbeck stone walls, Natural swimming pool, pool house, private gym, cinema room & bar.
This luxury home is designed and built to target the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge.
Environmental Data
-
Energy Efficiency
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
-
Insulation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
-
Thermal Mass
1 2 3 4
-
Airtightness
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
-
Solar PV
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
-
Embodied Carbon
1 2 3 4
- Heating/Hot Water
-
Solar Thermal
Yes No
-
Rain Water Harvest
Yes No
- Ventilation
-
Energy Storage
Yes No
The journey to the point of construction will often be bumpy, as in this case, with lengthy planning negotiations required to secure planning permission. Our knowledge of the planning process allowed us to utilise a nuance in local policy to achieve permission for our client’s dream home, determination and tenacity ensuring permission was granted under delegated powers – avoiding planning committee.
At PAD studio we care passionately about what we do, good design inspires us and although the role of an architect is bound by professionalism and responsibility, we work hard to ensure that the design process is celebrated and enjoyed by our clients and by us. We are architectural storytellers, and it is essential that every project has a unique storyline that is considerate of the people and place.
Inspired by the textured materiality and soft hues of Palace House and the local stone walls, we looked to stone as the primary building material. The two main volumes of the house are pulled apart, akin to a block being split from its bed in the quarry, revealing the double height glass atrium and framing the garden and forest beyond. A large, 7-metre-high guillotine sash window reveals this space to the evening sun and the garden terrace, giving this space a feeling of being simultaneously inside and out.
Two Purbeck stone textures have been selected for the buildings external fabric; a coursed, tumbled block for the ground floor (the house rising from the earth) and a smooth honed finish for the upper floor. Bedroom windows are setback into the plan to form private terraces and protect from solar gain. Working with engineers Webb Yates this home will be designed to RIBA Climate Challenge 2025-2030 targets and undergo rigorous embodied carbon calculations at all stages, helping us make informed decisions and nullifying the buildings impact on the environment.
. . . Under Construction . . .
We are absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to work with Wendy and her team at PAD studio. With their combined passion, professionalism and detailed knowledge of planning in The New Forest we are now able to turn our sight of a forest home into a reality. They have fulfilled every aspect of our brief with depth of thought and creativity in helping to bring our vision to life. We continue to be hugely impressed with their accuracy and detail at every stage providing transparency and clarity in all things technical. We are so excited to take this journey with PAD studio; with a real personal touch and always with fun and rigour in equal measure we feel we have found a ‘real gem’ of the New Forest.
. . . Alison & Martin, client . . .
