The challenge for architects is to get the houses they design in the countryside to blend into the landscape. When it came to his own home, Andrew O’Brien came up with an ingenious solution by incorporating concrete interiors.
How did the project come about?
The process was the same as for any project I take on; we had a list of things we wanted out of the house and a specific location in which to put it.
The choice between traditional and modern is a question of taste but also rooted in the features of the land, such as orientation, views, overlooking, overshadowing, rural vs urban, exposed sensitive landscape, etc.
This site is located within an agricultural setting, backing onto the edge of a mature forest. For this reason the house is clad in deep green corrugated metal sheeting to reflect the farm sheds scattered about the landscape, but with crisp modern and highly detailed finishes and junctions.