Eldridge London’s House in Coombe Park, London, is located in a secluded enclave of inter-war suburban bungalows and takes a markedly contrasting approach to the redevelopment of the site from the pastiche neoclassical neighbours being built nearby.
The main accommodation is below the entrance rotunda at the garden level, connected by a staircase to the first floor structure floating above. The surprising appearance of the building is generated from the specifics of its site and context but allied to a fully functional plan with the owner committing to the architects' imaginative contemporary design.
Inspired by the sloping landscape and mature oak tree, the House in Coombe Park is a distinctive composition accessed through an open street-level allowing the landscape to envelop the building, and maintaining views through to the garden. The main accommodation is below the entrance rotunda at the garden level, connected by a staircase to the first floor structure floating above. The surprising appearance of the building is generated from the specifics of its site and context but allied to a fully functional plan with the owner committing to the architects' imaginative contemporary design.
Whilst unexpected in appearance, in their unanimous support of the scheme the Kingston Planning Design Review panel, described the building as a “quintessentially ‘Coombe’ house.” They noted that Eldridge London “has created a beautiful house, uniquely responding to its setting and its landscape with the most elegant spatial ordering. It lends its landscape to the setting through the clear storey and the soft forms. It adds an architectural richness to the townscape around.”
The House in Coombe Park was awarded ‘Large House of the Year’ at the British Homes Awards 2017, and won the prestigious Manser Medal for the best house in the UK. The jury commended the project noting the house was “Beautifully designed and built, with immaculate detailing” and that it “is a house that can’t be ignored… A fantastically brave and well executed ‘grand project’ of domestic architecture!”
