British studio Bennetts Associates has completed a house in a historic English town that is partly set into its sloping site and features a material palette chosen to complement the surrounding architecture (+ slideshow).
The four-bedroom property in a medieval Cumbrian market town was designed for a friend of the practice, known for its serrated, pre-weathered steel extension to the roof of a London theatre.

Its plot was previously a vegetable garden for a large neighbouring house. It is located off a narrow lane that descends from the high street of the town, which is famous for its small roads, alleys and markets.
In response to the historic context and spatial qualities of this sensitive site, Bennetts Associates developed a proposal that preserves views of the surrounding countryside and sits discreetly against a backdrop of mature trees, while providing the modern qualities the clients required.
"The main thing we wanted to achieve was a modern house in a place where pastiche or historical infill was to be expected," architect Rab Bennetts told Dezeen.

Related story: Bennetts Associates adds pre-rusted steel box to London's Shaftesbury Theatre

"The client wanted all the conventional visual and functional attributes of modern design, such as large windows for the great view, having lived in an older property near London for many years."

The house's ground floor is partially set into the side of the steeply sloping site to minimise ...