UK studio Kirkland Fraser Moor has created a contemporary house named Ashraya in Hertfordshire, England, which is topped by a cross-laminated timber arch.
Built near the village of Aldbury, the home is set within the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With a grass-topped, arched roof it was designed to be both contemporary and integrated into the landscape.
Ashraya stands next to a historic house and walled garden
"The primary concept was driven by a desire to integrate building and landscape seamlessly in order to ensure that the new dwelling 'emerges' from the land and context," said David Kirkland, co-founder of Kirkland Fraser Moor.
"The site is extremely visually sensitive and open countryside views are highly protected within the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty," he told Dezeen. The house sits under a CLT arch
The distinctive two-storey house is positioned next to a historic walled garden and house that, along with the client's desire for large amounts of light, informed the home's design.
Set within a flint-walled, circular space, the dwelling is sunk into the ground and topped with an arch made from cross-laminated timber that is lower than the neighbouring wall.
It is sunken into the ground
"The building itself is a very simple rectangular form but set within a curved courtyard landscape to provide, together with the arched roof, an organic natural flowing form," explained Kirkland.
"The flint wa...