Chivelstone, United Kingdom
Architect: Atelier Peter Zumthor
Executive Architect (phase 1): Mole Architects
Local architectural advisor (concept phase): David Sheppard Architects
Landscape Design and Consultant: The Rathbone Partnership
Photos © Jack Hobhouse
Peter Zumthor:
“This place on the hill has a serene atmosphere that seems to come from its history”
Peter Zumthor:
“Chivelstone House” is designed as a place of retreat which allows a small temporary community to vacation, rest, study or work. It consists of two blocks for bedrooms and a large roof."
The house, which was built in place of a 1940s building, sits on a hill overlooking the hamlet of Chivelstone. It is surrounded by a crown of Monterey pines which were planted around the old residence. The view of the lush green Devon landscape and gently rolling hills has a calming effect. The sea is close, less than an hour's walk. Besides the pine trees, only traces of the development of the land – retaining walls and a hexagonal flower bed, the concrete border of which had been built by the former inhabitant of the house – remind us of the dwelling. It is therefore a silent architecture, like a discreet link between man and nature, between the world of yesterday and today, which reveals the importance of common sense as a keystone towards a sustainable architecture, finally.
Beyond concrete, it is essentially built of stone and wood. The materials and colors are those of the region. In the rooms, large openings frame the landscape. The space reserved for the living room is located under the large roof. Entirely glazed, it is crossed by the landscape. The powerful pillars which support the roof are freely arranged and form, with the hollow volumes, an open spatial structure. There are spaces for cooking, for eating, a fireplace, niches with armchairs where you can read, as well as nooks near the kitchen where children can play while parents prepare meals.
Peter Zumthor:
«It has become rare to be able to sit in a house and look out at a beautiful landscape where no trace of another building interrupts the lines of the rolling hills. Quietness, contemplation, pure luxury. I could not resist to try to create this house.»
Peter Zumthor:
"I have this concept – I produce originals. My work is always my work, it is not the work of my collaborators. I am not a trademark, I always produce an original."
ATELIER PETER ZUMTHOR on YouTube
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