When David Hills and Deborah Saunt began plans to build a home in the backyard of a 19th-century house in London they had a height limit, so they decided to bury half the house underground. They also used mirrors as cladding to help hide the home, reflecting the surrounding vegetation instead.
Their home in Clapham Old Town is in a conservation area, surrounded by 23 neighbors who once overlooked the overgrown garden of sycamores and ivy. In order to replicate that lush environment, they planted a green roof, and Hills and Saunt designed a green roof with drought-tolerant sedum plants, which require only a very thin buildup and promote wildlife. They also planted new trees, like mulberry, around the home.
To create a secure and simple structure for an underground home, they started with a concrete box. “We dug a big hole to build the house in. It’s just a square box. That’s also cheaper. Every time you have to push in and out, then you’re building really complicated shuttering. So when you go down, the simpler you can make it, the better.”
Wanting as much daylight as possible, they dug sunken courtyards around the home to act as lightwells for the downstairs. Upstairs they used skylights and strategically-placed windows (to protect the neighbors’ privacy and theirs) to keep artificial light to a minimum.
With half the home underground, the earth helps maintain a stable temperature, but there’s a heat recovery system when heating is necessary. Rooftop solar thermal panels heat the home’s water.
On *faircompanies: https://faircompanies.com/videos/couldnt-build-higher-his-dugout-garden-home-grew-upside-down/
21 Comments
I've been watching your videos for years, and they just get better and better. THANK YOU!!!!!
Fantastic video & beautiful, innovative home.
The story of the pink House wasn't interesting
The house is stunning and worked with the constraints put on it.
I still find London zoning bordering on absurd. Being mindful not to cast neighbors property in shadow is understandable, but micro managing what a neighbors property looks like borders on the absurd.
Love the way space is played with. The smallest area seems wide.
partner, climate change, ideology just spewing out lol, funny he built his house on someone else property very on theme lol.
Lived in a house not even hidden away just behind another house and the Pizza guy couldn't find it. Not fun.
Woah!!! Did he just pull a flex with a wireless induction oven?????
What a uniquely simple and beautiful home!
Don't like the decor but am intrigued with the way they created the space.
Beautiful house
What a beautiful house and so much thought has been put to everything… I love it… Its like a behance render project.
Not sure i could live with out curtains… def not in the bed room, i saw the sleep mask, but not sure i could sleep there.
what a novelty, but who could live in this?
it is a box in which a company could store it's workers, but its not a family home.
Ordinary person won't be able to get a planning permission. The architect has somebody in planning department. I applied twice, and a nightmare.
Don't believe in easy- peasy permission.
One question: Where do they park? (Love the home!)
Anyone else think this place is hideous?
Amazing house, thank you
Don't ever tell me how I should or shouldn't be commenting son
no car parking? no bicycle parking? nice place. works for them nicely.
For a multi-million dollar home, the rooms are very well proportioned. The bedrooms are a practical size as is the kitchen.