Located next to the Brecon National Park in Pontypridd, UK, the modern house from the contiguous images was built on the site of a former quarry. With a modest budget and design restrictions imposed by the nature of the soil, the firm Hyde + Hyde Architects has developed within this basin a suspended building, trying to rise it towards the light and provide a distant view. The support pillars and the plate of the first floor are made of concrete and the first and second floors are made of high performance insulated structural panels.
The house has a high level of thermal efficiency and air tightness, the architects wanted to maximize the energetic performance before implementing an optimal solution of renewable energy. Having a rectangular shape, most of the suspended body is covered with tiles reminiscent of local barns. The side facing the access road is made of glass that allows a maximal view of the places. The house is named “House for a photographer” due to the owner’s profession.The walls inside are coated with OSB and plasterboard as a base for the owner’s photographic works. Given the restrictive conditions of the land, Hyde + Hyde Architects has designed a modern house, arguing as how it is possible to maximize the potential of a land that is less favourable to a construction.
