ARCHITECT’S VIEW
Self building in a conservation area
George Dawes, co-founder of Bindloss Dawes, gives the inside track on designing a contemporary home on aprotected site
What are the initial considerations to make when building from scratch in a conservation or protected area?
Regardless of whether you’re building in a protected or sensitive area, there are many common considerations to bear in mind when it comes to the design of your home. The aim is to balance your needs and wishes for the scheme with the conditions of the site, its context and other practical issues that may arise You’ll need to take into account the materials used on buildings in the context and think about how your design is going to respond to that – will it aim to achieve something different or do something similar to the surrounding context? The silhouette of your design and how it sits against other buildings in the area is another key consideration, as well as where elements such as windows and other apertures are placed and how to maintain privacy.