Meadow House designed by Strom Architects is a replacement house in a quiet village in Essex. The beautiful site sits at the edge of the village, and has an open parkland feel. Our approach was to ensure that we placed great emphasis on the landscape so the house and site were considered as one. Photography by Numa.

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To re-organise the site, our proposals insert a series of walls which respond to the physical site features. A wall starting near the access point to the site delineates the entrance, and with another wall perpendicular to the first, an entrance court is defined. A third wall on a south-west to north-east axis defines an area facing south-west for living and another for sleeping that faces south east to catch the morning light. A final fourth wall defines an area to be used as kitchen garden and where the ancillary building containing the study and gym is located. Together the walls form a pin-wheel arrangement of space. The entrance and access point to the different areas are at the centre and at the pivot point of the plan arrangement. Four different pavilions, each with its own function, occupy the four different corners of the pin-wheel plan.

To the north-east is the garage volume, also containing plant, utility and storage.
To the south-east is the guest annexe. This volume is located in a walled garden. This is the higher part of the site, allowing the walled garden to be set into the ground to reduce visual impact.
To the so...