RESIDENTIAL

The site lies in the Green Belt, to the south-east of the Fisherman’s Retreat restaurant outside Ramsbottom. Immediately to the north is the former mill lodge and the site if surrounded by moorland and valley, with some mature tree lines. The proposal envisages a single bespoke dwelling house, which is being presented in the context of NPPF Paragraph 79 planning policy of exceptional quality of design.

The nearby Valley of Stone has influenced the architectural language and the strong, single idea, derived from the v-cut quarries as the amenity spaces with the dwelling concealed behind. The stone facing will be a series of layers referencing the underlying geology and the former bright copper tapered roofs removed.

It is designed to be a Passivhaus standard. The main structure is to be constructed in insulated concrete formwork, for thermal mass and to create a thermally airtight box, ideal for a self-contained off-grid dwelling, when combined with a high efficiency MVHR unit and low carbon technologies, such as the already installed water source heat pump and floating photovoltaic panels on the lake. The installed heat pumps have been designed to serve the Fisherman’s retreat together with the existing and proposed dwellings.

The internal lightwell creates natural passive ventilation through the solar chimney stack effect, reducing the energy requirements for the MVHR by interlinking automatic vents in the roof with the building management system