Riverside Country House
Dorset

A new country house located by the riverside, on the site of a demolished mansion, consists of a series of linked volumes, set low in the landscape, largely across one storey. A ‘butterfly’ plan is used to maximise views, breaking up the mass and minimising the impact on the countryside. The loose symmetry is varied by asymmetrical features such as the stair enclosure and the octagonal study. The elevation is kept simple, using render set on a plinth of local stone under a shallow pitched roof with deep, bracketed eaves.