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SIPS
Energy Efficiency and Elegance A contemporary take on a Derbyshire Longhouse has delivered a beautifully designed, location considerate, multigenerational house using SIP panels to deliver high energy efficiency.
T
he Derbyshire countryside is traditionally windy with undulating hills scattered with farms and buildings that have a similarity about them. A shape that is long and follows the lines of the hills – the Longhouse is a venerable type of building which dates back thousands of years. City dwellers Mike and Sarah bought an 18.5-acre small holding in the Derbyshire dales to live a very different life. Planning history for the site showed 26 previous residential planning applications for the farm – all of which had been refused. The only real route for them to get planning permission was through a special section of the planning regulations called ‘paragraph 80’ – it had to be a house of exceptional architectural quality that could only be built in the landscape surrounding it, so it becomes part of the landscape. After two years, approval was granted and a 21st century interpretation of a Derbyshire long house – a series of interconnected spaces arranged in a line is an award-winning triumph. The steel frame structure is clad in SIPs with a complex roof orientation and includes 500sq m of living space. The spacious open planned living quarters, kitchen sitting room and a double height dining room all with breathtaking views of the Derbyshire Dales. The issues faced by the site were numerous, building to near Passivhaus standards, a roof that mirrored many roof planes and the
Structural Timber Magazine – Issue 35 – Spring 2023
The building is a modern, multigenerational home inspired by Derbyshire traditions. Courtesy Lomas Mitchell Architects/SIP Build UK
need to transport all the building elements down a track no wider than 3.5m. Offsite construction was an obvious choice with the steel frame manufactured offsite and erected on-site and SIP panels using factory precision and cut into small pieces, helped transport down the narrow track to site.
@STMagUK