Benar Fôr

A new dwelling for a local family who run a busy watersports business, Benar Fôr is built to replace a chalet that had existed on the site since the 1980s. 

Located on a superb headland plot overlooking Abersoch harbour, the design process involved detailed site analysis and massing studies in order to ensure the optimum siting and orientation, that made the most of the views but at the same time fitted in with its setting in the Llŷn AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). 

The planning department set strict limitations on the size of the new dwelling and the materials we were allowed to use which added to the challenge. In the end the architectural solution was inspired by 1950s ‘case-study’ houses, with a dynamic plan form of 3 interlocking and overlapping volumes gathered around a central outdoor courtyard space that faces the harbour.         .

The visual impact of the new dwelling is reduced and broken up by expressing the 2-storey and 1-storey parts in different materials; painted brick and Siberian larch. The former echoing the local vernacular of white painted brick 1960&70s houses and the latter alluding to a tradition of small timber frame summer houses that were once very common on this headland.  

Its Structural Insulated Panel(SIPs)frame significantly shortened the construction period, whilst also being highly insulated and airtight, with triple glazed composite aluminium/wood windows. Heating and hot water is all provided by a relatively small air-source-heat-pump, and an Mechanical Ventilation with Recovery (MVHR) installed ensures that the new dwelling is highly energy efficient.