Set in an ordinary residential street in Sheffield, this new house is an upside down arrangement with the living spaces on the upper level.

The intimate ground floor opening out to a small courtyard is contrasted by the lofty well-lit upper living space with its elevated relationship to the sky and sense of expansiveness.

The ‘shou-sugi-ban’ scorched timber cladding on the outside is complemented by painted concrete blockwork on the inside to give a textured and sensuous continuity to the wall surfaces.

The client has introduced his own coloured lighting design around the house which further heightens the pleasure of the lived experience, translating it to the street and giving the sense of the house itself as a living organism.