Mecanoo has completed a fully transparent villa on a lake in Lechlade in United Kingdom, the 600-square-metre villa is highlighted with dark stripes and provides uninterrupted views overlooking the untouched lake. 

Mecanoo followed a major guiding design principle to combine transparency with sustainability, forging a strong relationship between the villa and the landscape. 

Image by Blue Sky Images

The harmony between landscape and interior, architecture and nature, was a key design determinant, particularly regarding sight lines, materials, colours, and lighting.

The house is designed from inside out, creating uninterrupted views to the surrounding nature while providing shelter and intimacy. "All these aspects work together to ensure the house’s sense of timelessness. The villa is situated in a green oasis of trees and plants that hide the house from view," said Mecanoo. 

Image by Blue Sky Images

Water plants along the water line alternate with stepping stones that lead to other parts of the garden. On the water side, the villa has an optimal view over the lake. Creating terraces on two different levels, these terraces connect the villa to both the land and the water, anchoring the house in nature and giving it a welcoming presence. 

Image by Blue Sky Images

"Glass corner windows in the living room, kitchen and other rooms, make the residents feel like they live on the water. Between the house and the adjacent plot, a hilly finger of land with tall trees ensures privacy," said the firm.

"By curving the bridge that connects the villa to the main road, the row of trees remains intact. This further increases the sense of privacy and blocks disturbing lights from the traffic."

Mecanoo used some interior elements such as the fireplace and storage cupboards, and those divide the house into different places, creating more intimate and private areas within the large transparent volume. In the heart of the house, a full-height void connects all levels and creates another series of diagonal and vertical sight lines.

The staircase sews all the rooms together into one interior space. The central atrium brings abundant daylight into the sunken basement and connects the interior to the roof terrace. From the roof terrace, one can enjoy panoramic views as if floating quietly over the expanse of the lake.

The architects designed open-plan living offering views of the lake, trees, sky and nature from every corner of the house, giving guests a very real sense of living outside on the lake yet sheltered in the comfort of their home.

Using a variety of green technologies including air thermal heat pump, solar panels, heat recovery systems and triple glazed glass, Mecanoo kept the energy consumption of the house very low.

The interior combination of materials is earthy and transparent with glass, dark wood, dark metal and bright white walls, ceilings and doors ensuring that the only really important canvas is Mother Nature.

Project facts

Programme: 600 m2three-storey house with one level below water with cinema, games/bar area, wellness/spa area, 80 m2roof terrace and 176 m2ground floor terrace

Design: 2015-2016

Realisation: 2016-2018

Client: private

Development: Boheme Development S.L.

Concept design: Mecanoo architecten

Developed architectural design: Arquitectura y Ordenación Urbana S.L. AOU SL

Structural engineer: Fernando Sarria

Engineering: INARQ S.L.

All images mariashot.photo unless otherwise stated

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