Marsh House

Location: Nottingham, UK

House area: 1,830 square feet/170 square metres

Site area: 10,979 square feet/1,020 square metres

Description: The house consists of two main buildings, one of three stories and one of two. The three-story building is sited to the north and cut into the hillside, so that from the street it appears only two stories high. The two-story element is sited to the south and east to give the three-story element clear views. The two are joined by means of a glazed area. The three-story element straddles between two bookend-like towers, one built of brick and one built of stone.

The conceptual challenge was to make a house that was both private and intimate whilst at the same time responding to the beautiful surrounding, and allowing the garden and the seasonal nature of the British weather to become part of the interior. Particular responses to the context are expressed by the use of materials to carry out tasks for which they were not intended. Balustrades are formed from lengths of continuous bicycle chain stretched over gear cogs, obscure windows are made by inserting thousands of marbles between sheets of glass, and shop display systems are used to form library shelves.