A SOLID Approach

Back in January our SOLID team announced we had landed our first Paragraph 80 House. Designed by Helen Seymour-Smith the house is to be a sizable structure cantilevered over a pretty, man-made lake. But for those not in the know, just what is a paragraph 80 House? In short, a Paragraph 80 is a property which gains planning permission despite being in the middle of open countryside, well outside the boundaries of neighbouring towns and villages. To gain planning permission a Paragraph 80 must meet stringent requirements. Helen Seymour-Smith’s Design will adhere to strict energy efficient criteria, keeping demands to an absolute minimum.

Image by curvedaxis.com

The SOLID team knew they were in for a challenge when taking on the project, however, in true SOLID spirit the team have embraced it and excellent progress ensues. Daljit, of our Bourne End team, has outlined the foundation construction sequence. As the lake was originally manmade and will be drastically altered, the foundations need to be designed to account for significantly varying ground conditions.

Our 3D foundation construction sequence outlines a possible construction process to help the design team and client discuss various options and understand the work involved. The lake will need to be drained and the existing watercourse diverted before the earthworks and foundation construction of the building can commence.

Daljit’s images showcase the stages of substructure construction; earthworks to form piling platforms, installation of piles and ground beams, construction of the ground floor slab and reinstatement of the lake.

Whilst Daljit has been working hard on the substructure, Tom has been sketching details to explore options for the ground floor and foundations.

The team are still in the exciting early stages of design thinking, and we look forward to keeping you updated on the project as further works get underway. 

An example of Tom’s sketches