Adrian James Architects: In a leafy Oxford suburb, Sunnymead Twosome delivers a calm and tranquil haven within the city. The architecture cleverly conceals two dwellings behind a symmetrical façade, each boasting its own unique character. One a luxurious family home with four bedrooms, a gym and generous living spaces, and the other a neat two-bedroom city retreat with an open plan ground floor. Despite differences in scale, both homes share a commitment to exceptional quality, evident in the meticulous selection of materials and aspirational design features.
The crumbly brickwork and zinc cladding create a beautifully balanced composition, finding the perfect combination of hard edges and soft rippling surfaces. Black engineering bricks on the ground floor contrast strikingly with the buff coloured bricks above, further accentuated by light and shadow falling across the deeply chamfered reveals. A ribbon of steel encircles the building, allowing the top storey to appear weightless above its solid foundation.
Floor to ceiling windows in almost every room, combined with generous ceiling heights provide soaring views of the sky and flood the interior spaces with natural light. Exposed brickwork frames a sculptural timber stair in the centre of the house, creating a warm and contemporary central circulation space that connects every room. The resulting atrium acts as private gym, music room, bike showroom and meeting place, where all the inhabitants will inevitably cross paths throughout the day.
Elegant interiors showcase the client's discerning eye for detail, featuring high-quality materials and a mix of hard and soft surfaces. Extra-large format concrete tiles run through the ground floor, complemented by industrial-chic, concrete bathroom fixtures.
Sustainability was also, as always, a top priority, with the building boasting high levels of insulation, low air permeability and air source heat pumps providing efficient underfloor heating throughout both homes. Mechanical ventilation provides fresh air while minimising heat losses.
