The brief was to reuse the existing site to create a contemporary and group of houses. With opportunities to reuse the existing building, create connections to an existing footpath along the River Ouse, and enhance the surrounding landscape.

Given its proximity to the river, a key challenge was to address the possibility of flooding on the site and ensure that all new dwellings would be flood resilient, now and in the future. The existing building was set below the 1:100 year event + climate change level which restricted the opportunities to reuse the existing building.

The site also includes a number of Grade A and B trees which the design sought to retain as much as possible.

After initial exploration of whole or partial reuse of the existing building, given the constraints in terms of flooding it was decided to pursue an entire new build scheme. The key concept was to arrange new dwellings around a village green which would provide amenity for the residents and biodiversity for the site as well as linking back to the character of the neighbouring village of Riccall.

Given the site’s rural setting, the architecture and materiality of the proposal was key to create a design with a specific sense of place, that was appropriate to its setting. Studies were undertaken of local vernacular architecture and agricultural buildings to inform the massing and materiality of the scheme, resulting in simple built forms with natural materials, used sensitively to create a coherent family of dwelling types with a subtle variation across the site.