Amento

Project Info

Situated in the Suffolk countryside, Amento is a beautifully detailed, single-storey family home that explores the dynamic relationship between geometry and nature.

The striking layout is based on the intersection of two perpendicular walls that divide the house into four sections, each with its own functional identity and a unique view of the surrounding garden.

Formed of white clay brick with a lime mortar, the deep spine walls extend beyond the quadrants of the house, which they shelter and define. Between the four quadrants of the house are entirely timber framed, built using traditional studwork and exposed timber beams.

Internally, a stripped back material palette – of exposed brick and polished concrete set against the moiré patterning of homegrown Douglas fir veneered panels – allows the vibrancy of the natural environment to take centre stage.

Whole-life carbon strategies were employed throughout the design to obtain the most efficient building, both structurally and environmentally. By using regenerative structural materials and eliminating steel, the project has saved up to five tons of embodied carbon. The deep brick walls and expansive timber eaves that frame the house help to protect the façade from the elements and minimise overheating during summer months.