Kimble Roden Architects Design a Natural Tree Top Villa

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a natural, tree top villa design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Kimble Roden Architects.

Kimble Roden were engaged to design 25 luxury holiday homes in an exceptional location. Hall Wood Forest, near Looe in Cornwall, is an ancient woodland with steep slopes and undulating ground conditions, requiring a very considered and sensitive approach. The solution was to create tree top villas on stilts, designed to become an intrinsic part of the landscape, promoting a relationship between the inhabitants and their natural surroundings whilst minimising their impact on the environment. The interiors of the villas are sympathetic to the external landscape, using timber panelling, natural stone and a palette that reflects the forest.

What was the client’s brief? 

Our brief was to obtain planning permission for 25 luxury holiday homes set in a unique site – a woodland valley in Cornwall. The homes were to range from 3 to 4 bed dwellings that responded to the uniqueness of the context. The site is an ancient woodland with steep slopes, that required minimal impact on the surrounding environment. The aim was to seamlessly blend leisure, luxury and relaxation into the fabric of these homes, utilising the natural attributes of the site to enhance the experience.

What inspired the design of the project?

Our response to the project brief was to develop the concept of the dwellings as structures that embraced and respected the forest setting. We developed the concept of treetop villas built on stilts, allowing the dwellings to be immersed in the natural environment. By making the decision to elevate the homes, it became essential to consider the external spaces as much as the internal to enhance the sense of connection with the surrounding forest and capitalize on the uniqueness of the setting by bringing the outside in.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The planning constraints we faced when designing were considerable and required our careful response. We had to really consider the impact on the ecology of the site (the trees, the fauna, the site conditions) and limit light pollution from the dwellings. This led to a greater articulation of each space – vertical slot windows were indented deep into the buildings plan to illuminate the central circulation along with the balconies deep overhang and the timber shutters. Every space has access to glimpses of the forest, each framed in different ways with balconies and horizontal and vertical slot windows; the interior layouts of these rooms were then orientated to around these focal points.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Seeing our designs come to life with the CGI images was definitely a highlight and helped us develop each space and its relationship with the forest. And of course achieving a successful planning decision was also a highlight!

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

Entering the SBID Awards was an opportunity to showcase our work in the context of a professional environment – we are proud to SBID accredited and this gave us the chance to promote the great work SBID does and gives us a stage to further promote our achievements.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

We have really enjoyed the positive interaction we have received from our clients, professional network and followers, especially on social media. It has given us the platform to reach out to a new audience and highlight the professional interior design service we offer alongside our role as architects.

Questions answered by Edwina Kimble, Director at Kimble Roden Architects & Interior Designers.