A raft in the clay
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A reinforced concrete raft anchors the house. Its level surface supports every layer above.
Depth600 mm
Tolerance±4 mm
ConcreteC32/40
Meridian Architecture Studio · Project 2026-04
The Threshold House
A single-family residence studied as an assembly: raft, frame, wall, roof, glass, interior. Scroll and the house builds itself in front of you, from structural base to finished interior.
Watch it assembleHow the house is assembled
Scroll: the house builds · scroll back: it unbuilds
Six columns, one ring
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Six columns and a ring beam carry the roof, freeing the south wall to open towards the garden.
Columns6
Clear span9.9 m
SteelS355
Three sides of weight
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Rendered masonry on three sides provides warmth and privacy. The fourth side is left open for glass.
Masonry300 mm
RenderLime
U-value0.18
A plane that overhangs
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A flat zinc roof projects 1.8 m beyond the glazing, shading high summer sun and admitting winter light.
Overhang1.8 m
Build-up420 mm
FinishZinc
The fourth wall turns clear
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Three triple-glazed panels close the south face. Low-iron glass keeps the garden’s colours clear.
Panels3
GlazingTriple
g-value0.35
Quiet finishes
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Oak floors, lime plaster and blackened steel keep the palette quiet, leaving the light to do the talking.
FloorOak 20 mm
WallsLime plaster
Area280 m²
Read all six construction stages
A raft in the clay
A reinforced concrete raft sits 600 mm into the ground, levelled to within four millimetres across the full footprint. Everything above trusts it.
Depth600 mm
Tolerance±4 mm
ConcreteC32/40
Six columns, one ring
Six steel columns and a perimeter ring beam carry the roof, so the walls below never hold structure. That freedom is what lets the south face open completely.
Columns6
Clear span9.9 m
SteelS355
Three sides of weight
Rendered masonry on three sides holds heat, sound and privacy. The fourth side is left open for glass. Compression on one hand, release on the other.
Masonry300 mm
RenderLime
U-value0.18
A plane that overhangs
One flat plane cantilevers 1.8 m past the glazing. High summer sun stops at its edge; low winter sun slides underneath and warms the floor.
Overhang1.8 m
Build-up420 mm
FinishZinc
The fourth wall turns clear
Three triple-glazed panels slot into the frame from outside and seal in a day. Low-iron glass keeps the garden the colour it actually is.
Panels3
GlazingTriple
g-value0.35
Quiet finishes
Oak underfoot, lime plaster on the walls, blackened steel at the edges, and nothing painted white. The finishes stay quiet so the light does the talking.
FloorOak 20 mm
WallsLime plaster
Area280 m²
Site and context
How the house sits on the ground
The plan is a long rectangle running east-west. The long glazed face turns south, where the ground falls gently toward a line of old oaks. The north side holds service spaces against the boundary wall.
Entry is from the east, through a narrow court between house and wall. You arrive compressed, and the house opens ahead of you. The garden is read first from inside, not on approach.
There is no front door in the usual sense. There is a threshold, and then there is the living room.
We build thresholds, not boxes. Every room here sits between two conditions: shelter and view, weight and light. The assembly is the argument, piece by piece.Studio note, design review week 14
Material palette
Six materials, used honestly
Each one does one job and shows its age. Tap a card to return to the model with that material highlighted and the others dimmed. Choose Reset view to resume the construction sequence.
Floor plan
Ten spaces, one level
Tap a room to read its dimensions, orientation and what happens there. Living spaces line the south glass; service and sleeping rooms sit behind the masonry to the north.
Select a room
The whole plan
Ten spaces arranged on one level. Public rooms along the south glass, private and service rooms behind the masonry to the north. One hall runs the full length, with a single skylight at its midpoint.
Process
From brief to keys, three years
2023
Brief and site
The clients brought us the plot and a one-page brief. The first six months went to walking the ground at different hours, before we drew a line.
2024
Planning approved
Two committee hearings and a neighbour objection settled over a site visit. Permission granted in October, after a revised section through the roof.
2025
Ground broken
Foundation in April, frame up by August, roof on before the first rains. Winter spent closing in and working inside.
2026
Keys handed over
April. The garden still needs a year to settle. The house will take ten.
Project documentation
Selected views
Illustrative residential photography showing light, materials and space.
South elevation
Mass and transparency, held under one roof plane
Living space
The fourth wall, turned clear
Exterior approach
Timber, shelter and a defined entry
Bedroom
Light from above, privacy at eye level
Questions
What people usually ask
Yes, by arrangement with the owners. We hold four open mornings a year for serious enquirers. The next one is usually in early spring, when the garden is coming back and the overhang is doing the work it was drawn for.
No. The Threshold House was commissioned and belongs to the family who live in it. We show it here because it represents our thinking clearly. We can, however, work with you on a house of your own.
We don't publish client budgets, and wouldn't want you to compare yours to theirs. What we can share is that the build cost per square metre landed inside the upper quartile for our region. We will give you honest numbers against your own brief, on paper, early.
No. The Threshold House is one answer to one site and one family. The next house will look different because the next site and family are different. What stays consistent is the way we work: long, patient, honest.
Typically 28 to 36 months. Brief and design take about a year, planning and tendering another six to nine, construction twelve to fifteen. We don't rush any of it, and neither should you.
On request, yes. We keep a printed set at the studio and a digital set we can share under a simple confidentiality note. A phone call or email is the quickest way in.
Enquiries
Discuss a site with us
We take on four projects a year, no more. Tell us where the site is, what the ground does, and how you imagine living there.