In the children’s bedroom a Finn Juhl chair partners the desk, next to curtains made by Pat Giddens in de Le Cuona\u2019s \u2018Barbarian\u2019 linen in oats. Curved windows look out over the living roof and the architectural metal stems.<\/p>\n
James McDonald<\/p>\n
Throughout the house, the walls are finished in dappled, textured clay plasters handmade in Cornwall by Clayworks. Non-toxic and thermoregulatory, this ancient material\u00a0is well suited to covering the building\u2019s gentle curves \u2013 a Michaelis Boyd hallmark. \u2018Why do we build corners when our bodies are not made with straight lines?\u2019 asks Alex.<\/p>\n
It is a good point. The rounded edges of Leaf House appear natural, sympathetic and inviting, almost nest-like \u2013 a feeling that Alex has underscored by the quiet incorporation of nature itself into the house. This is something he seems particularly excited by \u2013 in fact, he envisages a new world in which nature does not just inspire architecture, it is architecture: \u2018Creepers that don\u2019t just cover a structure, but support it, buildings that respond to the seasons.\u2019 It sounds a little futuristic. \u2018Of course it is,\u2019 he says. \u2018Architecture is ideas \u2013 it only really exists in the future.\u2019 He is right, but I would argue it exists in memory, too. I know I shall remember Adlestrop<\/p>\n
Eco credentials<\/p>\n
Challenges<\/p>\n
To design a newbuild house that is off-grid and exists in harmony with its natural surroundings.<\/p>\n
Solutions<\/p>\n
Alex Michaelis devised a biomorphic design based on the shape of leaves, built from limestone quarried on site and Dinesen timber from sustainable woodlands. Solar panels, air-source heat pumps and a borehole water treatment system provide electricity, heat and UV-filtered water.<\/p>\n
Also of note<\/p>\n
An underground Klargester tank uses microorganisms to break down waste, which drains into a marshy planted area.<\/p>\n