Deborah Mills y el arquitecto Andrew Tate convierten una antigua torre de agua en Amersham en una nueva y elegante casa.
Deborah Mills and architect Andrew Tate converts an old water tower in Amersham to a new stylish home.
#architecture #art #desing
Deborah Mills and architect Andrew Tate converts an old water tower in Amersham to a new stylish home.
#architecture #art #desing
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00:00To build a house in an area of outstanding natural beauty like this outside Amersham
00:06is an impossible dream for most self-builders because of strict planning regulations.
00:12But this week's grand designers have managed to get permission for a new home in the Green Belt.
00:19I'm coming to meet Andrew Tate and Deborah Mills,
00:22who are going to build a family home which is part conversion and part new build.
00:26Andrew and Deborah's new build is designed to be invisible and to blend into the countryside.
00:34But the other half of their project sticks out very, very visibly.
00:56Hello in. We'll just come down.
01:05Good lord.
01:06What an extraordinary place. How on earth did you find it?
01:20We found it in a Sunday magazine article.
01:24There was another water tower that somebody had refurbished.
01:28And right at the end of the article, there were other water towers for sale.
01:32And there were two of them there.
01:34You're joking.
01:35Not exactly a premeditated decision then.
01:37Not at all.
01:38How high is it inside?
01:40Inside it's 84 feet to the tank and the total building is exactly 100 feet high.
01:46Of course, it looks higher than that because it's narrow, isn't it?
01:48The perspective shoots up.
01:50But even so, I wouldn't like to be 84 feet up on one of those wire ladders.
01:55Would you?
01:56To give you an idea, you can get seven stories of building in the main brick shaft before you get to the tank.
02:02Deborah, to what extent do you think is this project mad?
02:05It's not the most practical of buildings.
02:07No.
02:08In fact, I came to see it first.
02:10And I went home and I said, it's too tall, too narrow, and too close to the road.
02:18And Andrew came to see it and he said, no, we're living there.
02:22I suppose I just got sort of sucked along with his enthusiasm.
02:26But what did you say there?
02:26Well, you know, I've never been very conventional.
02:30So the idea of living somewhere really strange appeals to me.
02:34What on earth makes you think you can live in a place like this?
02:37Well, what we're doing is building a new building as well next to it.
02:42So we really couldn't live in this building by itself because there's only a single floor per store.
02:48But with the new building that we've designed, we can really create a fantastic family home here.
02:55And you're the architect of the project?
02:56Yes.
02:57Well, we both are really, but I'm the client.
03:00You're the architect.
03:02Andrew would spend three million on this.
03:06The water tower was built in 1916 by German prisoners of war.
03:14Water was pumped from the reservoirs that lie beneath the grassy banks next to it up to the metal tank on top,
03:21which gave it enough pressure to feed the Amersham area with mains water.
03:26The water tower fell into disuse in 1990 when modern pumps were installed.
03:31The tower will be converted into a bedroom wing.
03:37The new building will have a grass roof and grassy banks on the side,
03:41mimicking the reservoirs next door and making it invisible from the road.
03:46The entrance to the tower will lead into a radically different space, uncompromisingly modern, open plan,
03:55with glass walls either end and three small rooms off the side.
04:00And there'll be a sheltered Mediterranean-style courtyard outside.
04:06The site cost 55,000 pounds, and Andrew and Deborah are planning to spend a further 350,000,
04:15which they've raised from a mortgage.
04:18Buildings like the tower pose a bit of a problem.
04:21They often stand in beautiful countryside, but they've also often become landmarks.
04:26Local people don't want them knocked down.
04:30Andrew and Deborah's solution was to propose an extension that looks like the reservoir banks on the outside,
04:36but they had to convince the planners.
04:39Obviously, being in Greenbelt to start with, they said absolutely no extensions to the tower.
04:45And we said, well, this really isn't going to be acceptable,
04:48because living one room above another all the time,
04:51what happens if your kitchen's the third floor up?
04:53Do you lug all the groceries up to that level?
04:56And what happens if the doorbell goes when you're on the fifth floor?
04:58So we started to form a story together of why we needed to have a new building.
05:04And we presented to the local parish council.
05:07It was on a cold February night, and Andrew started presenting,
05:10and there was a power cut.
05:12All the lights went out, street lights, village hall lights, everything.
05:17Totally black as it gets in the country.
05:19I went out.
05:20Fortunately, I'd parked right in front of the window,
05:22so I put my headlights on.
05:23But everybody else got little torches out of their pockets.
05:27They'd all walk across the fields or whatever.
05:29They'd all walk across the fields and stuff.
05:30And Andrew sort of did the rest of his presentation,
05:32and there's a wonderful sort of torch light, which is very spectacular.
05:35Yeah, how extraordinary.
05:35So we actually wonder in the end whether they like what we did,
05:38or we just got a vote of sympathy for presenting in our...
05:40Does it matter?
05:41Does it matter?
05:42No.
05:42So they all liked that?
05:44They unanimously supported our application,
05:48and I think without that,
05:49we didn't have very much chance at all of getting our planning through.
05:54The local villagers may have lent their support,
05:57but the local planning officers were opposed.
06:01They let the application go through to the final committee stage,
06:04but they recommended that it to be refused.
06:06Andrew and Deborah set about lobbying as many councillors
06:13on the planning committee as they could.
06:14Now, this is something that you're perfectly entitled to do,
06:18sending in as much visual material,
06:20like drawings and photographs, as you think appropriate.
06:24Andrew even went as far as ringing some of the councillors up.
06:27Now, in this case, the key factor was the fact
06:30that there was already a building on the site,
06:33and a building that had become a local landmark at that.
06:37So the councillors were faced with a dilemma,
06:41whether to allow a new building to go up in the Green Belt,
06:45or whether to allow an old one to rot.
06:48The permission went through by nine votes to eight.
06:54It's taken three and a half years
06:56in planning and preparation to get started.
06:59It shows that if you want something badly enough,
07:01you have to fight to get it.
07:03But the build itself is going to take a mere five months.
07:09It's a wintry day in November
07:11when the foundations start to go in.
07:14And despite the weather,
07:15the groundworks will be ready by January.
07:23At last, the family can look forward
07:25to leaving their present home in Watford.
07:28Deborah bought this house when she was single,
07:32and after his previous relationship ended,
07:34Andrew moved in with her eight years ago.
07:39They've now got three children,
07:41aged four, three, and one and a half.
07:46This really was never designed to be our family house.
07:49This was just for me and my mates to live in and party.
07:52And it sort of evolved into a family house
07:55when we had our three children.
07:57And Andrew's never really felt it was home, I don't think.
08:03Deborah used to work as a thermodynamic engineer.
08:07She's running the finances for the build
08:09and chasing up suppliers,
08:10as well as being a full-time mother.
08:12Fabulous. Thanks very much.
08:14All right.
08:15What was that, money?
08:16That was the man for the sewage treatment plant.
08:20Mmm.
08:24Andrew is a partner in an architectural design practice
08:27with offices in central London.
08:29I like the idea of this rope coming in off the roundabout.
08:32Perhaps we should talk, too.
08:33Andrew's heading the design team
08:35on a £37 million refurbishment for the British Museum,
08:40which includes making a 260-room hotel.
08:44The commercial view that I have
08:46has had a big effect upon the design
08:49for the new building part of the tower.
08:51We're using commercial techniques,
08:53certainly the structure and the glass walling,
08:58the curtain walling,
08:59is something that we would use for a commercial building.
09:02The first principle of Andrew's commercial approach
09:05is speed.
09:07They call it fast-track building.
09:10He's chosen a floor made of concrete beams
09:12six metres long.
09:16The concrete beams sit on cast plinth walls.
09:20They fit exactly.
09:27The beams are pre-cast with ridges
09:30for breeze blocks to complete the floor.
09:32The whole process takes one day,
09:40including minor adjustments.
09:49It's still Wednesday.
09:51Down the road,
09:52the steel that'll provide the framework
09:53is being finished.
09:55Steel and concrete may not be
09:56all that environmentally friendly
09:58in their production,
09:59but they're key materials
10:01for fast-track building.
10:05Thursday,
10:05we're ready for the walls to go up.
10:11Most of Britain's new houses
10:13are built out of these
10:14bricks and blocks.
10:16And to make a wall,
10:17you take a skin of bricks,
10:19maybe a skin of block or other brick,
10:20and you leave a gap in between
10:21to make a cavity
10:22into which you put insulation.
10:24Now, of course,
10:25Andrew and Deborah
10:25aren't being as conventional as that.
10:27This is grand designs.
10:28What they're doing
10:29is they're building their house
10:30out of this stuff,
10:31which may look like,
10:33well,
10:33leftover polystyrene packaging,
10:35but in fact,
10:37this is a big brick.
10:39It goes together rather like Lego,
10:41and you build your entire wall
10:42out of this stuff,
10:43and then you pump concrete
10:44into the bits in between.
10:47And what you make by doing that
10:48is basically a concrete wall
10:50that has an insulating layer
10:52on either side.
10:53Now, that makes the wall
10:54twice as insulative
10:55as a conventional wall.
10:57But there's another saving,
10:59and that is in time.
11:00To build a conventional wall
11:01out of brick,
11:02well,
11:04you probably need 10 days
11:05to put this house together,
11:07the two big walls
11:08we've got running parallel.
11:09But we think by using this system,
11:11we can put up those walls
11:12in just two days.
11:16The polystyrene shells
11:18are slotted together first.
11:19They're all in place
11:36by the end of the day.
11:42Friday,
11:43the steel frame arrives.
11:49This is the structural frame
11:53to support the roof.
11:56Vertical columns
11:57are set into the ground,
11:59and a hole is drilled
12:00into the tower wall.
12:02It's three feet thick
12:04at the base,
12:05and very hard.
12:08Then one side of the structure
12:09is bolted together.
12:12We're used to seeing
12:14these frameworks
12:14on big commercial projects,
12:16but not domestic buildings.
12:19It's Saturday.
12:30The concrete arrives
12:31for the Biko walls.
12:33This technology
12:34was introduced
12:35on Tomorrow's World
12:36in 1979,
12:38but it didn't catch on
12:39in the building industry,
12:41which is naturally conservative.
12:43In those days,
12:44people weren't as concerned
12:45with conserving energy
12:46and heating
12:47as they are today.
12:48This material
12:50was Deborah's choice.
12:52To date,
12:52there are only around
12:53200 houses in Britain
12:55built using this system.
12:57We'd normally say
12:58an experienced building team
13:00could go on to site
13:01in the morning
13:02and start at ground floor level
13:04and have the walls
13:05up to ease level
13:06for a bungalow
13:06that's blocked,
13:08built and concreted
13:09by the time
13:09they go home
13:10in the evening.
13:11In terms of the actual
13:12build cost,
13:13we normally would say
13:14probably about 29 pounds
13:16a square metre
13:17for the wall form components
13:19and 5 or 6 pounds
13:20a square metre
13:21for the concrete.
13:22That's a lot more
13:23than bricks and blocks
13:24would cost,
13:25but the labour
13:25is a fraction of that.
13:26So at the end of the day,
13:27we get a balance
13:28on the overall cost.
13:29So, in four days,
13:33there's a floor,
13:34a steel frame
13:35and walls.
13:37A whole week later,
13:39an age in this build
13:40and the roof's arriving.
13:44One of the interesting things
13:46about building a house
13:47is how the size of it
13:49apparently changes
13:50as the build develops.
13:51You mark it out on the ground,
13:52it seems vast,
13:53and then you put the floor in,
13:54suddenly the whole thing
13:55seems to shrink.
13:56Put the walls up
13:57and it seems large again,
13:58rather like a sort of
13:59open-air garden
14:00with this big sky above it.
14:02And yet,
14:02when you put the roof on again,
14:03suddenly, well,
14:04it shrinks a bit.
14:05But it's at that point
14:06that you can see
14:07whether you've made
14:08a mistake or not,
14:09whether the interior space works.
14:11And that's something
14:12we're going to be able
14:13to tell in about two hours.
14:16The last steel beams
14:18are put into place.
14:20They're connected
14:21to the frame at one end,
14:22but the other end
14:23just sits on the wall
14:25that's less than a foot thick.
14:27It all seems
14:28so, so simple.
14:32Everything's under control,
14:33so I therefore assume
14:34that you're on budget
14:36and on target
14:38for your schedule, yes?
14:39Yes.
14:40Yes, we are.
14:42You're going to put that
14:42in writing?
14:44Yes, we are.
14:45You're happy?
14:45Good, that's marvellous.
14:46That's wonderful to hear.
14:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:48I think instead of being
14:49completely stressed out
14:50by the total experience,
14:51we're actually very excited.
14:53and we love coming here.
14:54I mean, I dropped
14:55my eldest daughter
14:56off at the school
14:57and I always stop.
14:58Every time I go past,
14:59I stop, put my welles on,
15:00come and have a look
15:00and see what's going on.
15:01It's so interesting,
15:03so exciting.
15:03It's brilliant.
15:05I mean, day to day,
15:06how many people have you got?
15:06Who's organising this all?
15:08We have a site manager
15:09on site all the time
15:11provided by the construction company
15:13and that is just fabulous.
15:16In fact, when we were
15:16looking through the costs
15:17and trying to cut costs,
15:20we looked at the cost
15:21of the site manager
15:22and thought,
15:22oh, perhaps that's something
15:23we'll cut out.
15:24Andrew specifically said,
15:25no, we can't.
15:28The roof comes in the form
15:29of 11 metre long concrete slabs,
15:32each weighing six tonnes.
15:34They're breathtakingly large.
15:36It's the sort of thing
15:37you associate
15:37with motorway bridge construction.
15:41It's brilliant.
15:42It really is.
15:43It's real big stuff, isn't it?
15:45Yeah, I know.
15:45And they've taken them
15:47right up over the tree.
15:48You should probably be able
15:48to see it for miles around.
15:50It's wonderful.
15:51It's remarkable how it kind of
15:52gives you an instant dwelling,
15:54isn't it?
15:55An instant space.
15:56And also,
15:57and the fit is so tight.
15:59It's just, you know,
16:00it's just everything's been manufactured
16:02to within such great tolerances.
16:04It's excellent.
16:06You sort of think, you know,
16:07are they going to fit?
16:07How do they know they're going to fit?
16:08And of course they do.
16:10It's wonderful.
16:14A bit like building a car park.
16:17A bit like building a car park,
16:18but it's my house.
16:19It's going to be my house.
16:21It's going to be wonderful.
16:23So they're all in position.
16:37Yeah.
16:39My goodness.
16:40It's very, very different, isn't it?
16:43It gives it a completely different feeling of space,
16:45doesn't it?
16:46Yeah.
16:46Is it as you imagined it to be?
16:49I think it pretty much is now the roofs on it.
16:51It really is the sort of scale that I'd imagine it.
16:54As tall.
16:54In my mind,
16:55it feels bigger
16:55than when the roof is off.
16:59Did you get the sense of it being a larger,
17:01sort of wider volume?
17:02So walking here,
17:04we've got,
17:05this is,
17:05that was utility.
17:07This is bathroom.
17:09Yes.
17:09With the skylight.
17:10With the skylight above.
17:12Yeah.
17:13And this is playroom.
17:15That's right.
17:16Right.
17:16And they all open onto.
17:18They all have a door
17:19that opens onto the main space.
17:21Right.
17:21Okay.
17:21It's all individual doors.
17:23And this is all glass.
17:24And outside is the garden.
17:25This is the special winter garden
17:27for the children.
17:28This is our room outside.
17:29And then this is the link corridor.
17:30Well, through there.
17:32Up into the tower.
17:33And we go up to where the yellow mark is,
17:35the lowest yellow mark on the wall.
17:37Yes.
17:37Which is the floor of the tower.
17:39So there will be four or five gentle steps up there.
17:41Okay.
17:42From the main space.
17:43So as people arrive,
17:44they walk into the tower.
17:46I mean,
17:46all they see when they arrive
17:47is the tower.
17:49Yes.
17:49Which is actually quite a protected space.
17:51You've got these really thick walls.
17:53Quite a dark space.
17:54Yeah.
17:54A cosy sort of space.
17:55Yes.
17:56So it'll be nice to come out of the tower
17:58and walk down into this space.
18:01For all this to go up in two weeks,
18:04it needs meticulous planning.
18:06Andrew's detailed everything on this build
18:08in a 300-page document.
18:10But it's the project manager
18:12who has to put it into action.
18:14This must be a very different kind of build for you,
18:16isn't it?
18:16I mean, beaker walls
18:17and concrete lintels
18:18and that kind of stuff.
18:19Yeah.
18:20It's totally different from the traditional.
18:22So how have you coped with that?
18:23I mean,
18:23has that presented its own problems for you?
18:25Not at all, no.
18:26It's been very easy to build.
18:28Very straightforward.
18:28Yeah.
18:29I mean,
18:30what do you put that down to?
18:31Is that luck or is that...
18:32I think it's just basically
18:33different trades
18:35know what they're doing
18:36and we're getting on with it.
18:37We've got a vast amount of literature
18:39off of Andrew
18:40that we can refer back to.
18:42Doug's modesty belies his talents
18:45but project management doesn't come cheap.
18:4815% of your budget
18:50may be spent on architect,
18:52surveyor, engineer
18:53but another 15% of your budget
18:56may be spent
18:56on having the project professionally managed.
18:59Now, that may sound like a lot
19:00but in Andrew and Deborah's case
19:02it means that
19:03they're going to get a house delivered
19:04in, what, half the time
19:06that it otherwise might take.
19:08Now, professional management
19:09is all very well
19:10when it comes to a new building
19:12but Andrew and Deborah
19:13are going to be really challenged
19:15when it comes to this brute.
19:23It's time to face the beast.
19:32It takes an age to climb these ladders
19:35and it's freezing in here.
19:37There's mud stuck to every rung
19:39and your fingers go numb.
19:51They've told me the trick
19:52is not to look down
19:53but it doesn't seem
19:55to make any difference.
19:56It has taken forever
20:14to come up this tower.
20:15It was a mistake to come up
20:42onto this bit here
20:43because I can see
20:45terra firma
20:46below my feet
20:48through this grille
20:49which isn't a very comforting view
20:51and I'm just wondering
20:53how I negotiate
20:53getting back down
20:54onto that platform
20:55without falling off.
21:00I'm certainly not going up this ladder
21:02I can tell you.
21:05Oh God.
21:06Crawling
21:09is the best way.
21:16Oh.
21:17Oh that's
21:18that's a little better.
21:22But the views are wonderful
21:23and I would like to say
21:26it was worth coming up here for that
21:27but
21:27I'm not very good with heights
21:31not heights like this
21:33not heights where
21:35there are big holes
21:37that
21:37that beckon you.
21:41That building looks great though.
21:44I'm glad I'm not living here though
21:45I can tell you.
21:48So how often have you been out here?
21:50This is the third time
21:52I've been to the top.
21:53And outside?
21:54Outside once.
21:57All the way around?
21:58No.
21:58On the ring?
21:59No.
21:59Looking through your feet?
22:00I can't manage that yet.
22:02I am getting better and better
22:04each time I come up.
22:06The first time I came
22:07was on my own
22:09and I got halfway up the tower
22:10and scared myself
22:13something stupid
22:13and went down again.
22:15But then
22:15coming up with other people
22:16you sort of
22:17bite your tongue I suppose
22:19and go for it.
22:20But
22:20the views are worth it
22:22if you can
22:23keep your knowledge
22:24why did you buy it
22:26if you can't cope
22:27with the heights?
22:28I think it's not
22:29so much the heights
22:31as the ladders.
22:33I managed to convince myself
22:34that once the stairs
22:35are in there
22:36and it's a nice
22:37comfortable walk up
22:38then I'll be okay.
22:39You'll be okay.
22:39Like being in a block of flats
22:41I guess.
22:41That's right.
22:41A similar kind of thing
22:42except as long as you're not
22:43having to come out here.
22:44That's right.
22:45What about the kids?
22:45I mean it's not exactly
22:46going to be the most
22:46child-friendly structure
22:48is it?
22:49They will not be allowed
22:50anywhere near here.
22:51Supposing they decide
22:52they're going to?
22:53There won't be steps up here
22:54at the age they are now.
22:56You're actually just
22:57not going to make it
22:58physically possible
22:58to get up here.
22:58That's right.
22:59It won't be physically
23:00possible to get up here.
23:01It has to be that way.
23:02It's just too dangerous.
23:03Good.
23:03Good.
23:04Well that means
23:04I won't have to come up
23:06again either.
23:07No.
23:09You don't have a problem
23:10do you Andrew?
23:11No.
23:11I've been up here
23:12so many times now.
23:13How many times?
23:15Oh I probably
23:15I come up here twice
23:16every time I'm here
23:17so I should think
23:18it must be in the
23:19hundreds of times
23:19I've been here.
23:20Oh my goodness
23:20he's swinging around
23:21like a monkey.
23:24If you look down
23:25between the gap
23:27in the trees
23:27on a clear day
23:28you can see all the
23:29towers of central London
23:30and I can see
23:31Canary Wharf Tower
23:32which is about 28 miles
23:33away.
23:34Oh incredible.
23:35Then further
23:35I can see Crystal Palace
23:37aerial as well
23:38and then the north
23:39downs in Hampshire
23:40so I've actually
23:42on a map
23:43joined all the
23:44furthest dots
23:44that I can see
23:45together
23:45and I make
23:46an area of
23:47about a thousand
23:47square miles.
23:49What about
23:50these cracks
23:50in the wall
23:51there?
23:51I mean are they
23:52a problem?
23:53No I think
23:54the fact that
23:54the building
23:54has been here
23:56for so long
23:56they're okay.
23:57The brick shaft
23:58is actually broken
23:59into three
24:00complete pieces
24:01which are held
24:03together by
24:05my reckoning
24:05by this
24:06walkway that
24:07you're sterling on.
24:09It has taken
24:0950,000 gallons
24:10of water before
24:11and now there's
24:12no water in there
24:13at all
24:14so there's nothing
24:14like the load
24:15it used to have.
24:17It's stood all
24:18this time
24:18and I think
24:19it will stand
24:21without much
24:21repair from us
24:23other than
24:23decorative
24:24for many years
24:26to come.
24:31I'll take
24:32Andrew's word
24:33for it that the
24:33tower isn't
24:34going to fall
24:35down.
24:36So far
24:36everything he's
24:37told me would
24:37happen has
24:38happened on
24:39schedule and
24:40on budget
24:41and some of
24:42the design
24:42elements aren't
24:43simple.
24:44two walls
24:45in the new
24:45building are
24:45solid but the
24:46other two will
24:47be made of
24:48glass panels
24:48in timber frames.
24:59It's called
25:00curtain walling
25:00because the
25:01entire wall of
25:02glass is hung.
25:05It's a look
25:06I associate with
25:07modern hotel
25:08lobbies and
25:08shopping centres.
25:10Andrew's background
25:11commercial design
25:12is showing and
25:13elsewhere commercial
25:15techniques are
25:15being used even
25:17for the smallest
25:17details.
25:19This is instead of
25:20ordinary timber
25:21stud work isn't it?
25:22This is metal stud
25:22work.
25:23The kind of stuff
25:23they use in offices.
25:24That's correct.
25:25Does it go out much
25:26quicker than timber?
25:27You fly up in
25:27no time yeah.
25:28Really?
25:29Yeah.
25:29But you're using
25:30conventional plasterboard?
25:31Yeah it's just
25:32ordinary board.
25:33Just screw it straight up?
25:33Just screw it straight
25:34onto the metal.
25:35Where are the holes
25:36then?
25:37You just self-tapping
25:38screws straight
25:38through the board
25:39and it's the metal.
25:41Is that magnetic?
25:42Yeah.
25:43It just clips on there
25:44and it goes straight
25:45into the metal.
25:46Don't show me.
25:46I don't believe you.
25:47That must make it
25:48really quick.
26:00That's it.
26:02Goodness me.
26:03Yeah.
26:03You get your bit
26:04falling down.
26:06It's all very impressive
26:15but I'm becoming
26:16a little apprehensive
26:17about the new building.
26:19The roof slabs
26:20are just sitting
26:21on one of those
26:22thin walls
26:22and my understanding
26:24is that tons of earth
26:25are going to be put up
26:26against it
26:26to form the grassy bank
26:28that'll make the house
26:29invisible from the road.
26:32Deborah,
26:32an engineer herself,
26:34has brought the
26:34structural engineer
26:35here for the project
26:36along to answer
26:37some of my questions.
26:39Ever since I saw
26:40this house go up
26:41I've looked at that
26:42Beko wall
26:43which is basically
26:44polystyrene blocks
26:45filled with concrete
26:46and wondered how
26:47on earth it
26:48supports what it does.
26:49This end is great.
26:50You've got at this end
26:51you've got this great
26:52steel structure
26:53and that's quite
26:54a strong wall
26:54though isn't it?
26:55Now this wall
26:56you have the Beko
26:58which is represented here
27:00by an ice cream wafer
27:02which I think
27:02is a fairly
27:03representative model
27:04and then you've got
27:05these great
27:06great heavy concrete
27:07lintels
27:08haven't you
27:08which are the roof
27:09lintels
27:10roof
27:11what do you call them?
27:11Beams.
27:12They're actual slabs
27:13over there.
27:13Now the problem
27:15I think comes
27:16is when you're
27:17building this huge
27:17bund next to it
27:18this is the earth
27:22right?
27:23This is the earth
27:24up here
27:24and what I'm
27:26suggesting
27:27is that the weight
27:27of all that earth
27:28and the lateral
27:29pressure
27:29surely
27:30isn't that
27:30what's that?
27:32That's not quite
27:33the right example
27:34this is a self
27:35supporting structure
27:36the actual
27:37bund itself
27:38so it wouldn't
27:39have any lateral
27:40pressure imposed
27:41onto the wall
27:42and also
27:43it's not having
27:44the earth
27:45banked up
27:45against it
27:46it's having
27:47polystyrene cubes
27:49there's no force
27:51in this direction
27:51but when I looked
27:53at those great
27:54big concrete beams
27:55going down
27:55onto that
27:56little thin wall
27:56there's no
27:57steel work in there
27:58is there?
27:58You're scared
27:59aren't you?
27:59I was
28:00I really
28:01I was
28:02I love the building
28:03don't get me wrong
28:03I think the building
28:04is a fantastic design
28:05it's a beautiful
28:06beautiful spacious design
28:07but the idea
28:09of sitting underneath
28:0990 tonnes of concrete
28:11supported
28:12on that very thin
28:12polystyrene wall
28:13well it's not
28:14it's wrong to call it
28:16just a polystyrene wall
28:17let's get things
28:18correct really
28:19it's not that dramatic
28:20is it?
28:20it's a concrete wall
28:22yeah but the concrete's
28:24this thick
28:24it's about 6 inches thick
28:26and the actual polystyrene
28:27is used as a mould
28:29you wouldn't put
28:30steel work in there?
28:31the forces are all
28:31in compression there
28:33they're all actual
28:34loads down
28:34it doesn't actually
28:35need steel
28:36can we prove that?
28:37well
28:37let's try with something
28:39a bit more weighty
28:40shall we?
28:40what what?
28:42this is rather weighty
28:43so nobody would think
28:44the wafer would hold
28:45would they?
28:46but the wafer
28:47is in compression
28:48but we're talking
28:50about concrete
28:50not the wafer
28:51engineering class
28:53so we're talking
28:53yes exactly
28:54so that's a concrete
28:54filled wafer
28:55that's right
28:57really really really
28:58rather strong
28:58thank you
29:00you've answered that question
29:00pleasure
29:01this is the underfloor heating
29:08that's going in
29:09and it is such
29:10an elegant system
29:12this is just a huge piece
29:13of 8x4 polystyrene
29:15that just gets laid flat
29:16on the top
29:16it's got this foil over it
29:18it's got these grooves
29:18into which they're laying
29:19all this piping
29:21to carry the hot water
29:22that's going to heat the floor
29:23and on top of this
29:24there's going to be
29:25a floating timber floor
29:26as I understand it
29:27so that whole thing
29:28is going to go down
29:29really quickly
29:29and it's going to heat the house
29:31exactly the way you want to
29:32you know underfloor
29:33beneath your feet
29:34so you can walk around
29:34in it barefoot
29:35it'll be wonderfully comfortable
29:37it sort of epitomises
29:39the whole build
29:40and the whole thing
29:41has gone very quickly
29:42very elegantly
29:43minimum of fuss
29:44minimum of problem
29:45it makes you wonder
29:47why all buildings
29:48aren't constructed like that
29:49outside there's another
29:55elegant solution
29:56the courtyard garden
29:58will be protected
29:59from the noise of the road
30:00by a stone wall
30:01with grassy embankment
30:03facing out onto the road
30:04the wall will be made
30:09from gabions
30:10wire cages
30:11filled with rubble
30:13and to make them look good
30:22the side facing into the courtyard
30:24has a surface of Welsh pebbles
30:26the backs
30:27facing the road
30:28will be banked with earth
30:29these gabion walls
30:31are yet another
30:32unconventional material
30:34they're normally seen
30:35forming the walls
30:36of motorway cuttings
30:37this time
30:40Andrew's building them himself
30:42with a little help
30:45I'm enjoying helping out
30:52at the moment
30:52normally I do
30:53spend all of the time
30:55in the office
30:55and I must have met
30:56the fresh air
30:57is getting the better of me
30:58certainly did last night
30:59but what I want to do
31:01is set a standard
31:03of quality here
31:04for the front gabions
31:06into the courtyard
31:07and it's a little bit
31:09suck it and see
31:09at the moment
31:10how we're developing them
31:11so they need to be clamped
31:13and crimped
31:14and wired back
31:15because the gabions
31:16actually bulge
31:17and we need to make sure
31:18that they're set out
31:20correctly
31:21and they all go together properly
31:24I have to confess
31:35that I have a real liking
31:36for this building
31:37real liking
31:38it's not
31:39it's not excessive
31:40it simply provides them
31:42with all the room
31:43they'll ever need
31:43as a family
31:44what with the water tower
31:45as well
31:45but it's not
31:46a huge
31:47overblown statement
31:48but with an architect
31:51for whom design
31:52is all
31:53and a client
31:53thinking of family comforts
31:55choosing the furniture
31:57might not be so easy
31:58at this stage
32:03in a build
32:04most people
32:05are still struggling
32:06with decisions
32:07such as
32:08where are all the sockets going
32:09or which tiles
32:10to put in the bathroom
32:11but true to form
32:14Andrew and Deborah
32:15are way ahead
32:16of the game
32:17they're choosing
32:18new furniture
32:19to go with
32:20their new design
32:21not that I think
32:22this is a luxury
32:23mind you
32:23I think that
32:24if you're going
32:25to all the trouble
32:26of building
32:26a new space
32:27then it's rather a shame
32:29to fill it with
32:29all the old stuff
32:30from your old house
32:31so why not leave
32:33a little in the budget
32:35for shopping
32:36I think it would go
32:49really well
32:49with the timber
32:50on the floor
32:51it's very nice
32:52big enough
32:52that size
32:53yes no
33:02no
33:03no
33:04I'd go for the
33:07black leather as well
33:08would you
33:08yes to make the
33:09whole frame stand out
33:10no
33:12so Andrew
33:18is this
33:19executive enough
33:20for you
33:20I think they're nice
33:22actually
33:22they're grand
33:23and they're really
33:24quite comfortable
33:24they're really
33:25territorial
33:27they're sort of
33:27this is my space
33:29very masculine
33:31yeah I think
33:34these are great
33:34I love them
33:35they're great
33:36if you're in a dentist
33:37I suppose they're
33:38so architectural
33:39they're pieces of sculpture
33:41in their own right
33:42I love them
33:42I don't like them
33:44do you think that's
33:44because of the black leather
33:45you don't like though
33:46I mean I think the frames
33:47are wonderful
33:48they're beautifully designed chairs
33:50but I don't want them
33:50in my house
33:51I want a sofa
33:57that looks like
33:58you can just
33:58sink into it
33:59a recognisable sofa
34:01yeah
34:01just sort of
34:02relax
34:04one that looks
34:04like it's comfortable
34:05and that you can just
34:06sit in
34:07and forget about
34:08what you've done
34:08this is really comfortable
34:10I'm not sure about
34:11the colour though
34:11no I don't like the colour
34:12but I do like the fabric
34:14it's quite soft
34:15and it's loose covers
34:16so it's easy to keep clean
34:17you can put a big tick
34:18by that then
34:19this build is running
34:24on a tight schedule
34:25so tight
34:27that I think
34:28Andrew and Deborah
34:28are actually gambling
34:30on their efficiency
34:31their schedule allows them
34:33absolutely no room for error
34:34for example
34:35they have a fixed day
34:37to move in
34:38at the end of April
34:38and that's the very day
34:39the contractors
34:40are due to leave site
34:42that's just over a month away
34:44and they haven't even started
34:45work on the tower yet
34:47I'm beginning to wonder
34:48if this isn't asking things
34:50just to go a little too fast
34:52even for this build
34:53if I were to take
34:57an uncharitable view
34:58I would say
35:00new build
35:01commercial architect
35:03piece of cake
35:04historic building
35:06great unknown
35:08I mean
35:09you haven't done anything
35:12to the tower yet
35:13have you
35:13I mean
35:13is this because you've
35:15is this because you've
35:16just sort of
35:17shied clear of it
35:18what we've been wanting
35:18to do is
35:19finish off the new building
35:20before we move in
35:22move on to the tower contract
35:24and just see how much money
35:25we've got left
35:26I think
35:26the new building
35:28is going to cost
35:29what it is
35:29within reason
35:31and we don't want
35:32to skimp
35:33and the areas are finished
35:34which is the areas
35:35that we're at now
35:36I'd rather do
35:37a room less in the tower
35:38and then do that
35:39at some point in the future
35:40and get the new building right
35:41personally I'm sorry
35:43they're not going to convert
35:44the tower right away
35:46it's such an intriguing building
35:47but they've got to move out
35:49of their old house
35:49by the 30th of April
35:51because it's been sold
35:52all energies need to go
35:54into getting the new built
35:55ready by then
35:56even without touching the tower
35:57it's a race against time
35:59we're less than two weeks
36:02from Andrew and Deborah's
36:03deadline for moving in
36:04and trouble has struck
36:05from one of their
36:06technological innovations
36:07the roof's leaking
36:09it's imperative that we
36:16find the leaks
36:17we're not quite sure
36:18whether it's just in one location
36:19or in two or three
36:22so it has slowed things up
36:26are you still going to move in
36:28on the same day?
36:28yes absolutely
36:29yes
36:30it's still going to be
36:30affected by all of this
36:31no
36:32no
36:32because you're on such
36:33a tight schedule
36:34yes we are
36:35I'm getting to the stage
36:36where I'm crossing my fingers
36:37and waking up early in the morning
36:39thinking I must do this
36:40and I must remember
36:41to tell somebody that
36:42since Andrew's ordered
36:44a roof that doesn't leak
36:45he can hand this problem
36:46over to the roofing contractors
36:48they'll have to absorb
36:50the cost of making it watertight
36:51not him
36:52but Andrew's not a hands-off
36:55man on his build
36:56and it doesn't look like
36:57I'll be much longer
36:58they've asked me
36:59to bring my overalls today
37:01Andrew's going to show me
37:02how to make this house invisible
37:04earth has been banked up
37:06against the back
37:07of the courtyard walls
37:08to form a slope
37:09facing the road
37:10that'll be covered in grass
37:11what we're going to do
37:12what we're going to do
37:12is put some taram down
37:13to start with
37:14what's taram?
37:15well it's really
37:16to stop any of the topsoil
37:19going through
37:19into the clay
37:21oh right yeah
37:21well that seems sensible
37:23if you put some of that down
37:24to start with
37:24that's a sample
37:26what we've done is
37:27smooth out the bank
37:29as much as we can
37:30yeah it's flattened it down
37:31a bit clayy unfortunately
37:32and then we're going to
37:32stick some topsoil on that
37:33and then we'll actually
37:34put the
37:35to start with
37:36we'll put some of this
37:38soil erosion matting
37:39down
37:40and then we put the topsoil
37:41into that
37:41well
37:42what are they
37:43that looks like slats
37:45yeah
37:45what
37:45how does that work?
37:47you can have hold of that end
37:48I'll show you
37:49what we do is
37:50if you
37:50it's like it's one thing
37:52yeah
37:52it's one
37:53we just
37:54hold it
37:54it's like you've got the salt
37:56it's tremendous isn't it?
37:59it's fantastic
38:00oh dear there's only one shot
38:01an example
38:03so I can show you really
38:04before we
38:05really get
38:06get going on it
38:07and of course
38:10what's below this bank
38:11are the Gabians
38:12a bit more please
38:14it's very effective though
38:22this isn't it
38:23because you can put the top
38:23in a very dry
38:25crumbly form
38:26which is good for levelling
38:27and if we didn't have that
38:29the first time it rained
38:30it would just run off
38:31the bank
38:31absolutely
38:32I understand that
38:33and then
38:33you just roll the
38:35topsoil pad over that
38:36there we are
38:39it's great isn't it
38:41it's going to be really super
38:44it's going to be a
38:45very enticing
38:46meady bank
38:48isn't it?
38:48yeah
38:48something for the children
38:49to roll down
38:51yeah
38:51yes it will be
38:52and that one
39:03six days to go
39:05Andrew and Deborah
39:07are shelling out
39:07for an expensive finish
39:09and thanks to
39:10custom to next size
39:11they're saving
39:11seventeen and a half percent
39:13vat
39:13which isn't charged
39:14on new builds
39:16but as soon as they
39:17touch the tower
39:18the whole project
39:19becomes a conversion
39:20and that is payable
39:21and the moment they start
39:27the tower hits them
39:28with its first surprise
39:30they planned to cut out
39:31the doorway in two days
39:33it took two weeks
39:35Andrew and Deborah's house
39:46has taken four years
39:47in the planning
39:48ten months
39:49of intensive design
39:51and research
39:51and just four months
39:53to build
39:53and I can't wait
39:55to see it
39:55but I do have a couple
39:57of questions
39:57I still wonder
39:59whether Andrew
40:00hasn't designed
40:01an architect's indulgence
40:02for other architects
40:03to admire
40:04or whether it's
40:05a liveable space
40:06and I still have
40:07this niggling doubt
40:08about open plan design
40:10I mean
40:11I know that it's
40:11a fashionable
40:12and desirable way
40:13to plan your space
40:14these days
40:15and that it's
40:16synonymous
40:16with modernist architecture
40:18but does it make
40:19for a good
40:20and practical home
40:22let's see
40:23very well
40:46good trip up
40:47yeah
40:48you've done a lot
40:49to this space
40:50there
40:50since I saw her last
40:51yeah my mum said
40:52we've got the tallest
40:52porch in the world
40:53exactly
40:54anyway
40:54look
40:55show me your house
40:56right
40:56I'm desperate
40:58to see it
40:59it's extraordinary
41:06welcome to
41:09modern living
41:10isn't it
41:12a wonderful space
41:14it's so so different
41:16it's so kind of sleek
41:18and sharp
41:21and fresh
41:21I love the quality
41:22of light as well
41:23in here
41:24yeah it is
41:24incredibly light
41:26incredibly light
41:27it's all very beautiful
41:29isn't it
41:30I mean beautiful
41:30is the word
41:31to describe this
41:32thank you
41:32yes
41:33it's also all
41:34very hard
41:36and crisp
41:37and very much
41:39Andrew's kind of
41:40you know
41:40that kind of design
41:41business
41:42commercial aesthetic
41:43you know
41:44which is very slick
41:45and very fashionable
41:45at the moment
41:46now
41:47these
41:48I just cannot believe
41:49after that
41:50confrontational
41:52shopping trip
41:53that
41:54these chairs
41:55are anything like
41:56what you want
41:57are they
41:57the black leather
41:58and the chrome
41:58no
41:59but Andrew likes them
42:01and
42:01I've got my squishy sofas
42:03I mean at the end of the evening
42:04we'll sit down here
42:05and I know
42:06Andrew will sit in one of these sofas
42:08and he'll sprawl along them
42:09he won't be sitting in his chairs
42:10he'll be looking at his chairs
42:11he'll be looking at the chairs
42:12fine
42:12sitting in the sofa
42:13they're defining space
42:15yeah
42:15yeah
42:15controlling the volume
42:17yeah
42:17yeah
42:17yeah
42:18they are
42:19yeah
42:19and also with the sofas
42:21what we need
42:22in such a big space
42:23is you need things
42:24to absorb the sand
42:25yes
42:26that's true
42:27and the rugs help
42:28and the big
42:29and that piece of furniture
42:30over there
42:31stuck in its
42:31stuck on its own
42:32I mean yes
42:33that must be one
42:33that you've chosen
42:34isn't it Andrew?
42:35yes
42:35isn't it fabulous
42:36I actually like it too
42:37do you?
42:38I do yeah
42:39this is so so much better
42:43than when I saw it last
42:44you know?
42:44yes
42:45it's come on
42:45really really quickly
42:47great curving wall
42:48yeah
42:48this is the arm
42:49the hugging arm
42:50yeah
42:50it's a dry arid space
42:53it is
42:54yeah
42:54it is
42:54you sort of wanted
42:56a semi-mediterranean feel here
42:58and it's nice to have that
43:00one of the reasons
43:00for building the barn
43:01was to give you privacy
43:02and also to isolate you
43:04from the road outside
43:05which is a busy area
43:06road
43:06and I can still hear
43:07the traffic
43:07yes
43:08I think the wall
43:10has cut out quite a bit
43:11but you can clearly
43:12hear the cars
43:13until the tower's finished
43:16the family are making do
43:17with temporary bedrooms
43:19the small room
43:20facing the courtyard
43:21will eventually be
43:21the children's playroom
43:23all three of them
43:25are sleeping here
43:26in the meantime
43:26next door
43:28there's a small bathroom
43:29with Philippe Stark
43:30fittings
43:31and Andrew and Deborah
43:33are bedding down
43:34in the room
43:34behind the kitchen
43:35with views
43:36out to the back garden
43:37it's our bedroom
43:41oh no this is
43:42this is style
43:42this is what I call
43:43gracious living
43:44in the early 20th century
43:45this is really beautiful
43:47this is very temporary
43:49I think it is beautiful actually
43:51all the work on that wall
43:53it's a real
43:53work of art
43:55all of that
43:55all the services there
43:57I have never seen
43:58such complicated pipework
44:00in a house
44:00I suppose that's all
44:01the underfloor heating
44:01is it
44:02yeah
44:02yes
44:02the manifold system
44:03for the underfloor heating
44:04but you know
44:05who can
44:06I mean it doesn't matter
44:06we're here now
44:08we only sleep in here
44:09you know
44:09yeah you don't show guests
44:11this room
44:11no
44:12absolutely not
44:13the new build has cost
44:16230,000 pounds
44:19the site was 55,000
44:21and they've set a budget
44:22for the tower of 120
44:23Andrew's fees
44:25would be 35,000
44:27so that gives a total cost
44:28to 440,000
44:30the whole project
44:32has been valued
44:32at 450,000
44:34the main open plan space
44:38is designed to be flexible
44:39to move the dining room
44:41you just move the table
44:42this explains Andrew's love
44:45of furniture
44:45with hard clean lines
44:47that define areas
44:48but good design
44:50is not just about
44:51how furniture and space look
44:52it's about the way
44:53they work for people
44:54I do wonder
44:56how Deborah and the children
44:58will use this space
44:59there's one thing
45:00I've been meaning to ask you
45:01I've seen the inside
45:03of your house
45:03your old house
45:05and I know
45:06the way you've lived
45:07and you neither of you
45:08profess to be
45:09the tidiest of people
45:10when we build offices
45:11for people
45:12we see them in
45:13dreadful messy surroundings
45:15and we design
45:17new offices around them
45:18and they are much
45:19cleaner people
45:20it does change
45:21the way that they work
45:22I'm beginning to think
45:23Andrew's built
45:24this beautiful house
45:24just so that I'll clean it
45:26the stone and steel
45:28we're really pleased with
45:29a lot of people
45:30worn dust
45:31it marks
45:31it scratches
45:32I don't care
45:33we don't want a show home
45:35we want a home
45:36that we can live
45:37comfortably in
45:37and when the children
45:39are in bed
45:39and we have a dinner party
45:40we can clear it up
45:41and make it look lovely
45:42but it doesn't have
45:43to look like it
45:44the whole time
45:44I mean
45:45is open plan
45:46this great 90s ideal
45:48is it a good idea
45:49where do you find
45:50your privacy here
45:51with young children
45:51you don't get privacy
45:53you go to the toilet
45:54they come with you
45:55like you know what I mean
45:56it's pointless
45:59trying to design that
46:00when you're not
46:01going to achieve it
46:02but all of us
46:04need some privacy
46:05from the noise
46:06of children's TV
46:07from cooking smells
46:08from prying ramblers
46:10from each other
46:10even when the tower's
46:12converted
46:13it'll still be a long
46:14climb to find
46:15any sanctuary
46:16perhaps having
46:18to make do
46:19with this one big
46:20living space
46:21will give them
46:22the drive
46:22to press on
46:23with the tower conversion
46:24nothing like
46:28reading a quiet newspaper
46:29is there
46:29have you got the energy
46:30to go on
46:31I'd like a rest
46:33I would like to
46:34devote some time
46:36exclusively to the children
46:38I think that they've
46:39had a bit of a rough ride
46:40and it would be quite nice
46:41to have some of the summer
46:42on our own
46:43here
46:44no builders
46:45to enjoy it
46:48the fact that the tower
46:49is there
46:50and it's so inspiring
46:52in its own right
46:53I think I'll wake up tomorrow
46:56and I'll be desperately
46:57wanting to carry on with it
46:59I can't help suspecting
47:01that Deborah's
47:02a little reluctant
47:03to convert the tower
47:04at all
47:04but maybe that's
47:05my interpretation
47:07since I can't imagine
47:08any building
47:09less practical
47:10for living in
47:11what happens
47:12when one of the kids
47:13leaves their homework
47:14in the top bedroom
47:15at ten to nine
47:16in the morning
47:17I suppose if you live
47:18with an architect
47:19you expect comfort
47:20and practicality
47:21to come second
47:22to pure design
47:23still
47:24although a house
47:26that looks like
47:27a slice of airport
47:28terminal
47:28may not be to your taste
47:30it is to theirs
47:32and to mine
47:33and I've been totally
47:34bowled over
47:35by the speed
47:36and efficiency
47:37of this build
47:38on every other project
47:41in this series
47:42I've had to lend a hand
47:43in some way or another
47:44but apart from messing around
47:46with some turf
47:47and acting as mediator
47:49over Andrew and Deborah's
47:50differing taste in furniture
47:51there's been very little
47:53for me to do here
47:54because the build
47:55has gone so well
47:57and I think I've learnt why
47:59for any house
48:01to go up quickly
48:02and smoothly
48:03I think you need
48:03three human cornerstones
48:06you need an architect
48:08who is 100% on the case
48:10you need a client
48:11in this case Deborah
48:12who is 100% on the case
48:14and you need
48:15a project manager
48:15someone like Doug
48:17who is also
48:18100% on the case
48:20now take any one
48:22of these three
48:22cornerstones away
48:23and I think the whole project
48:25lurches
48:26in the direction
48:27of disaster
48:28and even if
48:30you've planned
48:31for the unexpected
48:32something as epic
48:35as building your own house
48:36is always going to be
48:38a helter-skelter ride
48:39it's never easy
48:41to turn your dreams
48:42into reality
48:43you