Villa Caroisla
This detached, 4 bedroom ‘eco house’ in west London is a self-build project by the architect, Nick Baker. The design was inspired by the sylvan setting of the site and lovingly named Villa Caroisla, after Nick’s wife Caroline and their daughter Isla.
Location
West London
Product
Timber Cladding
Species
Western Red Cedar
Architect
Nick Baker Architects
The glass and timber butterfly-shaped two-storey structure is set in a beautiful garden down a romantic leafy track. Two ancient, protected oak trees also share the exquisite grounds.
Clad in Canadian Western Red Cedar, fixed with 10,000 steel nails in perfect rows, this is just one of many of the home’s sustainable features.
“All but the ground floor [which is 50 per cent triple-laminated glass] meets Passivhaus standards,” Nick says.
The thick walls are packed with a foot of Rockwool; a big sedum roof encourages wildlife, and there’s a phalanx of solar panels on another section of roof. These heat water and create electricity creating a highly ecological build.
The stunning build was awarded the Ealing Civic Society Annual Award with the judges commenting, ‘It is cleverly aligned on a backland sloping site so as to maximise privacy despite fully glazed living rooms. Highly commended.’
Western Red Cedar is the perfect choice to ensure the build blends seamlessly into its natural environment. The species is known for its natural variance in colour. Heartwood from the centre of the log may be a dark chocolate-brown colour, changing to a lighter, salmon pink nearer the sapwood portion of the log. When left uncoated the timber will naturally weather back to silver/ grey.
When talking to Nick about the build recently, he said, “The WRC has done well over the last 15 years and still looks great!”
