GREAT BEALINGS BUILDING THE DREAM
This isn’t the usual style of house you would expect to see in this part of Suffolk. Can you tell us a bit about the project? The project involved the demolition of an existing cottage and the construction of a high quality contemporary bespoke dwelling, discreetly hidden within a peaceful woodland setting. The house was designed by award- winning architects Wincer Kievenaar who are based in Hadleigh. They have an exceptional reputation and the partnership with Gipping worked really well. We hope this will be the first of many projects with them. The design seems to work so well in its environment, how did that come about? This was a contemporary replacement dwelling, whose owners wanted a design which was a modern addition to the landscape without being more visually intrusive than the original. The overall shape of the building is broken up by changes in the roof line, and the exterior timber finishes combined with the ceramic granite cladding have created a stylish yet functional modern family home.
How did you create a cutting edge yet ecologically sensitive interior? Wincer Kievenaar’s design of the house instinctively creates good shading benefits, and the large expanses of glazing reduce the need for artificial lighting. There are polished concrete floors, with underfloor heating on both levels, which have been combined with high performance ceiling finishes to overcome potential noise reverberation problems from the hard surfaces. Smart technology has been installed to control the lighting, heating and audio visual systems via smartphones, with the intention to make the whole home as future proof as possible. What do you most enjoy about working on projects like these? Gipping have already carried out several similarly high-end residential building projects in the region. The biggest buzz about them is that they are one-off designs, and for building professionals, working on them is both interesting and enjoyable. As I mentioned earlier, we have an excellent working relationship with Phil Branton and the team at Wincer Kievenaar, which brought together the joint expertise of builders and architects, and together I think we have created an exceptional home at Great Bealings.
Founded 12 years ago, Gipping Construction has become a well-known name throughout the region, establishing a name for themselves as a leading builder and developer on some high profile projects in schools, retail and commercial properties across East Anglia. Perhaps less well known is their considerable expertise in building some of the most visually appealing residential houses in the region. ADVISER spoke to andy Laflin, Gipping’s joint managing director about one of their recent projects, at Great Bealings near Woodbridge.
6 | S C R U T T O N B L A N D | C O R P O R A T E
Made with FlippingBook HTML5