The concept of the ‘Emergent Cottage’ arose from the 3 woodlands that surround the site in Ambergate, Derbyshire. On the site visit there was a strong pull to the forestry as it contained a 3,000 year old ‘Betty Kenny Tree’ which made the remains of the cottage have an ancient and present connectivity to the trees.

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In addition, the short journey from the cottage down to the local river Derwent and the Amber Valley backdrop created a beautiful back drop and views to the cottage that could only been fully seen at a higher level. Therefore, as a part of my proposal I introduced more levels to the home which (aligned with the four layers that make up a forest). I used the layers of the forest to architecturally curated a series of sympathetic yet harnessing interventions that increase connectivity to the forest and valley views. The proposal also had to cater to the vison restricted client and her family who loved kayaking, reading and the outdoors.