Windsor Edge

Windsor Edge is a group of three self-build homes stepping down a steep hillside at the edge of Nailsworth, within the Cotswolds National Landscape. The project has been developed alongside our sister company, LIVEDIN.

With Permission in Principle established for the site, the design was shaped through a collaborative pre-application process with Stroud District Council. Three layouts were explored, and the submitted scheme develops the one that sits most comfortably with the topography.

The three detached homes settle gently into their plots and follow the contours, parallel and perpendicular, as neighbouring houses do. Massing is broken into smaller elements, and ridges stay below the lane so long views across the valley to Woodchester Priory remain open.

Rather than relying on heavy retaining walls, the buildings themselves step down the slope, supported by low stone structures.

The architecture is a contemporary vernacular of local stone, untreated timber cladding and simple pitched roofs in slate or standing seam zinc. A Design Code gives each self-builder room to make their home their own while keeping the plots cohesive.

Designed on Passivhaus principles, the homes take a fabric-first approach with heat pumps, PV and sustainable drainage, set within retained walls, hedges and native planting. Together, the homes offer a model for self-build in a sensitive landscape.