A modern two-story house surrounded by trees and flowering bushes, with a gravel driveway, a staircase leading to the entrance, and large glass windows.

Bonnie Banks

Bonnie Banks is a contemporary detached residence designed for a prominent hillside site within the City of Bath.

Providing full services from Concept Design through to Planning Approval, Technical Design and Tender Management, the project delivers a 330m² new-build home that balances architectural clarity with contextual sensitivity.

Located opposite the Grade I listed park and gardens of Prior Park , the design demonstrates how high-quality contemporary architecture can sit confidently within one of the UK’s most historically significant settings.

Planning approval was successfully secured, recognising both the architectural ambition of the proposal and its respectful response to Bath’s distinctive character.

Location: World Heritage City of Bath

Size: 330sqm

Client: Private Residential

Project Type: New Build Contemporary House

Services: Full Architectural Services, Planning, Technical Design, Tender Management

Status: On-going

Collaborators: Sova Surveys, Giraffe Engineering, Achieve Green

Modern two-story house with large glass windows, surrounded by trees and flowering bushes, with a gravel driveway and outdoor patio area.

Context & Brief

The site occupies an elevated position on the southern slopes of Bath, characterised by mature trees, valley views and a strong architectural context shaped by historic stone buildings. Its prominence and proximity to listed properties demanded a carefully considered design approach.
The brief was to create a spacious, light-filled modern home that would maximise panoramic views across the valley and respond sensitively to the natural topography. Moreover, it needed to deliver a high-performance family home that sits comfortably within its green setting.
The ambition was to create a contemporary house of architectural integrity - not a pastiche of historic forms, but a confident addition to the evolving story of the hillside.
Design Approach

The architectural strategy responds directly to the site’s slope. Rather than impose a singular mass, the 330m² home adopts a stepped two-storey form that follows the natural contours of the land, reducing visual impact and embedding the building into the landscape.
The composition is defined by clean horizontal lines, generous glazing, and carefully framed volumes. Large expanses of glass orientate primary living spaces towards valley views, while simultaneously flooding the interiors with natural light.

Materiality plays a central role in mediating between contemporary form and historic context. A restrained palette of Bath stone, Warm timber cladding and planted terraces ensures the building sits comfortably within its mature surroundings. The natural tones echo the honey-coloured stone of the city while softening the architectural edges through landscape integration.
Externally, planted terraces step down the hillside, reinforcing the building’s relationship with the terrain and providing usable outdoor spaces connected directly to internal living areas. A new driveway and carefully composed approach sequence enhance the sense of arrival without competing with the architecture.
Outcome & Impact

Bonnie Banks presents a confident yet respectful contemporary home within the Bath World Heritage context.

The stepped massing reduces perceived scale from key viewpoints, while the use of natural materials ensures the house integrates seamlessly into its green hillside setting. Internally, the design delivers expansive, light-filled living spaces that prioritise outlook, privacy and environmental performance.
Securing planning approval for a modern new-build of this scale in such a sensitive location is a significant achievement. The approval reflects the strength of the architectural concept, the rigour of the contextual analysis, and the quality of the detailed design work.
The project demonstrates how thoughtful contemporary design can enhance - rather than detract from -Bath’s historic environment.
Technical Details

The 330m² house is organised across two principal storeys, stepping with the natural gradient of the site to minimise cut-and-fill and reduce visual massing.
Large-format glazing units are carefully positioned to frame views while managing solar gain. Deep overhangs and terrace projections provide passive shading and environmental moderation.
The structural strategy accommodates the changing levels across the site, with retaining elements integrated into the architectural language. External terraces are designed as extensions of the internal floor plates, reinforcing indoor–outdoor continuity.
The material palette combines charred timber, bath ashlar stone and rubble stone. The masonry elements seek to ground the building the hillside, while the vertical timber cladding reaches for the trees beyond.
Challenges & Problem Solving

Heritage Context
Designing a contemporary new-build adjacent to listed buildings within Bath’s World Heritage Site required a disciplined and evidence-led approach. Careful attention was given to scale, massing, roofline, and material selection to ensure the proposal preserves and enhances the surrounding character.
Topography
The steep hillside setting presented both a constraint and an opportunity. By stepping the building form and integrating planted terraces, the design minimises visual impact while creating dynamic internal and external spaces.
Visual Prominence
Given the elevated position and long-range views across the valley, the building’s silhouette and materiality were critical. The restrained palette and landscape-led strategy ensure the house reads as part of the hillside rather than an imposition upon it.