Rowan Atkinson’s futuristic home supported by top architect
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Top London architect Lord George Rogers has written to South Oxfordshire District Council supporting Rowan Atkinson’s futuristic home.
Atkinson has been involved in the design of the £5 million white three-storey home for the past two years, working with world-renowned architect Richard Meier.
But the Blackadder star has infuriated his neighbours over plans to build the hi-tech house – which has been dubbed “a space age petrol station”.
Lord Rogers wrote: ”Richard Meier’s design for Rowan Atkinson’s house in Oxfordshire is beautiful.
”As with all classical buildings from the earliest Hellenic to Palladio to Indigo Jones’ Queen’s house in Greenwich, Richard’s house stands proudly in contrast to the nature that surrounds it.
”This house, like all of Richard’s best buildings, belongs to the classical tradition in architecture.
”The eroded white cuboid is carefully ordered in terms of scale, play of light and shadow, proportion and interlocking spaces.
”The carefully positioned façade of floating white solid plains set off against the glass which is sometimes transparent and sometimes dark creates a harmonious whole.
”No contemporary architect knows better than Richard Meier how to use this timeless yet contemporary architectural language. In fact Richard could be considered as the greatest designer of houses today.
”All good architecture is modern in its time and is often shocking.
”St Paul’s Cathedral took Wren some forty years to complete against immense opposition.
”In the end, he surrounded this great Cathedral with an 18ft wattle fence so that it could not be seen until it was well under construction.
”Richard has built in many countries and it would be wonderful to have one of his buildings in Britain.”
Akinson plans to demolish the existing 1930s Handsmooth House set in 16 acres of rolling countryside near the tiny village of Ipsden, near Wallingford, Oxon.
The Mr Bean star wants to replace it with a 30ft (9m) high mansion split into two futuristic wings connected by a transparent Star Trek-style walkway.
Villagers John and Patricia Watts, who live close to the proposed development, also wrote to planners in support of the house.
They wrote: ”Our property has direct views of Handsmooth House.
”As the property is in an area of outstanding natural beauty we welcome the development of this site as the existing house is extremely dilapidated and has been for some considerable time.”
But the Chilterns Conservation Board are strongly opposed to the plans, branding them ”completely inappropriate.”
Colin White, planning officer for the board, wrote: ”The board considers that this is a completely inappropriate design for this prominent site in the Chilterns AONB where developments should conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area.”
He adds that the design is ”very similar” to another house by Richard Meier in China.
He writes: ”The very prominent horizontal roof and the white colour of the house would neither enhance the rural character nor create a design that is sensitive to neighbouring properties.”
Adrian Hearn
Twitter: @swns
Related tags.
Discussion
-
eraldo satera
-
eraldo satera
-
Jenny Smith
Related Stories
Weeping over willow: residents’ moan at 50ft tree’s protection order
Pig sty-le: Farmer rules shelter is too posh for his porkers
The Giant’s Chair sculpture banned for being too popular
Entrepreneur ordered to close man-made beach
Homeowner claims council branded him ‘racist’ over gypsy objection
Stephen Hawking joins angry Cambridge protest
Rowan Atkinson angers neighbours over space age house plans
Children’s play fort in planning permission row
Paedophile’s home destroyed by JCB vigilantesContact us about this story
(We try to reply to all your e-mails within 48 hours). You can also register with us to recieve updates.
