Windy Rise

A modernist hillside home with roots in the landscape, and the past.

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2025
Private Residential
Sustainability
Cantilevered dark-timber upper floor projects over a stone-clad lower level at dusk, illuminated from within

Set high in the treetops on a rewilded wreck of a site, Windy Rise reimagines a lost family home with purpose and precision.

Brief

The original house on this site was generic, uninspired, and unworthy of its spectacular hillside setting. Then came vandalism, arson, and eventually nature decided to move in and make itself at home.

Even when covered in weeds and bad memories, this Little Eaton hillside still had something special to offer. Altitude. Privacy. Drama. The kind of views that make you forget your porridge is getting cold.

Our client's biggest worry was getting planning permission for something bigger, bolder and on show for the whole village to see. "That's what we're trusting you for," they said.

No pressure then.


Location

Derbyshire

Status

Planning Pending

Client

Private Client

Services

Architectural Design

Planning

3D Visualisation

Area

3,050 sqft

Modern cantilevered home with glass walls, stone base, and green roof nestled among autumn trees in wooded setting
Modern home entrance featuring stacked stone walls, bold red pivot door, wooden deck walkway, and rooftop garden with flowers
Luxury private bowling alley with two lanes, colorful bowling balls, ambient lighting, and illuminated golden pin display
  • Lush terraced garden with circular brick fire pit, flowering plants, mature trees, and residential buildings in background
  • Woodland garden path with birch trees, stone borders, blue muscari flowers, and red azaleas in dappled sunlight
  • Red brick building with long icicles hanging from roof edge, surrounded by snow-covered evergreen trees in winter garden
  • Overgrown hillside with matted grass, bare deciduous trees, and evergreen conifers under overcast winter sky
  • Overgrown derelict site with demolished brick structures, scattered debris, bare winter trees, and dilapidated outbuildings
  • Bare winter tree with mesh netting installation and cables wrapped around trunk in woodland setting with fallen leaves
  • Rustic wooden outdoor staircase with metal handrails ascending through leafy trees alongside a wooden picket fence

Context

"The site is, by any measure, extraordinary."

Sometimes the landscape tells you exactly what to do. This steep site practically demanded we cut into the hillside rather than fight it. So we did.

The lower level sits snug in a sheer drop, keeping the overall building height respectful. Then comes the fun bit—the bedroom wing that cantilevers out, floating above the treetops like it's defying gravity for the sheer joy of it.

It's minimal, precise, and linear. Everything the chaotic terrain beneath it isn't. This house doesn't hide from its surroundings—it enhances them.

Modern cantilevered home with glass walls, stone base, and green roof nestled among autumn trees in wooded setting
Modern cantilevered home with floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden cladding, stone base, and green roof surrounded by trees
Modern earth-sheltered home with green roof and infinity pool overlooking misty forested hills at sunset

Breathtaking Design

North? No Thanks.

North-facing was never going to work. Dark, cold, and topographically about as welcoming as a VAT return. So we turned everything to chase the southern sun instead.

The living spaces, bedrooms, and that floating wing all face the valley like they're queuing for the best seats at the theatre. Behind the scenes, we carved out a courtyard that works overtime as both lightwell and a private retreat. It funnels sunshine down to the swimming pool (or bowling alley!) below.

The result is a house that feels bright, layered, and surprisingly connected between levels. Above ground, below ground, it all just works.

Vertical natural wood slat cladding detail next to dark blue-grey painted door frame with stone paving below
Light gray concrete texture with subtle mottled surface variations and natural weathering patterns
Natural stone wall with varied gray and blue-toned rough-cut stones arranged in horizontal courses with mortar joints

Materials

Nothing to hide.

We don't do architectural fancy dress here. Every material chosen for Windy Rise is exactly what it says on the tin.

The timber cladding is natural larch, cut to show off its texture and treated with UV-stabilising oil so it ages gracefully to silver. The concrete banding doesn't pretend to be marble or wood—it's concrete, and it's proud of it. At ground level, natural stone pulled from the surrounding geology adds the weight and connection this floating house needs.

The palette is deliberately tight, quietly nodding to both the woodland setting and the Peak District beyond. Nothing showy. Nothing fake. Just honest materials doing honest work.

Modern two-story home with cantilevered upper floor, wood cladding, stone base, green roof, and autumn forest setting
Modern home entrance featuring stacked stone walls, bold red pivot door, wooden deck walkway, and rooftop garden with flowers
Modern home exterior at dusk featuring stone walls, floor-to-ceiling glass, green roof terraces, and natural pond
Modern cantilevered home with floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden cladding, stone base, and green roof surrounded by trees
Luxury private bowling alley with two lanes, colorful bowling balls, ambient lighting, and illuminated golden pin display
Modern multi-level residence featuring stone walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, green roof with wildflowers, and wooden deck

The Planning

Getting Windy Rise through planning will mean proving the house would enhance the site, not dominate it.

We presented visual impact assessments from key viewpoints, showed how our cut-and-fill strategy would barely disturb the land, and included an ecological plan that improves biodiversity. The green roofs help the house blend into the landscape when viewed from above, and we kept the building footprint tight to avoid unnecessary tree clearance.

Most importantly, we made the case that this house would be a natural evolution of the site rather than an unwelcome intrusion.

Floorplans
Architectural ground floor plan with rock-like black border showing pool, kitchen, living, and dining layout
Architectural floor plan showing a linear row of bedrooms with a curved corridor leading to a central lounge area
Client Feedback

"JSA have been most helpful from the initial meeting through to the production of a quality plan for our project , superb communication of progress with our plans and clear costing and timescales. We are very pleased with the service in what has been a complex project and would thoroughly recommend their services."

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How it works (Because "get in touch" shouldn't feel like a leap of faith)

01. Talk One conversation to understand your project, your budget, and whether we're the right fit. No obligation. No sales pitch.

02. Design Everything built around your brief. We sketch, develop, and refine — with check-ins before anything is fixed. You stay in control without getting buried in the detail.

03. Deliver Through planning, building regs, and into construction. We handle the process. You make the decisions that matter.

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