Episode Information Oxford: The Decagon House

Date Published:

05/06/2008

Oxford is an architecturally inspiring place to live, but building plots are rare. So when a prime site came up, surveyor Henry Chopping jumped at the chance to build something special. And for once, it's just for himself.

The project

When Henry Chopping, a commercial surveyor, comes across a plot of land in the heart of Oxford, he seizes the opportunity to build a unique home, specifically designed to his own tastes.

But there's a problem - the plot is tucked away behind a listed wall and strict planning conditions mean that Henry is only allowed to build a house one storey high. Undeterred, he and his architect come up with a bizarre design that makes the most of the plot and available light - a series of glass-fronted decagons.

With a healthy budget of £800,000, Henry is determined to use only the very best of materials; the huge copper roof is inspired by Oxford colleges, the walls - both inside and out - are made from local limestone and the ceilings are supported by giant glulam beams. It's altogether an eclectic mix of architectural styles.

Henry is a perfectionist, and his determination to get things spot on means the schedule starts to seriously slide. With so much money at stake, and a demanding job to contend with, the build becomes a bigger challenge than Henry had first bargained for. Moreover, with such a mix of styles and materials, nobody's quite sure whether his house will emerge an ugly duckling or a graceful swan.

The build

First, the listed wall next to the road was rebuilt using local limestone and red brick. It completely hides this complex house.

In the hole, Henry's built a voluminous basement with a hi-tech lounge, a cinema and a utility room. Above it, at ground floor level, behind the wall, sit an unusual arrangement of interlocking rooms, based mainly on the ten sided decagon.

You enter the house over a walkway. On one side there are four bedrooms, including the master suite at the end. Although these rooms are not decagons, they're not completely square either.

Off the other side of the hall are the kitchen and dining room; and at the end, Henry's study decagon, which is accessed through the largest and most elaborate of the decagons. This large living room, part inspired by Moroccan tents, is arranged so that three of its ten sides are glazed to capture the light of the moving sun. Structurally, this room depends on ten elegant oversailing beams made of laminated engineered wood, glulam - a beautiful material that Henry wants to use elsewhere.

The roof is mainly copper, inspired by Oxford's university buildings, but also a small area of living sedum roof - turf to you and me. Henry has plenty of experience as a surveyor, but here he seemed to be testing his own limits.