1970s Marcial Echenique modern house in Cambridge
A remarkable listed building as well as a renovation project, this 1970s Marcial Echenique modern house in Cambridge, is up for sale.
It is remarkable both in terms of design and untouched condition. Designed around half a century ago by Cambridge University academic professor Marcial Echnique as his family home, it pays homage to Walter Segal’s methods of construction, with pre-formed components fitted together on site.
It looks older than the 1970s, perhaps due to all that wood. It has a strong midcentury Scandinavian feel that translates well into the 21st century. But there’s no denying that it does need some kind of upgrade and renovation.
That’s already down the road. The sale of this house includes full planning and listing building consents, building control approval and a costed working drawing package for the home’s renovation to a design by Mole Architects. That design includes an ‘enlarging of the plan’ to include five bedrooms and an open-plan kitchen and dining space on the eastern edge of the plot. If that’s of interest, get in touch with the agent to see the complete plans and to discuss the ideas put forward.
I’m usually wary of significant renovations, but Mole is a notable and award-winning practice so that you will be in good hands. As it stands, the house does have limitations and areas that need updating. But it also has some stunning features that still have the ability to turn heads.
This is all the more surprising considering that this house was designed to be ‘self-built with a kit of parts’. What you have is a post and beam frame constructed from Canadian hemlock, joined with bolts and screws around a modular grid theme.
It’s a house that looks interesting from the outside but comes to life once you’ve stepped in through the front door.
A study, shower room and kitchen all branch off the entrance hall, leading to a sunken dining area. But that’s only the beginning.
The double-height vaulted reception room is adjacent to it, with glass panes on three of its rear sides. Light is ‘filtered through the leaves of the garden’s cocooning mature trees’, adding a ‘divine quality’ to the natural light. It is a stunning space and the focal point of this design.
An open-tread staircase leads to a gallery landing. An extensive bookcase (which has me foaming at the mouth) rises from the ground to the gallery floor, a hot to its academic origins. I know extensive book collections aren’t the norm these days, but something like this might tempt you to start one.
Four bedrooms are accessible from the gallery landing; arranged under the pitched rooflines, they have what’s described as a ‘protected, treehouse-like feel’. A family bathroom finishes the main layout as-is.
Note that the proposed plans will ‘update elements’ of the house’s fabric, its internal joinery, kitchen, bathrooms and storage potential. Space will also be added by building a large, light-filled kitchen and dining room extension, with ‘additional ancillary accommodation’, and converting the carport into a fifth bedroom, amongst other changes. The idea, I assume, is to keep the look, feel and character but add some practical touches for contemporary living.
There is also outdoor space, with the house approached by a brick-weaved driveway with off-road parking for two cars. There is also a large brick bike store and outside storage.
A walled rear garden has a patio close to the house, with a lawn backing onto Chesterton Recreation Ground. A series of now mature trees were also planted to shield the house from the elements.
The house is currently on the market for £1,050,000.
Images and details courtesy of The Modern House. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.
