Rhyne {/’ri:n/ “reen”}

From Old English “Ryne” or Welsh “Rhewyn” meaning “ditch” is a drainage ditch or canal used to turn areas of wetland close to sea level into useful pasture. Used extensively throughout the UK, especially in areas such as the Somerset & North Somerset levels.

Rhyne House is conceived for two keen gardeners who want to embed a modest home within a biodiversity-rich landscape. The project transforms a patch of land with low ecological value into a wild garden that celebrates the distinctive ecosystems of the North Somerset rhynes.

The house is designed as a series of simple, carefully composed volumes that draw on the local vernacular of clustered farm buildings arranged around courtyards. Its forms and layout echo the characteristic patchwork created by the rhynes across the North Somerset Levels.

These clustered volumes shape a sequence of external spaces and courtyards, again inspired by traditional agricultural groupings. As in local farmsteads, where different functions are expressed through varied materials, the design adopts a complementary palette of materials to create a contemporary patchwork that reflects its context.