Adrian James’s copper-clad, energy-generating new home on the outskirts of Oxford is a triumph of style and sustainability

We’re used by now to buildings that declare their greenness; that proudly display their timber construction or hemp panels or wind turbines for the world to see; that make an architectural story out of their care for the atmosphere. And why not. But a striking aspect of Copper Bottom, a new house by the architect Adrian James, is that, apart from being in the most literal sense coloured green, it gives little sense of its sustainability. It looks at first sight like a carefree exploration of built form – a WTF YOLO 3D doodle; a fun folly conceived with no particular thought for the environment.

James once worked for the brilliantly original British postmodernist John Outram, since when he has been ploughing his own distinctive furrow in Oxford. He and his practice design housing, commercial and education buildings, single private houses, a yoga studio. Nearly 30 years ago he announced himself with a full-bodied, barrel-vaulted Thameside house in the city, with notes of ancient Egypt and warehouse construction, for himself and his wife, Sarah. Now, having raised a family there, they have built Copper Bottom for the next stage of their lives. It sits on the very edge of the city (a 15-minute bike ride from the centre), just where a lush part of Oxford’s green belt starts, with views back to the dreaming spires.