A home rooted in land and light
Set just outside the South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Field House began with a simple but far-reaching brief: to create a new family home that sat lightly in its landscape, made from natural materials, and enriched its rural setting rather than disrupted it. Once occupied by a modest dwelling and decaying barns, the site offered long views, a patchwork of fields, and rich biodiversity potential.
“The site offered an incredible opportunity and Wilkinson King completely understood and expertly communicated our vision, creating a modern, highly efficient, and sustainable home using beautiful natural materials. Looking out, the house feels as if it were rooted in the landscape. Perfectly positioned to capture the best of the light and views, wherever you are inside, there is constant connectivity to the outdoors and the changing colours of the seasons. Every day feels special here”
Finalist - BD Individual House Architect of the Year
Finalist - London Construction Awards
Our clients wanted a house that felt embedded, not just visually but materially, in its context. It needed to be ecologically responsible, expressive in its architecture, and open to nature at every turn. The challenge was to create something radically low-carbon, but also deeply human, a place where structure, landscape, and family life could co-exist in harmony.
The design is defined by clarity and economy, no superfluity, just structure, light, and landscape. The ground floor is made from solid French limestone, post-tensioned into a structural frame supporting the timber upper storey. This hybrid construction, delivers strength and thermal mass with ultra-low embodied carbon: an extraordinary -85 kgCO₂/m².
Douglas fir joists span north–south, echoing nearby vineyards. The upper floor, clad in homegrown Western Red Cedar, sits quietly above the stone base, its form inspired by the barns that once stood here. Exposed CLT walls and ceilings provide warmth and texture, while generous south-facing glazing and a large central skylight bring light deep into the plan.
At the heart is a double-height entrance hall where stone, timber, and daylight meet. A cantilevered stair rises beside a structural wall, a moment that captures the house’s ambition: rigorous, crafted, and deeply material. To the south, a stone loggia shades full-height glazing and opens to the meadow beyond.
Field House is shaped by its setting, in both spirit and form. Every element responds to the landscape, from the reclaimed pond and wildflower meadows to the open swale that manages water and nurtures biodiversity. Each gesture is purposeful, whether environmental or experiential. Resident bats have been rehoused in the garage roof, and lighting is carefully designed to protect their habitat. Nothing is decorative for decoration’s sake; every decision is rooted in intent.
For the family, it’s a home of quiet drama and expansive calm, where rooms are filled with shifting light, views evolve with the seasons, and nature is always within reach. It proves that sustainable architecture can be both beautiful and deeply lived-in. Rooted in its landscape and crafted with care, Field House offers a hopeful model for rural living elegant, enduring, and alive to its surroundings.