Sussex House
The client’s brief was for a contemporary house that would sit well in the landscape and respond sensitively to its tree lined site and rural setting. Overlooking sweeping views to the South Downs the design of the house is composed of a series of layers, which echo the horizontality of the fields and distant hills.
It sits between a protected formal garden at the front and a wild flower meadow to the South. The social spaces on the ground floor are open plan and give wide views across the landscape. A double height ‘winter garden’ unites the ground and first floors creating a dynamic central space with views in all directions.
The connection to nature and the movement of the sun and moon is a key theme which is explored through the orientation of the spaces and the series of carefully created vistas across the plan.
The master bedroom suite on the ground floor has its own snug with a fire place and secluded external terrace. There are three more bedrooms on the first floor, and a study overlooking the double height space. Here the construction, including the walls, is entirely of cross laminated timber.
The roof is made from a series of tilted triangular planes forming a folded, undulating surface inspired by the shape of the surrounding hills. This creates sculptured interior spaces with the natural timber surfaces giving a warm and tactile quality to the rooms.
The external cladding of western red cedar ages to match the colour of the winter trees and dry grasses. Sliding shutters, hidden when not in use, cut out solar glare in the summer months. The south facing glazing is protected from high sunlight but allows solar gain from the low winter sun. The house is naturally ventilated with heating and hot water from an efficient biomass boiler.
Winner – RIBA National Award 2015
Winner – RIBA Award, South East Region Finalist – RIBA House of the Year 2015
Winner – Structural Timber Awards, 2015
Highly Commended – Wood Awards, 2015
Shortlisted – ISE Structural Awards 2015
Finalist - Architect of the Year Awards - Best One-off House 2014
Photography: © Paul Riddle
© Paul Riddle
