Limited pallette, elegant details
Guy Hollaway Architects for Shilen Patel
Contract value: Undisclosed
GIA: 2250m2
Set against the bleak wilderness of Dungeness and its nuclear power station, this modest set of volumes forms a unique family retreat. A limited palette of timber, cement board and Corten steel is combined deliberately and carefully to give the house a strong profile of three pitched roof cabins, with a side pod appearing to float lightly above the shingle. A larger block is linked to a smaller children's dormitory block, connected by a glass bridge, and includes a timber deck that wraps around the glazed elevation.
Elegant details include the treatment of the windows cut into the external boarding and the simple way rainwater drains back into the shingle around the building perimeter. Internally, a dark blue dining room includes a ribbon window that perfectly frames the view out. There is a lot to admire in this small but perfectly-formed house.
See other winners in the RIBA Regional Awards 2015 – South East