A house of originality and delight
Mole Architects with Rebecca Granger Architects for Solidspace
Contract value: Confidential
GIA: 220m²
Houseboat is an extraordinary house for architect-led developer Solidspace, on a site overlooking Poole harbour.
Black stained larch boards sit above a concrete base. Over a lower level of private and acoustically treated bedrooms is layered a simple concept of split level and open plan living. The living spaces soar under the hull-like forms of the roof. A glass wall faces west over the landscape and bay. The ‘four seasons’ glass is unusually broken into 600mm wide glazing strips with a bespoke copper cover plate and Douglas fir structure and works very well.
A sculptural concrete portal frame was built first, with the foundations, and this contains the main staircase. This concrete is left as struck, its roughness an appealing contrast to finer joinery work.
The client lives in an adjacent house, made from parts of the SS Mauritania, which provided the building plot for the Houseboat. In detail and concept both houses clearly embody the maritime spirit and this addition does so in a remarkably innovative way. A house of originality and delight.
See the other winners of the RIBA Regional Awards 2017 - South West & Wessex