Breathtaking in its elegant restraint
6a architects for private client
Contract value: Confidential
GIA: 500 m²
The transformation of this early 20th century house close to the south Devon coastal path is breathtaking in its elegant restraint. Retention of much of the original structure, wrapped in an insulating ‘duvet’ and faced in reclaimed slate, has produced a house rooted in place; rich in history and also in contemporary detail and delight. Outside, an elegant oak framed veranda and the curious ovoids that punctuate the deep lead fascia are the only clues to what lies within.
The interior has been reinvented by the removal of one of four chimney stacks. New openings are framed in board-marked in situ concrete and a winding timber stair rises through the central three-storey, top-lit atrium, creating a series of balconies and terraces to make an extraordinary interior landscape. At ground level the floor level has been dropped to connect inside and out, elongating existing windows and creating a grand scale for the more public rooms. From the centre of the plan are views out, from coast to inner courtyard. Externally, garden designer Dan Pearson has created a series of landscapes moving between rolling clifftop and walled gardens. This project, emerging from years of dialogue and a change in direction well into the design, respects and reinvents the original house to create a timeless and beautifully made new home.
RIBA South West Conservation Award
See the other winners in the RIBA regional awards - South West
Click to read RIBAJ's full review of 6a's Coastal House by Eleanor Young