“A sensitive design approach with an emphasis on sustainability technologies was adopted for this unique replacement house in the heart of the South Downs National Park”

Set in a prominent South Downs National Park location, this new family home encompassed an eclectic design philosophy, fusing a farmstead influence with a more contemporary presence, ensuring an appropriate relationship within the undulating landscape and a nod to the memory of the original house.

Simple in its form, the new house depicts a one and a half storey building with expressed low-eaves lines reducing the scale of the building to a friendly human level and welcomes visitors to the shelter of the front door with its curved head and recessed lobby. This composition is balanced by the verticality of the oak boarded end gable walls and the subservient wing to the west, while the stone buttresses firmly anchor the building to the site.

The first-floor accommodation is contained within the roof slope served by modest dormer windows, while the remaining accommodation is carefully arranged below ground within the two storey basement levels, which include a swimming pool and garaging.

Careful consideration for the challenging topography of the site, along with the use of a sensitive palette of high quality natural materials ensures this new family home will have a mellow and harmonious relationship with the landscape in this prominent position within the South Downs National Park.

This new house is designed to achieve to be a sustainable home. Materials will, where possible, be obtained from renewable local sources and materials from demolition of the old house will be re-used in the new construction or recycled where possible.

Sustainable technologies will control the services will enable this property to function off grid, while the inclusion of rainwater harvesting, and grey water storage will form part of a holistic approach for carbon reduction and energy use.

Construction of this new house has now commenced on site with anticipated completion date of Spring next year.