Location: Tongdean Avenue, Hove, Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
Work carried out: A new house was required for a family home for an Anglo-Chinese couple with two children. Family members would also be expected to visit from abroad and stay for several weeks at a time and so the house needed to take account of this and the clients’ interest in the principles of Feng Shui.
Project description:
We designed a modern 4 bedroom house with attached garage that would blend in with its surroundings, but at the same time be clearly contemporary architecture. The aim was to conceal a surprise within and to create an interior architecture that would stun and excite the owners and guests alike whilst functioning well for them. The site also had a panoramic view of the coast and every attempt was made to capitalise on that.
The main centrepiece was the circular Hallway space with its feature staircase lit from above. The Ground Floor was to take advantage of the seasonal passage of the sun to gain maximum benefit of light and warmth particularly the Sun Lounge in the colder months and very good convection cooling in the warmer months via the rooflights in the Hallway. There was to be a Playroom (which would inevitably find new uses as the children got older) and an Exercise Area. There was to be a two way wood-burning stove to Hallway and Dining Room. The Upper Floor would feel connected to the Ground Floor from the galleried landing. There was to be a generous Master Suite with Terrace and Study and all the other Bedrooms had their own En-Suites – one of which was shared. The design was compact and basically square so with a low wall to volume ratio and optimised glazing the house the house naturally follows the principles of sustainable Architecture. Whilst this remained an un-realised vision, it embodied a number of important strands within the narrative of our Architectural designs and hence it is included.