homebuilding.co.uk 187extensions,whichcomprisedsomethingofa
hotchpotchoffeltflat-roofedbuildingsanda
pitchedroofconstruction.
“Westrippedit back,”explainsStan.“Someof
theoldbuildinghadtoberepairedandoriginal
openingsreinstated—butessentiallywecouldstart
againfromscratch.”
“Wewantedtocreateanextensionthatwas
modernbutthatfittedinwiththeexistinghouse
—and we wanted to walk in through the front door
and be faced with sea views,” says Paul.
“Faced with these panoramic, unobstructed
views and this amazing dynamic vista, the natural
inclination was to make the extension very
lightweight and all-glass, but the initial schemes
didn’t quite hit the nail on the head,” remembers
Stan. “So we came up with the idea of the three
pitched roofs; a ‘saw-toothed’ design. It was a step
back to something more vernacular and referenced
the existing building through the pitches and slate
covering — tying them together.
“Thedesignoftheexistinghouseis very
introverted.Withmassiveblocksandrelatively
smallwindows—it deals with the outside spaces
ashostileandsomethingtobeprotectedfrom,”
explainsStan.“Wewantedtheextensiontodothe
opposite—to be an extrovert, open-plan space that
eroded the distinction between the inside and out.
We also wanted the extension to be subservient to
the existing house, which is cubic and dominant and
very proud.
“Despite their differences, the two buildings share
a language and enter into a dialogue,” says Stan.
“Andthefullyglazedgablesofthethree-pitched
sectionsoftherooflookoutat theoriginalbuilding
—it is always in your frame of vision from the
inside.”A difficult site
Planning was quickly passed, and landscaping work
began before the building work. “Chris Greene
designed the landscaping scheme,” says Paul. “A
huge amount of soil had to be dug out and over 100
tonnes of local granite was brought in to form the
shape of the garden.”
With a strong focus on respecting the existing
building, the extension is attached to the main house
with a lightweight green roofed link sheltering the
new front door that leads to the entrance hall.
This new entrance has been created within a
sunken courtyard featuring curved elements that
sit in contrast to the otherwise straight lines of the
house. The sunken space required a huge amount of
excavation work, no mean feat given that the ground
was mainly rock and access was tricky.The living area
The spaces in the
extension were
designed to embrace
the coastal position
of the house. The
triple-pitched roof sits
on props so that the
timber finishes never
touch the ring beam
structure which all the
glazing disappears into
—theroofappears
tofloat.
in additiontothe
glassandstonewalls,
mdf with an oak
veneer has also been
used (top right).